22 Facts About Edward Lasker

Edward Lasker was awarded the title of International Master of chess by FIDE.

Edward Lasker was distantly related to World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker with whom he is sometimes confused.

Edward Lasker was born in Kempen, Province of Posen, Prussia, German Empire, the son of Sigismund Edward Lasker and Flora Bornstein.

Edward Lasker studied in Breslau and in Charlottenburg.

Edward Lasker earned undergraduate degrees at the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, graduating in 1910.

Edward Lasker waived his right to exemption, which he said would make his American citizenship be granted more quickly; however, the war was over before he was called up to military service.

Edward Lasker published several books on American checkers, chess, and Go.

Edward Lasker won five US Open Chess Championships ; this tournament was known at the time as the Western Open.

Edward Lasker finished tenth out of eleven players, but many of his games were competitive.

Edward Lasker was the only chess amateur in the very strong field of professionals.

Edward Lasker was not usually so fortunate; for example, Capablanca once arrived one minute before he would have forfeited the game for late arrival, at New York 1915, and Edward Lasker played the Riga variation of the Ruy Lopez with which he had some experience, but Capablanca found an advantageous continuation and won.

Edward Lasker first read about it in a magazine article by Oskar Korschelt which suggested Go as a rival to chess, a claim that he found amusing.

When Edward Lasker told him that he had found a game to rival chess, he was skeptical, but after being told the rules, and playing one game, he understood that Go was strategically deep.

Edward Lasker was detained there during the early part of World War I and never made it to Tokyo.

Edward Lasker was given permission to travel to the United States by Sir William Haldane-Porter, who was head of what would become the UK Immigration Service.

Haldane-Porter remembered that Lasker had won the London chess championship in May 1914 and he had personally witnessed Edward's famous game against George Alan Thomas that same year.

Edward Lasker was instrumental in developing Go in the US, and together with Karl Davis Robinson and Lee Hartman founded the American Go Association.

Edward Lasker lived in New York City until his death in 1981.

Edward Lasker was friends with former World Champion Emanuel Lasker.

However, later the additional name Edward Lasker was given to him to distinguish him from another Meier Hindels living in Lask.

Samuel Edward Lasker moved to another Polish village, Kepno, in 1769, after it had been captured by Frederick the Great and became a German township, and I am the last descendant of his who was born there.

Edward Lasker's first-born son left Kepmen [sic-Kempen] and moved to Jarotschin, another Polish village, and Emanuel Lasker was that one's greatgrandson.