Alexander Alekhine vs Wilhelm Steinitz
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
.jpg?width=640)
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | Wilhelm Steinitz | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1836 |
| Died | 1946 | 1900 |
| Country of birth | France | United States |
| Star sign | Scorpio | Aries |
Who they are
Alexander Alekhine
When Alexander Alekhine arrived in Buenos Aires in September 1927 to challenge José Raúl Capablanca for the World Championship, the chess world expected a formality. Capablanca had not lost a competitive game in eight years. Grandmasters whispered that chess had reached its apex in the Cuban — that the game, played perfectly, would always draw, and that Capablanca was the player who played perfectly. Alekhine, a Russian émigré living in France, was a fine attacking player, perhaps the best combinational talent of his generation, but attacking chess against someone who never made errors was considered…
Full biography of Alexander Alekhine →
Wilhelm Steinitz
In the chess world of the mid-nineteenth century, the game was governed by a simple and thrilling philosophy: attack at all costs, sacrifice liberally, and trust that beauty and boldness would prevail over caution. Into this world stepped a small, combative man from Prague who would overturn nearly everything his contemporaries believed about chess, endure years of ridicule for doing so, and ultimately be vindicated so completely that the principles he articulated now form the unquestioned foundation of how the game is taught, played, and understood across the entire world.
Full biography of Wilhelm Steinitz →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: France and United States.
- 56 years separate their births (1892 and 1836).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or Wilhelm Steinitz?
- Wilhelm Steinitz. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, Wilhelm Steinitz in 1836.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). Wilhelm Steinitz is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.