Harding: Steinitz in London - A Chess Biography with 623 GamesDrawing on new research, this biography of William Steinitz (18361900), the first World Chess Champion, covers his early life and career, with a fully sourced collection of his known games until he left London in 1882. A portrait of mid Victorian British chess is provided, including a history of the famous Simpsons Divan. Born to a poor Jewish family in Prague, Steinitz studied in Vienna, where his career really began, before moving to London in 1862,