Hydebrand und der Laza, Tassilo von

He studied law in Berlin and Bonn . He was in the Prussian diplomatic service in Sweden , Denmark , Brazil , etc. In 1864 , he retired.

Baron von der Laza devoted most of his life to chess . He was the actual co-author of the most significant book on the theory of chess of the 19th century - “The Chess Manual” ( German: Handbuch des Schachspiels , 1843 ) by Paul Rudolph von Bilger , completing work on the manual after the death of the latter, publishing it (without indicating his name) and preparing five subsequent reprints. During his many travels (including around the world in 1887 - 1888 ), von der Laza assembled a unique chess library and released its catalog in 1896 . In 1897 , the final work of von der Lazy on the history and theory of chess was published - "Research on Chess History and Literature" ( German: Zur Geschichte u. Literatur des Schachspiels, Forschungen ); a year later, the German Chess Federation elected him its first honorary member.

As a practicing chess player, von der Laz did not leave such a noticeable mark, being more busy preparing and organizing tournaments than participating in them. However, in unofficial games, von der Laza successfully played with the largest masters of the mid-19th century: Adolf Andersen , Howard Staunton, and others.

He was married to Anna von Heldorf (1831-1880). The son, Heinrich von Heidebrand und der Laz (1861-1924), having inherited from his father notable land holdings around the present city of Leszno , was a chamberlain of the Prussian court (since 1902) and a deputy of the upper house of the Prussian Landtag (1914-1918).

• Chashikhin V. A riddle from the last century. // "64 - Chess Review." - 1990. - No. 10. - S. 18-19.

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