Zukertort, Johannes Hermann |
| CHESS PLAYER (POLAND) |
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BORN 7 Sep 1842, Lublin - DIED 20 Jun 1888, London BIRTH NAME Cukiertot, Jan Hermann CAUSE OF DEATH cerebral hemorrhage GRAVE LOCATION London: Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road, West Brompton (AF) |
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Johannes Zukertort was the son of a Christian Protestant missionary of Jewish descent. He claimed that his mother was Baroness Krzyzanowska, but this is doubted. The family emigrated to Prussia and he studied medicine at the University in Breslau. He was active in the medical corps of the German army during the wars of 1866 and 1870. He learned to play chess when he was nineteen years old and soon he became a strong player. He defeated Adolf Anderssen in a match in 1866 but lost heavily to Andersson in 1868. From 1867 to 1871 they were joined editors of the Neue Berliner Schachzeitung (New Berlin Chess paper). In 1872 he settled in England. He lost two matches against Wilhelm Steinitz but he won the International Tournament in Paris in 1878. He won matches against Anderssen in 1871 and against Blacknurne in 1881. His greatest success was his win in the 1883 London chess Tournament, where he finished three points ahead of Steinitz. In 1886 he lost a match for the world championship against Steinitz. After this match his play weakened and he suffered from health problems. He died in 1888 in London and was buried in Brompton Cemetery. His grave was considered lost for a long time but it was rediscovered by the English chess grandmaster Stuart Conquest and restored. |
| Images | |
 The grave of Johannes Zukertort at Brompton Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (19 Aug 2017) |
 The grave of Johannes Zukertort at Brompton Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (19 Aug 2017) |
