New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-04
STETNI7Z SAILS FOR ENGLAND.
THE CHESS CHAMPION WRITES A SHARP LETTER
TO LAsKER. AND OFFERS ODDS IN
RETURN MATCH

THE CHESS CHAMPION WRITES A SHARP LETTER
TO LAsKER. AND OFFERS ODDS IN
RETURN MATCH
w steinitz the chess expert. sailed yesterday on
the American Line steamer New-York for England
to compete In the international chess tournament
which is to be played in August in Hastings Eng
land To a reporter OF The Tribune. who saw the
champion previous to his departure. he gave a copy
of a letter which he had mailed to Lasker Oh lues-
day. the text of which is as follows:
E. Lasker esq. London England , ,ads
Dear Sir: You are reported to have maze 4,
sPessh on ,he SS the British Chess Club to
effect that you are the champSpa; chaenee before
entering into negotiations with me LOT ""o'"e'
AS this is the first intimaton. though an lndrec,
one which received from you IN answer 10 my idSc
and 10 o mysef TO make the situation clear between
US from my point Of view before dspdTuns lot
Nv innuendo YOU denounce my claim 70 the cnam-
pionshp as sham You also make future ma shaa
should virtually admit a sort OF imposition OH my
In reply regret to have other option than to-
throw back at you the charge OF imposture openly ~
and to b the f ba mase to challenge
you and to offer you the odds OF al ieas' one game
The true facts OF the are well known but
brief repetition may be necessary ,, o,coss ~
play a return match. which was to begin in De
cember 1894 mot i5 YOU assenteI 10 ser9nd for
the purpose of negotiating details Within ABOUT hs
ten DAYS after you had thus agreed 10 play ue
match YOU announced without even asking my
consent that you intended TO postpone II Tor an IN
definite period. After some correspondence on tne
subject between myself and your second, Mr. ne
Wiser the latter threw up his brief honor without
Offering a word of excuse for your conduct
Mr. Steinitz then scores Lasker on evading re-
turn match and after discussing his offer OF ODDS,
ends his letter by saying:
To quote from my correspondence with MI De
Wiser. Il require no excuses" and my challenge Is
a complete vindication of my defeat But Is
now due point out that in the hve games wnlch
/ won in that match you were outpiayed from nrSt
TO last and that YOU also the nrst TO ne OUT
played in a large majority Of the other games. II
Is quite likely that you can play better than you
did In that match and II is also possible that my
play may still more deteriorate. All TINS Is
matter for consideration of your hackers ana OF
mine but in the meanwhile your breach OF the en-
gagement for the return match is Gear CONFESSION
champion for about twenty-eght days. want TO I'M
pose humiliating conditions at the outset on myself,
the champion for nearly twenty-eight years 1eel
justified in offering odds. and 10 adopt the
motto: "Honi soft qui NAL y pense Yours truly,
W. STEINITZ.
In speaking of his chances in the tournament
Steintz said that, as it is well known, a tourna-
ment especially a one-round contest, will be
played at Hastings. is sort of a lottery still
lotteries, and have always managed to get at the
top nearly | shall do my best. and am
pleased at the prospect Of meeting such men as
Tarrasch. Tschigorin and other European experts
the board"
Adolph Allen. L. Tanenbaum, Julius Livingston and
A. ReitZer.