Editing World Chess Championship (section)

====Emanuel Lasker (1894–1921)====
[[File:Emanuel Lasker.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Emanuel Lasker]] was the World Champion for 27 years consecutively from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of a World Champion. During that period, he played seven World Championship matches.]]
Lasker held the title from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign (27 years) of any champion. He won a [[World Chess Championship 1897|return match against Steinitz in 1897]], and then did not defend his title for ten years, before playing four title defences in four years. He comfortably defeated [[Frank Marshall (chess player)|Frank Marshall]] in [[World Chess Championship 1907|1907]] and [[Siegbert Tarrasch]] in [[World Chess Championship 1908|1908]]. In 1910, he almost lost his title in a [[World Chess Championship 1910 (Lasker–Schlechter)|short tied match]] against [[Carl Schlechter]], although the exact conditions of this match are a mystery. He then defeated [[Dawid Janowski]] in the most one-sided title match in history [[World Chess Championship 1910 (Lasker–Janowski)|later in 1910]].

Lasker's negotiations for title matches from 1911 onwards were extremely controversial. In 1911, he received a challenge for a world title match against [[José Raúl Capablanca]] and, in addition to making severe financial demands, proposed some novel conditions: the match should be considered drawn if neither player finished with a two-game lead; and it should have a maximum of 30 games, but finish if either player won six games and had a two-game lead (previous matches had been won by the first to win a certain number of games, usually 10; in theory, such a match might go on for ever). Capablanca objected to the two-game lead clause; Lasker took offence at the terms in which Capablanca criticized the two-game lead condition and broke off negotiations.<ref name="graemecree1921WorldChessChampionship">{{cite web|url=http://members.aol.com/graemecree/chesschamps/world/world1921.htm|title=1921 World Chess Championship|access-date=4 June 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050120165616/http://members.aol.com/graemecree/chesschamps/world/world1921.htm|archive-date=20 January 2005}} This cites: a report of Lasker's concerns about the location and duration of the match, in {{Cite journal|date=15 March 1911|title=Emanuel Lasker column|journal=New York Evening Post}}; Capablanca's letter of 20 December 1911 to Lasker, stating his objections to Lasker's proposal; Lasker's letter to Capablanca, breaking off negotiations; Lasker's letter of 27 April 1921 to Alberto Ponce of the Havana Chess Club, proposing to resign the 1921 match; and Ponce's reply, accepting the resignation.</ref>

Further controversy arose when, in 1912, Lasker's terms for a proposed match with [[Akiba Rubinstein]] included a clause that, if Lasker should resign the title after a date had been set for the match, Rubinstein should become world champion.<ref name="WinterHowCapaBecameChampion" /> When he resumed negotiations with Capablanca after [[World War I]], Lasker insisted on a similar clause that if Lasker should resign the title after a date had been set for the match, Capablanca should become world champion.<ref name="graemecree1921WorldChessChampionship" /> On 27 June 1920 Lasker abdicated in favor of Capablanca because of public criticism of the terms of the match, naming Capablanca as his successor.<ref name="WinterHowCapaBecameChampion" /> Some commentators questioned Lasker's right to name his successor;<ref name="WinterHowCapaBecameChampion" /> [[Amos Burn]] raised the same objection but welcomed Lasker's resignation of the title.<ref name="WinterHowCapaBecameChampion" /> Capablanca argued that, if the champion abdicated, the title must go to the challenger, as any other arrangement would be unfair to the challenger.<ref name="WinterHowCapaBecameChampion" /> Lasker later agreed to play a match against Capablanca in 1921, announcing that, if he won, he would resign the title so that younger masters could compete for it.<ref name="WinterHowCapaBecameChampion">{{cite web | url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/capablanca2.html | title=How Capablanca Became World Champion | first=Edward | last=Winter | access-date=7 June 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312104622/http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/capablanca2.html | archive-date=12 March 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> Capablanca [[World Chess Championship 1921|won their 1921 match]] by four wins, ten draws and no losses.<ref name="Fine1952WorldsGreatChessGames" />