(1842-1888)
World Chess
Hall of Fame
Inducted 2016
Johannes Zukertort was a Polish-born player who was the second best player in the world after Wilhelm Steinitz from about 1871 to 1886. The two played a match for the World Chess Championship in 1886 that was held over 10 weeks in New York, Saint Louis, and New Orleans with Steinitz retaining his crown by a score of 12 1/2 - 7 1/2. This was the high point of Zukertort's career, but he is also remembered for his great 1883 victory in London, where he won a double round robin event ahead of the world's best players. Zukertort finished three points ahead of Steinitz, who took second. One of the most colorful figures in the history of the game, Zukertort was also an excellent writer and analyst and edited Chess Monthly with Leopold Hoffer from 1879 to 1888.
