Korchnoi honored

Viktor Korchnoi honored by the Emanuel Lasker Society in Berlin
Photo report by Frederic Friedel

The Emanuel Lasker Society’s task is to preserve, further explore, and popularise the spiritual and cultural legacy of Emanuel Lasker. To do this the Society organises scientific symposia on the history and culture of chess and presents them in the form of publications. The Lasker-Treffs (“Lasker meetings”) in Berlin have become a fixture for friends of the culture of chess and other games. From January 9 to 11, 68 years after Lasker’s death, the society is staging a “Lasker weekend” which began on Friday with a special event to nominate Viktor Korchnoi as an honorary member of the society.

The cultural scientist – there is no really good translation for the German “Kulturwissenschaftler” – was put into jail at the age of nineteen by the East German Secret Service. It was during this time that he studied chess and achieved a noteworthy playing strength. He narrates how he was enthralled by the matches between Karpov and Korchnoi, always rooting for the latter. When he won his first important tournament game he wrote above it in his chess notebook: “Inspired by the great Viktor Korchnoi!”

Here is the full article.