2 (two) original 1975 letters from Edward Lasker to my dad Robert L Williamson Add to Watch List Watching View Watchlist >

I have in my possession two original letters written by Edward Lasker, and I would like to briefly explain their background.

My father (Robert L. Williamson) was an avid chess enthusiast who at one time corresponded with Mr. Lasker.  After my father’s passing in 1991, I inherited a number of his personal belongings, including these two letters, both dated 1975.  I recently rediscovered them while going through some old boxes.

Both letters are two pages in length and bear Lasker’s signature. One is typed (dated June 9, 1975, with his New York address at the top), and the other is handwritten (October 9, 1975).

In the typed letter, Lasker responds to questions my father had about specific endgame problems, which Lasker notes originally appeared in Chess and Checkers magazine in 1918. He provides detailed analysis and refers to Chess for Fun and Chess for Blood, even describing one position as a “most astounding ending.”

He also offers an insightful comparison between his distant cousin Emanuel Lasker and Capablanca, stating:

“Capablanca was Lasker’s only equal in positional judgment. But Lasker was the deeper thinker, and he had a stronger feeling for justice. He held that a player who had the better position had the moral obligation to try to win. Capablanca, in similar situations, was often satisfied with a draw, because he never had much love for hard work.”

In the handwritten letter, he adds a lighter remark regarding Emanuel Lasker:

“What you had been reading about Emanuel Lasker carrying no watch was not reported correctly…his reason was that he wanted to avoid being tyrannized by time.”

Given your group's appreciationand reputation for chess history, I thought these original letters by Lasker might be of interest to you. I am willing to part with them for the stated reasonable price.

You can read copies of the letters as posted by noted chess historian Edward Winter in his Chess Notes: 

12292. Letters from Edward Lasker    https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/index.html

"John Williamson (Houston, TX, USA) has forwarded us two letters about Emanuel Lasker and Capablanca which his late father, Robert L. Williamson, received from Edward Lasker in 1975."

johnwilliamson77@att.net; 1-713-825-5365