Steinitz’s Search After Losing the World Championship

Wilhelm Steinitz may have lost the world championship title to his young rival Emanuel Lasker in 1894, but under the match terms he still retained the right to a rematch. That second world championship encounter was planned for Moscow toward the end of 1896. However, rather than going straight into such a critical struggle, Steinitz chose to play a preparatory match against Emanuel Schiffers, one of the strongest Russian masters of the era. Reports in the Russian press show that this encounter was important not only from a sporting perspective, but also as part of Steinitz’s claim to return to the top.

The Russian newspaper Juschny Krai had already informed its readers in December 1895 that a match between Steinitz and Schiffers would be organized in Kharkiv the following year. This information shows how systematic the first world champion in chess history was as he prepared for the final major turning point of his career. It is thought that Steinitz and Schiffers met during the famous Hastings Tournament in the summer of 1895 and probably agreed on this special match there. Hastings was one of the strongest tournaments of the time; with names such as Lasker, Tarrasch, Pillsbury, Chigorin and Blackburne in the field, it offered an exceptionally instructive environment both in opening theory and practical play.

Why Was Schiffers Important?

Emanuel Schiffers was one of the pioneering figures of Russian chess and was especially known for his positional understanding, sound opening repertoire, and identity as a teacher. For that reason, a training match against Schiffers was not an ordinary exhibition for Steinitz, but a genuine test of form ahead of the coming Lasker rematch. Steinitz’s style was based on accumulating small positional advantages and converting them into results over the long term. A rehearsal against a disciplined and theoretically strong opponent like Schiffers was especially valuable in terms of opening preparation, defensive technique, and long endgame battles.

In January 1896, the newspaper Juschny Krai again made public the conditions of the Steinitz-Schiffers match. These reports show how closely match arrangements were followed in the chess world of the late 19th century. Moreover, this was a period when the concept of the world championship was still in the process of becoming institutionalized; therefore, every private match could have a serious impact on players’ reputations and their future championship claims. Considering Steinitz’s advancing age on the one hand and Lasker’s rising dynamism on the other, this period of preparation becomes even more meaningful.

A Period of Preparation Under Lasker’s Shadow

The strong four-player tournament held in St. Petersburg in December 1895 was also an important part of this story. In this six-round event, contested by Lasker, Steinitz, Harry Pillsbury and Mikhail Chigorin, Lasker finished first with a convincing performance, while Steinitz trailed behind him. That result suggested that the psychological edge before the coming rematch belonged to Lasker. For precisely this reason, the Schiffers match can be seen, from Steinitz’s point of view, as a critical phase of preparation not only technically but also in terms of morale and self-confidence. Chess history most often remembers world championship matches; yet preparatory contests of this kind are at least as instructive as the main struggle when it comes to understanding what happened behind the scenes of the great matches.

Looking back today, the news of the 1896 Steinitz-Schiffers match reminds us that chess has never been only about the moves played on the board. Preparation, training matches, press coverage, and the psychological condition of the players were all elements that directly influenced the course of major encounters. Steinitz’s rehearsal against Schiffers is especially significant because it shows how professional preparation was taking shape in the early history of the world championship. For that reason, the match should be read not merely as a historical footnote, but also as one of the earliest signs of modern chess professionalism.

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