Wilhelm Steinitz
Steinitz was the first chessplayer to be called world champion, a title he claimed after his 1865 match with Anderson. He is the so-called father of the modern school of chess; before him, the King was considered a weak piece, and players set out to attack the King directly. Steinitz claimed that the King was well able to take care of itself, and ought not be attacked until one had some other positional advantage. Pawns ought to be left back, Steinitz claimed, since they can only move forward and can’t retreat to protect the same ground again.
Steinitz was a year older than Morphy. Those two great players met only once, in New Orleans, according to reports and unfortunately they neither played chess nor discussed it. Steinitz’s book knowledge didn’t compare with Morphy’s, and – where Morphy was usually content to play a book line in the opening – Steinitz was always looking for some completely original line. He was a man of great intellect – an intellect he often used wrongly.
He understood more about the use of squares than did Morphy, and contributed a great deal more to chess theory. It is also possible that Morphy might have had his own theories but they were never put in writing. Rather than venture a beautiful combination, Steinitz would often crudely win a piece by pinning it. Unlike many other players – notably Morphy – Steinitz didn’t mind getting himself into cramped quarters if he thought that his position was essentially sound.