Exhibition "Karl Schlechter – a chess player of universal style"

From March 18 to April 18, 2024, an exhibition of literature "Karl Schlechter – a chess player of universal style", dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Austrian chess player Karl Schlechter (1874-1918), is open in the reading room of theRussian National Public Library for Science and Technology (3rd floor, room 315).

Karl Schlechter is one of the strongest chess players of the early 20th century, a brilliant theorist, journalist and composer. Already at the age of 18, he was one of the best players in Vienna and chose the path of a professional chess player. His success in the international arena grew rapidly. In total, Schlechter has appeared in 50 tournaments in his life!

Gradually, Schlechter became one of the contenders for the chess crown and challenged world champion Emanuel Lasker. The match took place in 1910 and ended in a 5-5 draw. Lasker, who retained the championship title, spoke flatteringly about the opponent's game: "I do not find any vulnerabilities in Schlechter... He is a model of a true fighter."

 For six years he headed the magazine Deutsche Schachzeitung (1912-1918). The war undermined his health, and Schlechter died prematurely in 1918 in Budapest. "He went down in history as an outstanding positional chess player, as a subtle strategist, as an analyst who contributed many significant ideas to the development of the theory of openings, and ideas consonant with our time. And it is precisely these qualities that characterize Schlechter's work that ultimately determined his true place among the world's outstanding chess players" (Lev Polugaevsky).

The exhibition includes books from the fund of the Central State Scientific and Technical Library of Russia dedicated to Karl Schlechter.

The bibliographic list of literature can be found by direct link or in the Readers /Thematic exhibitions section.