Lothar Schmid
A chess grandmaster who presided over some of the game's most historic world championship matches as an arbiter, ensuring their integrity.
1928–2013 (age 85)·German chess grandmaster·Birthday: May 10·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born in Radebeul, Germany, Lothar Schmid grew up surrounded by the printed word; his family co-owned the press that published the wildly popular Karl May adventure novels. This early immersion in complex narratives perhaps foreshadowed his own life on the 64 squares. He became a formidable grandmaster, known for a solid, positional style, but his most lasting legacy was forged off the board. Schmid served as the chief arbiter for three of the most politically charged and dramatic World Chess Championship matches in history: the 1972 Fischer-Spassky clash in Reykjavik, the 1978 Karpov-Korchnoi duel in Baguio, and the 1986 Karpov-Kasparov rematch in London. With a calm, authoritative presence, he navigated protests, psychological warfare, and Cold War tensions, becoming the trusted guardian of the game's rules and spirit. His vast personal library of chess literature was one of the world's largest, a testament to a life dedicated to the game's history and future.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Lothar was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Lothar Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Lothar's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2013Died at 85
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Achieved the title of International Chess Grandmaster in 1959.
- Served as chief arbiter for the historic 1972 World Chess Championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.
- Also officiated as chief arbiter for the 1978 and 1986 World Chess Championship matches.
- Amassed one of the world's most extensive private collections of chess literature and paraphernalia.
Did You Know?
His family co-owned the Karl May Press, which published the famous German Western adventure novels.
He was a highly skilled correspondence chess player, winning the first Correspondence Chess Olympiad.
Schmid was also a noted collector of medieval manuscripts and early printed books.
“The board is a world of fixed rules, but the game is a story we write.”
