Carl Haffner’s Love Of The Draw

Austrian author Thomas Glavinic published a book in 1999 titled Carl Haffner’s Love of the Draw. The novel is primarily a fictionalized account of the 1910 World Chess Championship match between Emanuel Lasker and Carl Schlechter. While the main character is theoretically Schlechter, his name has been changed to Carl Haffner for the purposes of the story. However, all other players (Lasker, Albin, Janowski, etc.) and most details of the match appear to be largely factual.

The story begins with preparations for the world title match, which is set to start in Vienna and conclude in Berlin. Viennese writer and chess columnist George Hummel is one of the main characters and a devoted fan of Haffner. Throughout the book, he repeatedly expresses his belief that Haffner’s defensive genius at the chessboard will prevent Lasker from securing a single win.

Between most of the match games, Glavinic shifts the narrative back in time to explore the childhood and upbringing of the main character. He also provides background on Haffner’s chess career, from his early days as a prodigy in Vienna’s coffeehouses to his shared first-place finish with Harry Nelson Pillsbury at the 1900 Munich tournament. The novel gradually reveals the events leading up to Haffner’s title shot against Lasker.

Glavinic portrays Haffner as a kind, shy, and unassuming man whose chess style is built for defense—and, consequently, for draws. As the book progresses, it becomes evident that Haffner’s health steadily declines, both during the match and in its aftermath. This deterioration is attributed in part to the stress of the competition, as well as his fear of actually winning and facing the burdens of being world champion. Throughout the story, it is almost implied that he has no real desire to win the match at all.

One of the more frequently recurring minor characters is Anna Feiertanz, who is drawn to the match—and to Haffner—after reading a newspaper article about him. Her interactions and flirtations with Haffner provide moments of light entertainment. Anna, a woman who takes on various odd jobs to make a living, eventually accompanies Haffner to Berlin as a correspondent for the absent Hummel.

I found myself curious about how much of the novel’s background stories are based on fact and how much is fictionalized. The atmosphere of both the cafés and the playing venues is vividly portrayed, making for an intriguing setting. Before reading this book, I knew little about Schlechter, and I had no idea that his life and final days were so deeply tragic. It immediately brought to mind the sorrowful tales of Paul Morphy and Wilhelm Steinitz.

That said, I did find that the childhood sections dragged on a bit too long at times, causing my interest in the book to wane temporarily. Additionally, I felt that the actual chess games could have been discussed in greater detail. Glavinic does address this somewhat in his coverage of the tenth and final game of the match, where he references specific moves in a way that made me want to follow along with the game myself.

Despite these minor drawbacks, I believe the book was a worthwhile purchase, and I am sure I will revisit it someday. It certainly deepened my interest in Carl Schlechter, and I am confident that some of his historic games will soon appear on this site.

— Kevin Marchese

Schlechter’s lone win in the match occurred in the fifth game on January 22, 1910, and is shared below with analysis from the great Jose Raul Capablanca. This was the last game played in Vienna, with the remainder of the match being contested in Berlin.

GAME SOURCE: Chess Weekly 1910 (Analysis by Jose Raul Capablanca)