Wilhelm ( later William ) Steinitz ( Prague , 17 May 1836 â `` New York , 12 August 1900 ) was an Austrian chess grandmaster who emigrated first to London , then to the USA . Wilhelm ( later William ) Steinitz ( Prague , May 17 , 1836 â `` August 12 , 1900 ) was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894 .