Emanuel Lasker (Germany-England). A mathematician by profession, Lasker found it almost impossible as a Jew to obtain a position at a German university. In order to make a living, he began to play chess becoming the foremost chess champion of his day. In 1892, he moved to Britain where he won the British chess championship. In 1894, he defeated Wilhelm Steinitz for the championship which he defended against Frank Marshall, David Janowski, and others. He held the championship until 1921 when he was defeated by Capablanca with ten draws and four losses. Lasker wrote two classic books on chess: Common Sense in Chess (1896) and Lasker's Manual of Chess .