Week 39B-2013 Had Eight Players – and Fischer’s #4 Grandmaster

Siegbert Tarrasch

Lots of casual games played and some nice conversation - over coffee too at Teekos! If you have not been to our Thursday location, come by and give yourself a treat. It’s a beautiful location with great coffee and tea drinks.

Now we continue with Bobby Fischer’s 1964 list of his top ten grandmasters of all time:

#4 - Siegbert Tarrasch

Chess players generally fall into two main divisions: the ones with rules, axioms and master plans and stick to them dogmatically; and the ones that know the rules and axioms but who are quick to take advantage of unforeseen developments on the board.

The best chess players are a combination of the two.

Tarrasch was much closer to the first category. He was a rule of thumb player; Knights should only be on c3, f3, c6 and f6; Bishops are always better than Knights; etc.

Tarrasch followed the rules so strongly, that he is among the greatest players of all time.

His play was razor-sharp and in spite of his devotion to this supposedly scientific method of play, his game was often witty and bright.

 He was a great opening theorist. Vastly superior to Emanuel Lasker for example.