AJanuary 22 1912
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Monday, January 22, 1912
Lasker Takes Offense At Capablanca's Letter
That Jose R. Capablanca, the Cuban chess champion, will not be accommodated with a match for the world's chess championship, at least not in the near future, and not without recourse to a third party, was made plain when the contents of a letter, written from Berlin by Dr. Emanuel Lasker, the title holder, in response to Capablanca's communication setting forth his views of the conditions laid down by the champion, were made known. It appears that Dr. Lasker did not like the tone of his young rival's letter and remarks that it is indicative of a lack of veneration among other things, although the Cuban expressly stated that he had endeavored in preparing his answer, to make plain his objections without being offensive. All he asked for, he said, was “a square deal and an even chance, that the best man may win.”
Nevertheless, Dr. Lasker took exception to and regarded as offensive Capablanca's reference to an “obvious unfairness.” Further, he says that, while Capablanca asked him to name his conditions for a match, the latter in turn attempted to impose his own. On the strength of all this, Dr. Lasker regards the challenge as null and void, and considers himself free to deal with other challengers.
Champion Not Convinced
In spite of Capablanca's long and careful analysis of the seventeen sections of Dr. Lasker's terms, and the further fact that a good many of these were entirely of his own making and others unprecedented, Dr. Lasker is unconvinced by the Cuban's letter that his stipulations are anything except what they ought to be. He defends his position regarding the clause providing for a drawn match where, after thirty games, either player has an advantage of only 1 to 0, 2 to 1 or 3 to 2, on the ground that it would be objectionable to the backers of such a match if a title were to change hands on the strength of so slight a difference.
The champion calls attention to the fact that thirty games should be ample in which to arrive at an issue, and cites his match with Steinitz of 19 games, the longest Dr. Lasker has ever played. In this connection, however, he does not make allowance for the present-day style of play, so well illustrated by the Lasker-Schlechter match, wherein two games were won and eight drawn.
Independent of Cuban
Referring to the income from the proposed match, of which Dr. Lasker reserved the lion's share for himself, he says that his reputation lends the chief value to the games, and that he does not require Capablanca's co-operation to produce games sufficiently lucrative to warrant the arrangement of a serious match.
Dr. Lasker did not overlook the question of arbitration and suggested that Capablanca direct his protest to the Franklin Chess Club of Philadelphia.
