Carl Schlechter (2 March 1874 – 27 December 1918) was a leading

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

master and theoretician at the turn of the 20th century. He is best known for

drawing Drawing is a Visual arts, visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface, or a digital representation of such. Traditionally, the instruments used to make a drawing include pencils, crayons, and ink pens, some ...

a controversial

World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated the previous champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024, 2024 World Chess Championship. ...

match with

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

Early life

Schlechter was born into a Catholic family in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. He is sometimes deemed to be Jewish, although others dispute this. He began playing chess at the age of 13. His first and only teacher was an Austria-Hungarian chess problemist,

Samuel Gold Samuel Gold (July 2, 1835, Kővágó-Örs, Zala, Hungary, Austrian Empire – November 9, 1920, New York City, United States) was a Hungarian physician, journalist and composer of chess problems. Biography He was born into a Jewish family in K� ...

. From 1893 onwards, he played in over 50 international chess tournaments. He won or shared first at

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

1900 (the 12th

DSB Congress The '' Deutscher Schachbund'' (DSB) was founded in Leipzig on 18 July, 1877. When the next meeting took place in the Schützenhaus on 15 July 1879, sixty-two clubs had become member of the chess federation. Hofrat Rudolf von Gottschall became Ch ...

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

1904 (the 14th DSB Congress),

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

1906,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

1906, Vienna 1908, Prague 1908, Hamburg 1910 (the 17th DSB Congress), and the Trebitsch Memorial in Vienna (1911, 1912, 1913). Schlechter played several matches. He drew with

Georg Marco Georg Marco (29 November 1863 – 29 August 1923) was an Austrian Chess, chess player. He was born in Chernivtsi (Cernăuţi), Bukovina (then part of Austria-Hungary). He later settled in Vienna and was secretary of the Viennese Chess Associatio ...

(+0−0=10) in 1893, drew with Marco and Adolf Zinkl both (+4−4=3) in 1894, drew with

Dawid Janowski Dawid Markelowicz Janowski (25 May 1868 – 15 January 1927; often spelled ''David'') was a Polish chess player. Several opening variations are named after Janowski. Biography Born into a Jewish-Polish family in Wołkowysk, Russian Empire ...

(+2−2=3) in 1896, drew with

Simon Alapin Semyon Zinovyevich Alapin (; – 15 July 1923) was a Russian chess player, openings analyst, and puzzle composer. He was also a linguist, railway engineer and a grain commodities merchant. Biography Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, into a Je ...

(+1−1=4) in 1899, beat Janowski (+6−1=3) in 1902, drew with

Richard Teichmann Richard Teichmann (24 December 1868 – 15 June 1925) was a German chess master and a chess composer. He was known as "Richard the Fifth" because he often finished in fifth place in tournaments. But in 1911 he scored a convincing win in Karl ...

(+1−1=1) in 1904, and drew with

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 ...

(+3−3=10) in 1911.

Lasker–Schlechter match

In 1910, Schlechter played a match against

for the

(in Vienna and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

). Schlechter was leading by one point going into the tenth and final game. However, in that dramatic three-day contest, he blundered from a winning into a clearly drawn position, only to blunder again into a loss. The match ended in a 5–5 tie (+1 −1 =8) and Lasker retained the title. It is disputed whether Schlechter needed to score +2 to win the match and thus had to win the tenth game. No contract for the match has ever been located. (For match details see World Chess Championship 1910.) Schlechter nevertheless distinguished himself as the first player to seriously challenge Lasker's hold of the world title.

Later life

Schlechter struggled to make ends meet as a chess professional during the worsening socio-economic conditions of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He won the Trebitsch Memorial in Vienna three times. In 1918, he took third in Vienna, lost a match to

Akiba Rubinstein Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1 December 1880 – 14 March 1961) was a Polish chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Rubinstein was granted the title International Grandma ...

(+1−2=3), placed second in Berlin (''Quadrangular'',

Milan Vidmar Milan Vidmar (; 22 June 1885 – 9 October 1962) was a Slovenian electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist, and writer. He was among the top dozen chess players in the world from 1910 to 1930 and in 1950, was among the inaugural recip ...

won), tied for third place in Kaschau, and took third place in Berlin (''Quadrangular'',

won). Schlechter died of pneumonia and starvation on 27 December 1918, and was buried in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

on 31 December 1918.

Assessment

The Carl Schlechter–

Arthur Kaufmann Arthur Kaufmann (4 April 1872 in Iași, Romania – 25 July 1938 in Vienna) was an Austrian attorney, philosopher and chess master. Life Kaufmann was the second son of a wealthy, Jewish merchant family in Iaşi, Romania. In early childhood, he m ...

– Hugo Fähndrich trio propagated the Viennese chess school, founded by

Max Weiss Miksa (Max) Weisz (21 July 1857 – 14 March 1927) was an Austrian chess player born in the Kingdom of Hungary. Weiss was born in Sereď. Moving to Vienna, he studied mathematics and physics at the university, and later taught those subjects. Wei ...

in the 19th century. Schlechter, whose knowledge of the positional chess theories of

Wilhelm Steinitz William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was a Bohemian-Austrian, and later American, chess player. From 1886 to 1894, he was the first World Chess Champion. He was also a highly influential writer and c ...

was profound, was known especially for his expertise in the

Ruy Lopez The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez remains one of the most popular chess openings, featuring many variations. In ...

. A fine problem solver and composer, Schlechter was also a chess journalist and editor. He prepared the eighth and final edition of the monumental ''

Handbuch des Schachspiels ''Handbuch des Schachspiels'' (''Handbook of Chess'', often simply called the ''Handbuch'') is a chess book, first published in 1843 by Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa. It was a comprehensive reference book on the game, and one of the most i ...

'' openings

treatise A treatise is a Formality, formal and systematic written discourse on some subject concerned with investigating or exposing the main principles of the subject and its conclusions."mwod:treatise, Treatise." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Acc ...

. Published in eleven parts between 1912 and 1916, the Handbuch totaled 1,040 pages and included contributions by

Rudolf Spielmann Rudolf Spielmann (5 May 1883 – 20 August 1942) was a Jewish-Austrian chess master of the romantic school, and chess writer. Career Spielmann was born in 1883, second child of Moritz and Cecilia Spielmann, and had a younger brother Edgar, an ...

, and

William Hartston William Roland Hartston (born 12 August 1947) is an English journalist who has written the Beachcomber column in the ''Daily Express'' since 1998. He is also a chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 and earned a highest Elo ra ...

described it as "a superb work, perhaps the last to encase successfully the whole of chess knowledge within a single volume." A true gentleman chess player, Schlechter would offer courteous draws to opponents who felt unwell. If his opponent arrived late for a game, he would inconspicuously subtract an equal amount of time from his own clock. He also mentored many of his rivals, including

Oldřich Duras Oldřich Duras (born Důras; 30 October 1882 – 5 January 1957) was a Czech chess master. He was among the leading chess masters of the early 20th century. Biography Duras was born on 30 October 1882 in Pchery, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. He cam ...

. The Carl Schlechter Memorial Tournament is named after him.

Opening variations named after Schlechter

His contributions to chess opening theory include: *Schlechter Gambit,

Bird's Opening Bird's Opening (or the Dutch Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the move: : 1. f4 Named after 19th century English player Henry Bird, Bird's opening is a standard flank opening. White's strategic ideas involve control of the e5-squa ...

: 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 *Schlechter Variation,

French Defence The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e6 This is most commonly followed by 2.d4 d5. Black usually plays ...c5 soon after, attacking White's and gaining on the . The French has a reputation for solidity ...

: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3 *Schlechter Variation,

Slav Defence The Slav Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. d4 d5 :2. c4 c6 The Slav is one of the primary defenses to the Queen's Gambit. Although it was analyzed as early as 1590, it was not until the 1920s that it started to be e ...

: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 (or via a Grünfeld move order, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 c6) *Schlechter Variation,

Danish Gambit The Danish Gambit, known as the ' in German and the ' in Dutch (both meaning Nordic Gambit), is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. d4 exd4 :3. c3 White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid and the att ...

: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d5

Notable games

Fried vs. Schlechter, Vienna 1894, From's Gambit (A02), 0–1
A 14-move win by Schlechter, who sacrifices his queen and mates his opponent's king in the middle of the board.
Bernhard Fleissig vs. Schlechter, Vienna 1893 (friendly), Polish Opening: General (A00), 0–1
One of Schlechter's most famous games, Black sacrifices both his rooks and bishops.
Schlechter vs. Steinitz, Cologne 1898, Vienna Game (C28), 1–0
Schlechter routs the former World Champion in 24 moves.
Schlechter vs. Meitner, Vienna 1899, Italian Game: Classical Variation. Greco Gambit Moeller–Therkatz Attack (C54), 1–0
A combination in the endgame: White sacrifices his queen then makes a quiet move with his king, and Black is unable to prevent a mate in two moves.

Popular culture

The central character of Thomas Glavinic's 1998 novel, '' Carl Haffner's Love of the Draw,'' is closely based on Schlechter. The book presents a fictionalized account of the 1910 World Chess Championship match with Lasker.

References

External links

*
Carl Schlechter
Biography, photos and games by Edward Winter {{DEFAULTSORT:Schlechter, Carl 1874 births 1918 deaths Austrian chess players Chess theoreticians 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 19th-century chess players Chess players from Vienna Tuberculosis deaths in Austria-Hungary Deaths from pneumonia in Hungary Deaths by starvation Chess players from Austria-Hungary