Siegbert Tarrasch – "The Teacher"

Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch (1862–1934) was a German chess giant. He was known as Praeceptor Germaniae (The Teacher of Germany) because his books taught an entire generation how to play correct, logical chess.

He was a Dogmatist. He believed there was a "perfect" move in every position based on scientific principles (Space, Time, Force). He hated "ugly" moves, even if they worked.

His name is immortalized in the Tarrasch Defense (Queen's Gambit), the French Tarrasch (3.Nd2), and the Tarrasch Variation of the Ruy Lopez.

He despised hypermodern openings that gave up the center. He famously wrote, "The King's Indian is a mistake," believing that occupying the center with pawns was the only correct way to play.

"Rooks belong behind passed pawns." This single sentence is perhaps the most useful endgame advice ever given.

He played Emanuel Lasker for the world title in 1908. Though he lost, the match was a clash of philosophies: Science (Tarrasch) vs. Psychology (Lasker).

In the 1890s, he was nearly invincible in tournament play, winning Breslau 1889, Manchester 1890, Dresden 1892, and Leipzig 1894.

He coined this famous phrase (or the German equivalent), teaching players that Knights need to be in the center to be effective.

He championed the move 3.Nd2 against the French Defense to avoid the pin on his Knight and keep his pawn structure flexible.

His book Das Schachspiel (The Game of Chess) was the bible of chess instruction for decades, influencing players like Keres and Smyslov.

He proved that Black could accept an Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP) in exchange for free piece play, a revolutionary concept at the time.

He had a bitter feud with Aron Nimzowitsch. Tarrasch believed in classical centers; Nimzowitsch believed in controlling the center from a distance. Their debates shaped modern chess.

Like Anderssen (Professor) and Euwe (Teacher), Tarrasch was a professional man—a medical doctor—who played chess as a passion.

He won a team bronze medal for Germany in the 1927 Chess Olympiad.

He won this super-tournament ahead of Pillsbury and Maroczy, proving his "scientific" method worked against tactical players.

Several opening traps in the Ruy Lopez are named after him, punishing opponents who try to hold onto material greedily.

He was the first to systematically explain why a space advantage is crucial: it cramps the opponent's pieces and leads to tactical errors.

He won this massive double-round tournament against the world's best, cementing his claim as Lasker's main rival.

He taught that one should not give a check unless there is a specific reason for it. "A check that can be blocked is often a waste of time."

He formalized the concept of "Good" vs "Bad" bishops based on pawn chains, a core concept of positional play.

He developed the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit lines to refute the Romantic style of play, which he considered "unsound."

He lost three sons in World War I, a tragedy that deeply affected his later years and playing strength.

Even in his 50s, he scored impressive victories against the young Alexander Alekhine, showing that logic could contain genius.

Every modern chess book that talks about "Center," "Development," and "Space" owes a debt to Dr. Tarrasch.