José Raúl Capablanca vs László Szabó
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| José Raúl Capablanca | László Szabó | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1888 | 1917 |
| Died | 1942 | 1998 |
| Country of birth | Cuba | Hungary |
| Star sign | Libra | Pisces |
Who they are
José Raúl Capablanca
The story begins, as so many chess legends do, with a four-year-old watching his father play. In Havana, Cuba, in 1892, José Raúl Capablanca sat beside his father and watched the pieces move across the board. He had not been taught the rules. No one had explained the moves. But children observe what adults say cannot be taught, and when his father's knight moved incorrectly, young José spoke up. His father, startled, challenged the boy to a game. He lost. The child who had never formally learned chess had already mastered it.
Full biography of José Raúl Capablanca →
László Szabó
In the spring of 1950, chess's governing body FIDE organized the first official World Championship Candidates Tournament in Budapest — and it was played on Hungarian soil, in front of Hungarian crowds, with a Hungarian player competing seriously for the right to challenge world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. That player was László Szabó, and while he finished fifth in a field containing the greatest players alive, his presence alone announced something unmistakable: Hungarian chess had arrived at the summit of the game, and Szabó had carried it there.
Full biography of László Szabó →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: Cuba and Hungary.
- 29 years separate their births (1888 and 1917).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, José Raúl Capablanca or László Szabó?
- José Raúl Capablanca. José Raúl Capablanca was born in 1888, László Szabó in 1917.
- What field is each of them in?
- José Raúl Capablanca is filed under Sports (Chess). László Szabó is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.