Efim Bogoljubov vs Emanuel Lasker
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Efim Bogoljubov | Emanuel Lasker | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1889 | 1868 |
| Died | 1952 | 1941 |
| Country of birth | Russia | Germany |
| Star sign | Aries | Sagittarius |
Who they are
Efim Bogoljubov
A story — possibly apocryphal, certainly too good not to record — holds that when someone asked Efim Bogoljubov why he was so confident before a particular game, he replied: "When I have White, I win because I have White. When I have Black, I win because I am Bogoljubov." The line captures the man perfectly: large ego, enormous confidence, an infectious delight in chess, and enough genuine talent to partially justify every bit of it. Bogoljubov was not quite the best chess player of his era, but he was very nearly so, and the…
Full biography of Efim Bogoljubov →
Emanuel Lasker
Twenty-seven years. The number sits in chess history like a geological formation — vast, improbable, and resistant to easy explanation. From 1894 to 1921, through two world wars, through the rise of Cubist art and the Russian Revolution and the invention of the automobile, Emanuel Lasker held the World Chess Championship without interruption. No champion before him had held the title longer than eight years. No champion after him has come close. He remains the longest-reigning World Chess Champion in the history of the game, and the mystery of how he did it — against…
Full biography of Emanuel Lasker →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: Russia and Germany.
- 21 years separate their births (1889 and 1868).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Efim Bogoljubov or Emanuel Lasker?
- Emanuel Lasker. Efim Bogoljubov was born in 1889, Emanuel Lasker in 1868.
- What field is each of them in?
- Efim Bogoljubov is filed under Sports (Chess). Emanuel Lasker is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.