Monday, March 20, 2006

Capablanca vs. Ed. Lasker at Lake Hopatcong


lake hopatcong header


Two of the best games at Lake Hopatcong 1926 were those won by Capablanca against Edward Lasker (Emanuel's less famous American cousin), the second of which won the brilliancy prize of the tournament:
Capablanca - Ed. Lasker, Lake Hopatcong 1926 (Queen's Gambit Declined, Cambridge Springs)
Ed. Lasker - Capablanca, Lake Hopatcong 1926 (Catalan)

It is clear that the two did not take their rivalry over the board personally, since they met at least once for tennis during the tournament:


Tennis At Lake Hopatcong

From left to right: Edward Lasker, Jose R. Capablanca (holding daughter Gloria), Norbert Lederer (chief organizer of the event) and Edith Herschenstein.

Ed Lasker was known for his social graces and for his athleticism, the latter of which was on display in this promotional cover montage from the tournament book depicting "The Chess Player's Life at Lake Hopatcong":


chess player's life at lake hopatcong


From left to right, clockwise: Capablanca boating with his family, Marshall at the wheel, Kupchick testing the summer fruit with the hotel staff, Lasker on the diving board, and Maroczy fiddling his violin.

The photos are from the tournament book edited by Hermann Helms (with excellent notes by C. S. Howell), lent to me by Scott Massey. Thanks Scott!

2 comments:

Robert Pearson said...

Lots of great posts today, Michael. Thanks!

Robert Pearson said...

Lots of great posts today, Michael. Thanks!