Max Lange
Max Lange (August 7, 1832, Magdeburg – December 8, 1899, Leipzig) was a German chess player, problem composer, and writer, as well as an important chess organizer and chess governance leader.
Max Lange

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- Name
- Max Lange
- Born
- August 7, 1832
- Birthplace
- Magdeburg, Germany
- Died
- December 8, 1899
- Place of death
- Leipzig, Germany
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Prussia.
- Occupation
- chess player, bookseller, writer, chess composer, jurist and chess theoretician.
- Fields
- chess, law and German-language literature.
- Education
- Frederick William University Berlin.
- Languages
- German.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
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wikidata · Q62453 · wikipedia · Max Lange
In this article
Biography
Biography
Max Lange studied at Frederick William University Berlin. The recorded working language is German. The field of work recorded is chess, law and German-language literature. Places of work recorded in the authority are Leipzig. Residence is recorded at Berlin. Positions recorded include chairperson and holder of the procuration.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Max Lange • Birth Name — Max Lange • Country — Germany • Born — August 7, 1832 • Birthplace — Magdeburg, Germany • Died — December 8, 1899 • Place of death — Leipzig, Germany
Chess career
Chess career
Lange was an editor of the Deutsche Schachzeitung (German Chess Newsletter) from 1858 to 1864. He was a founder of Westdeutscher Schachbund (West German Chess Federation, WDSB), and an organizer of the 9th DSB–Congress (Kongress des Deutschen Schachbundes) at Leipzig 1894. He was second President of the German Chess Federation (DSB). Lange won four Western German championships: thrice in Düsseldorf (1862, 1863, 1864), and at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) 1868 (7th WDSB–Congress). He also won at Hamburg 1868 (1st Congress of the North German Chess Federation). The statistical website Chessmetrics.com estimates that Lange was one of the top ten players in the world in the 1860s. He took an extended sabbatical from tournament chess from 1868 until his final appearance in the third DSB-Congress at Nuremberg 1883. Lange finished in a tie for 17–19th place, which was last. His ability had clearly deteriorated as a result of his long layoff but Chessmetrics.com places him among the top 40 to 50 players in the world in the 1880s on the basis of this result. Lange should not be confused with the lesser-known but identically named Dr. Max Lange (1883–1923), who is generally referenced as "Max Lange 2" in chess literature and whose best-known tournaments were Hilversum 1903 and the 14th DSB-Congress at Coburg 1904.
Works
Works
Lange published Lehrbuch des Schachspiels (Textbook of Chess Games, Halle 1856), and Handbuch der Schachaufgaben (Handbook of Chess problems, Leipzig 1862).
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1832–1899
The full dated record · 3 entries
1832
Max Lange born at Magdeburg.
1861
Abraham Lincoln, der Wiederhersteller der Nordamerikanischen Union, und der grosse Kampf der Nord und Südstaaten während der Jahre 1861 1865 hrsg. von Max Lange. Mit 70 in den Text gedruckten Illustrationen... (1866) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
1899
Max Lange died at Leipzig.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Berlin.
Residences
Magdeburg.
Birth place
Leipzig.
Death place
Legacy
The variation of the Two Knights Defense 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 Bc5 6.e5 is called the Max Lange Attack. The Vienna Game variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 is known as the Max Lange Defense.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Max Lange, revision 1366574658 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q62453: Max LangeWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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