First published in 1896. Emanuel Lasker won the world championship by defeating the ageing Steinitz in 1894. However there remained many doubters who believed that the youthful Lasker was still inferior to rivals such as Pillsbury and Tchigorin. St Petersburg 1896 was a baptism of fire which proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the new champion had come to stay. In one of the fiercest and most gruelling tests of strength at elite level the world champion emerged victorious against his most dangerous rivals. In the process he played a masterpiece of sacrificial attack as black against Pillsbury which lives on as one of the most brilliant and impenetrable games ever played - a game about which debate still rages as can be seen from Kasparov's essay on it in his classic new book series - "My great predecessors".
