ʃˈɔːɹtli bᵻfˌoːɹ wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ˈaɪ, hiː lˈɛft hɪz fˈæmɪli kˈʌmpəni fɔːɹ ɡˈʊd ænd stˈɑːɹɾᵻd tɹˈævəlɪŋ ɐbɹˈɔːd, dɪvˈoʊɾɪŋ hɪmsˈɛlf tə tʃˈɛs.
Shortly before World War I, he left his family company for good and started traveling abroad, devoting himself to chess.