Zukertort

Johannes Zukertort was one of the strongest players of the nineteenth century and Wilhelm Steinitz's main rival through much of the 1870s and 1880s. His greatest tournament victory came at London 1883, where he finished three points ahead of Steinitz in a field containing much of the era's elite.

In 1886 they played the match generally recognized as the first World Chess Championship. It lasted ten weeks and was held in New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans. Steinitz prevailed 12.5 to 7.5 and became recognized as the first world champion.

That defeat does not summarize Zukertort's career. In addition to his results, he was a writer, analyst, and co-editor of Chess Monthly from 1879 to 1888. His story helps explain the transition from an era when supremacy depended on reputation and privately arranged matches to a more stable, recognized world title.