Echesspedia

Russian chess master born in Vilnus. By the end of 1870s he was one of the strongest chess-players in Russia and a chess theorist for many variations named after him. Railway engineer and merchant. From the period of 1894 to 1905, he lived in Paris, Berlin and Vienna, between 1905 and 1913 in Russia and later in Germany. One of his best achievements was in Petersburg Tournament, 1878/79, when he shared the victory with Mikhail Chigorin. He won matches vs. Curt von Bardeleben in 1893 – 3½-½, Levitsky in 1907 – 5½-½, drew with Carl Schlechter in 1899 – 3-3, lost to Mikhail Chigorin 3-7 in 1880. He was second in Vienna, 1901, in Lodz 1908 and in Munich 1909 then finally won in Munich 1911. Historical ELO: 2500.