Tarrasch Sees His Opponent's Future
Siegbert Tarrasch was born March 5, 1862 and died February 17, 1934. He was one of the best players of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Around 1890, he may have been the best. World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz offered him the opportunity to play a match in 1892, but Tarrasch declined to take time away from his medical practice. He did play Mikhail Chigorin, another contender, in 1893. Their 22 game match was even with each player winning nine games. Emanuel Lasker won the championship from Steinitz in 1894. After that, it is likely that Tarrasch was never the best in the world. In the Lasker-Tarrasch 16 game title match in 1908, Lasker won half the games, while losing three. Tarrasch spread the modern ideas of Steinitz about chess and added his own ideas through his games and chess writings. He was particularly known as the Teacher of Germany. The name Tarrasch is attached to a black defense in the Queen's Gambit and to 3.Nd2 in the French Defense. He played the Open defense against the Ruy Lopez, and his name used to be applied there as well. His opponent in this game was Theodor von Scheve who was born June 11, 1851 and died April 19, 1922. Scheve, like Tarrasch, was born in Prussia. He was an army officer and writer. It has often been noted that the bishop on f1 did not move in this game. If Black had played c5 on move five or six or if White had played cxd5 on move six, after Nbd7 blocked c8, or even on move five, the bishop would have moved. After Black played Ne4, Tarrasch foresaw his entire plan. He knew what pieces he would use to attack g7, and the bishop on f1 was not one of them. That bishop does move in the notes to Black's moves 14 and 23.
