Berthold Lasker (also, per birth registry Jonathan Berthold Barnett)per birth registry (Archiwum Państwowe Gorzów Wielkopolski, Sąd Obwodowy w Barlinku, Duplikaty księg metrykalnych gminy żydowskiej, signature 66/886/0/3/4, item 105

on the gravestone 31. December (31 December 1860 in Barlinek, Berlinchen - 19 October 1928 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

) was a German physician, writer and

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Life

Berthold Lasker was born Jonathan Berthold Lasker in Barlinek, Berlinchen (Barlinek, now

West Pomeranian Voivodeship The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was i ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

). He was the son of a Jewish

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

and grandson of a well regarded

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

. He had a brother who was 8 years younger, the later World Chess Champion

Emanuel Lasker Emanuel Lasker (; December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of any officially recognised World Chess Champ ...

. He attended the Friedrichwerdersches Gymnasium in Berlin and graduated in 1879 with the

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

.Sigrid Bauschinger: ''Else Lasker-Schüler. Biographie.'' Wallstein, Göttingen 2004, , S. 45
online
. From 1881 until 1888 he studied medicine at

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. During this time he shared his flat with his brother Emanuel whom he drew into playing chess and the chess scene. For about a year Lasker practised as a physician in

Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was in a docu ...

, where he met the poet and playwright

Else Lasker-Schüler Else Lasker-Schüler (née Elisabeth Schüler) (; 11 February 1869 – 22 January 1945) was a German-Jewish poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and her poetry. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressi ...

. After they married in 1894, they lived in Berlin, where he practised as a specialist for skin diseases. The relationship with his wife was unhappy. In 1899, they had a son, the paternity of which his wife denied him in court, which the district court found credible. Lasker-Schüler accused her husband of violence, and in 1903 they were divorced. At the beginning of the century, Lasker went to the U.S. for a longer period of time. He attempted to open a second office in New York City, without success.

Chess

After his stint in the U.S., Lasker permanently lived in Berlin. He played in local chess tournaments in Berlin. In the 1880s Lasker was next to

Curt von Bardeleben Curt Carl Alfred von Bardeleben (4 March 1861 – 31 January 1924) was a German chess master, journalist, and member of the German nobility. Biography Curt von Bardeleben started playing chess when he was ten years old and quickly developed into ...

Siegbert Tarrasch Siegbert Tarrasch (; 5 March 1862 – 17 February 1934) was a German chess player, considered to have been among the strongest players and most influential theoreticians of the late 19th and early 20th century. Life Tarrasch was born in Bresla ...

who studied in Berlin,

Fritz Riemann Fritz Riemann (2 January 1859, Weistritz, near Schweidnitz – 25 November 1932, Erfurt) was a German chess master. Born in Silesia (then Prussia), he was a chess pupil of Adolf Anderssen in Breslau. In 1876, he won a match against Arnold Schot ...

Emil Schallopp Emil Schallopp (1 August 1843, Friesack, Germany – 9 April 1919, Berlin) was a German chess master and author. He became head of the shorthand department of the Reichstag. He wrote many books, including one on the Steinitz– Zukertort 188 ...

and

Theodor von Scheve Theodor von Scheve (11 June 1851 – 19 April 1922) was a German chess master and writer. Scheve was born in Cosel in the Prussian Province of Silesia. An army officer by profession, Scheve lived in Breslau, where he co-founded the ''Schachver ...

one of the strongest chess players in Berlin and therefore in Germany. In 1881, he shared 1st with Siegbert Tarrasch, and took 2nd, behind Curt von Bardeleben, there. In 1883, he tied for 1st-4th and took 4th (playoff) - Hermann von Gottschall won. In 1887, he tied for 5-6th (

Max Harmonist Max Harmonist (Berlin, 10 February 1864 – 16 October 1907) was a leading German chess master. He was probably the only famous chess player to have been by profession a ballet dancer. He often performed in the royal ballet. He became famous aft ...

won). Tarrasch called Lasker a "very genius player, whose strength rarely accorded due value in a tournament because of his nervousness.“. His best achievement was a tie for 1st place with his brother, Emanuel Lasker, at Berlin 1890. He took 2nd, behind

Horatio Caro Horatio Caro (5 July 1862 – 15 December 1920) was an English chess player. Caro was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, but spent most of his chess career in Berlin, Germany having moved there when he was two years old. He played several m ...

, at Berlin 1891. Name Index to Jeremy Gaige's Chess Tournament Crosstables, An Electronic Edition, Anders Thulin, Malmö, 2004-09-01 In June 1891, Lasker achieved his highest

Elo rating The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American physics professor. The Elo system was invented as an improved ch ...

of 2683. He took 10th at Berlin 1898/99 (

and Caro won). In 1902, Lasker won the New York State championship.

Personal life, death

Together with his brother Emanuel, he wrote a drama called "Days of Mankind" in 1925. It contained deep philosophical symbolism, and the theme was "redemption for rationalists and rigid logic truth through the emotional powers of mysticism." Lasker died in 1928 only a few months after the death of his second wife, Regina, and is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee. The Hebrew inscription on his gravestone has been translated as: "May his soul be integrated into the bond of life".The grave of Dr. Berthold Lasker.
www.kwabc.org

References

External links

Chess games of Berthold Lasker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lasker, Berthold 1860 births 1928 deaths People from Barlinek 19th-century German Jews German chess players Jewish chess players German medical writers People from the Province of Brandenburg

Life

Chess

Personal life, death

See also

References

External links