German grandmaster’s vast collection of chess memorabilia to be sold in London

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Kate Connolly in BerlinMarch 8, 2026 at 07:00 AM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

A vast collection of chess memorabilia belonging to the late German grandmaster Lothar Schmid will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in London next month. The collection, considered the largest and most important of its kind in private hands, includes over 50,000 artifacts spanning centuries. Key items include Schmid's score notes from the 1972 World Chess Championship match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, as well as the oldest existing book on chess, "Repetition of Loves and the Art of Chess" from 1497. Also featured are rare works documenting the Mechanical Turk, a famous chess-playing automaton. Schmid's three children are selling the collection, which was previously housed in his home in Bamberg, Germany.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Maria Theresa 30% Luis Ramírez de Lucena 40% Spain ×240% Bernhard Schmid 40% Reykjavik 40% Soviet Union 50% Germany ×250% London 60% Bobby Fischer ×270% Sotheby's ×370% Boris Spassky ×270% Lothar Schmid ×590%

Keywords

chess memorabilia 100% chess 90% lothar schmid 90% auction 80% match of the century 80% chess history 70% mechanical turk 60% bobby fischer 60% boris spassky 60% sotheby's 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.30

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

London

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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chess memorabilia chess lothar schmid auction match of the century chess history mechanical turk bobby fischer boris spassky sotheby's

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