The German grandmaster and publisher Lothar Schmid (1928–2013) was one of the world's most important collectors of chess exhibits and, over the years, assembled what may have been the largest private collection of chess books. This is not known for certain. Not even Lothar Schmid himself had a complete overview, towards the end, of the exact size of his collection, which is said to have comprised around 50,000 items.
Alongside many pieces of memorabilia, including the handwritten scoresheets of Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky from their 1972 World Championship match, chess sets, artworks and chess books, the collection contained a number of important works from the history of chess literature. Eighty-six items from Lothar Schmid's collection were auctioned by the English house Sotheby's as part of a larger chess auction titled "Books, Manuscripts and Objects from Three Important Collections".
The premiere chess database with over 11.7 million games
The ChessBase Mega Database 2026 is the premiere chess database with over 11.7 million games from 1475 to 2025 in high quality.
The online auction ended on 17 April. After the auction had concluded, Sotheby's reported that the results fully met the sellers' expectations.
The most important item from Lothar Schmid's collection was one of the few surviving original editions of Lucena's "Repetición de amores y arte de ajedrez" from 1479.
The edition in Lothar Schmid's collection is regarded as the finest copy. The book changed hands for £179,200. Another gem, the manuscript of Greco's "Trattato del gioco de scacchi" (1620), fetched £115,200.
Meanwhile, the handwritten scoresheet of game 17 from the 1972 World Championship match brought in £110,000.
Impossible to decipher? Here is the game to replay:
Alongside the magnificent books, artworks were also auctioned, including Giulio Benso's "The Chess Players" (£44,800), as well as old and exquisite chess sets.
In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.As a publisher and co-owner of Karl May Verlag, Lothar Schmid developed a bibliophile affinity for literature, and especially chess literature, at an early stage. He was a gifted chess player, became one of Germany's strongest players and belonged to the wider world elite, although his profession as a publisher left him only limited time for tournament chess. As a tournament player, national team representative and later as an arbiter, he had the opportunity to travel to many countries around the world and came into contact with many chess enthusiasts. His most famous appearance came in 1992, when he served as arbiter for the World Championship match between Fischer and Spassky.
This chess auction was also something very special for the famous auction house Sotheby's. The house framed the auction with an exhibition displaying the beautiful items. In a lecture last Wednesday, speakers discussed the history of chess, as well as the origins and significance of some of the exhibits.
Dr Gabriel Heaton, Dominic Lawson and Jonathan Rowson in a panel discussion on the significance of chess and its history
The English musician and composer Jason Kouchak, a great chess enthusiast, was also invited to the event and had the opportunity to admire the exhibition.
Jason Kouchak
Jason Kouchak congratulates his friend Jonathan Rowson after an inspiring evening at Sotheby's auction house.
Jason Kouchak was very impressed:
The lecture before the auction was very insightful and educational. The meaning and symbolism of the various objects were discussed in detail. It is truly inspiring that one man, Lothar Schmid, devoted his time and energy to collecting these wonderful books, paintings and drawings.
In an article by The Guardian about this auction and Lothar Schmid's passion for collecting, his son Bernhard described how Lothar Schmid's wife Ingrid stoically endured her husband's hobby. Schmid sometimes undertook very long journeys to acquire rare items.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines
Many wonderful chess exhibits
"It is actually a great pity", Jason Kouchak says, "that this unique collection has now been broken up. The items really belong in a museum in Germany".
Links
.jpeg)
.png)