“Jose (Raul) Capablanca: (1888-1942) Cuban chess master. He learned chess from his father at 4 and beat Cuba’s best player at 12. He defeated Emanuel Lasker to become world champion in 1921; in 1927 he was defeated by Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946). From 1916 to 1924 he did not lose a game. In 1921 he published an instruction manual, Chess Fundamentals.“
Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.