Steinitz, William

William Steinitz was the first official World Chess Champion (1886-1894), a Prague-born pioneer who revolutionized the game by replacing the Romantic attack-at-all-costs style with a new positional approach based on the accumulation of small strategic advantages. Unbeaten in match play for 32 years from 1862 to 1894, his theories on pawn structure and defensive play laid the foundation of modern chess strategy. Along with Paul Morphy, he is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern chess.