::::::::::::::The Oxford Companion to Chess (1984), which Quale has previously called "the closest thing we have to a gold standard in chess," appears to make no reference at all to the Czar Nicholas story, nor does it call pre-1950 players "grandmasters." As to Lasker, it calls him "World Champion 1894-1921."  It devotes 11 lines to his brilliant victory at St. Petersburg, but does not mention the Czar Nicholas story. Similarly, Capablanca it simply calls "World Champion 1921-7." It devotes 13 lines to his second-place finish at St. Petersburg, again not mentioning the Czar Nicholas story. It heads its article on Alekhine, somewhat oddly, "the only man to die while holding the world championship."  St. Petersburg gets five lines, no mention of the Czar Nicholas story. Tarrasch it calls "one of the best four players in the world for about 20 years"; no mention of St. Petersburg. Marshall it calls "American player who ranked among the world's best ten for about 20 years from 1904"; no mention of St. Petersburg. To reiterate: TOCtC does not call any of these players "grandmasters," and never mentions the Czar Nicholas story. 

 ::::::::::::::As to post-1950 players, TOCtC invariably lists the dates on which they obtained FIDE titles, e.g. for Fischer "International Grandmaster (1958), world champion 1972-5."  Its definition of "Grandmaster" mentions a number of pre-1950 examples (an 1838 letter to Bell's Life, G. Walker and others so referring to Philidor, "a few other players . . . so entitled," and the Ostend 1907 and San Sebastian 1912 events being designated grandmaster events. Its "Grandmaster" entry does not mention St. Petersburg at all.