Schiffers' parents emigrated from Germany. He was born in
Saint Petersburg and also died there. Schiffers held the title of Russian champion for 10 years before finally being defeated by his student, Mikhail Chigorin, in 1880. At their first meeting in 1873, Schiffers was able to offer Chigorin (also from St. Petersburg) knight
odds. In 1878 they played on even terms, Schiffers losing the first of two matches 7–3, but winning the second 7½–6½, thus establishing himself as the second strongest player in Russia after Chigorin himself. They later played two more matches with Chigorin winning both. At
Rostov on Don in 1896, he played a match against former
world chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz, losing 6½–4½. Schiffers played eight major foreign tournaments from
Frankfurt 1887 to
Cologne 1898. His best tournament result was at
Hastings 1895 where he finished sixth with 12/21 (
Harry Pillsbury won). In 1899 and 1900/01, he took second places, behind Chigorin, in the
All Russian Masters Tournament (1st and 2nd RUS-ch). Schiffers was known as "Russia's Chess Teacher". In 1889, he gave the first public lectures on
chess theory in Russia, at the St. Petersburg Chess Association and in other cities. He wrote the chess textbook
Samouchitel shakhmatnoi igry (
Chess Self Taught, published 1906). In November 1899 it was reported that he became insane and was taken to an asylum. ==Notable game==