Emanuel Lasker

Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician and philosopher, the second World Chess Champion, who held the title for 27 years from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of any officially recognised world champion. He was born on December 24, 1868 at Berlinchen in Neumark, now Barlinek in Poland, the son of a Jewish cantor. He was also a first-class contract bridge player and wrote about bridge, Go and his own invention, Lasca. As a research mathematician he was known for his contributions to commutative algebra, which included proving the primary decomposition of the ideals of polynomial rings. He also produced philosophical writings and co-authored a drama, both of which received limited contemporary attention. He died on January 11, 1941.