What is Emanuel Lasker?
{{Infobox chess player|name=Emanuel Lasker|image=Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00457, Emanuel Lasker.jpg|birthname=Emanuel Lasker|country=Germany|birth_date=December 24, 1868|birth_place=[[Berlinchen]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]|death_date=January 11, 1941 (aged 72)|death_place=New York City, United States|worldchampion=1894–1921}}'''Emanuel Lasker''' (24 December 1868 – 11 January 1941) was a [[Germany|German]] [[chess]] player, [[mathematician]], and [[Philosophy|philosopher]] who was [[World Chess Championship|World Chess Champion]] for 27 years. In his prime Lasker was one of the most dominant champions, and he is generally regarded as one of the strongest players ever. He finally lost the title to [[Capablanca]] in 1921.<ref>Forster R. Hansen S. and Negele M. (eds) 2009. ''Emanuel Lasker: Denker, Weltenbürger, Schachweltmeister''. Ekzelsior, Berlin.</ref> Lasker demanded high fees for playing matches and tournaments, which aroused some criticism. He had seen how [[Steinitz]]'s life had ended in poverty, and was determined to avoid this fate. The conditions which Lasker demanded for World Championship matches in the last ten years of his reign were controversial, and prompted attempts to define rules for championship matches. Lasker was also a talented mathematician, and his [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] thesis is regarded as one of the foundations of [[Abstract algebra|modern algebra]]. He was a first-class [[contract bridge]] player and wrote about this and other games, including [[Go (game)|Go]] and his own invention, ''Lasca''. ==Life and career== ===Early years (1868–1894)=== [[Image:Lasker.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Lasker as a young man]] Emanuel Lasker was the son of a [[Jewish]] [[Cantor (church)|cantor]]. At the age of eleven he was sent to [[Berlin]] to study mathematics, where he lived with his brother Berthold, eight years his senior, who taught him how to play chess. To supplement their income Emanuel Lasker played chess and card games for small stakes, especially at the Café&nbsp;Kaiserhof.<ref