Savielly Tartakower
The blunders are all there, on the chequerboard, ready to be made
Born	February 22, 1887 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Died	February 4, 1956 Paris, France

Ksawery Tartakower (generally known as Saviely or Savielly in English, from Polish Sawielly meaning "little Saul", less often Xavier Tartacover or Xavier Tartakover; 1887–1956) was a leading Polish and French chess Grandmaster. Ksawery Tartakower This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Central market and Church in Rostov. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A chess table is a table with a chessboard painted or engraved on it. ... Jump to: navigation, search The five original grandmasters of chess, from left to right: Lasker (seated), Alekhine, Capablanca, Marshall, Tarrasch (seated) The title International Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player...

Early career

He was born February 22, 1887 in Rostov-on-Don, to a Polish Jewish family. At the age of twelve his family left Russia for Austria-Hungary and finally settled in Vienna, where Tartakower grew up. He graduated from the law faculties of the universities in Geneva and Vienna. During his studies he became interested in chess and started attending chess meetings in various cafés for chess players in Vienna. He met personally many notable masters of the time, among them Carl Schlechter, Geza Maroczy (against whom he later won what was probably his most famous brilliancy[1]), Milan Vidmar and Richard Réti. His first achievement was the first place in a tournament in Nuremberg in 1906. Three years later he achieved the second place in the tournament in Vienna — losing only to Réti. Jump to: navigation, search February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Central market and Church in Rostov. ... From the Middle Ages until the Holocaust, Jews were a significant part of the Polish population. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Jump to: navigation, search Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya; Serbian: Beč) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine states (Land Wien). ... Jump to: navigation, search Jet dEau in Geneva Geneva (French: Genève) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland, situated where Lake Geneva (known in French as Lac Léman) flows into the Rhône River. ... Jump to: navigation, search Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya; Serbian: Beč) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine states (Land Wien). ... Carl Schlechter Carl Schlechter (March 2, 1874 - December 27, 1918) was a leading Austrian chess master at the turn of the 20th century. ... Geza Maroczy (1870-1951) was a leading Hungarian chess master. ... Jump to: navigation, search Milan Vidmar (June 22, 1885 – October 9, 1962) was a Slovene electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist, philosopher and writer, born in Ljubljana, Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia). ... Richard Réti (1889 – 1929) was a Czechoslovakian chess player, although he was born in what was then Hungary. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nuremberg coat of arms Location of Nuremberg Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

During World War I he was drafted to the Austro-Hungarian army and served as a staff officer on various posts. After the war he emigrated to France and settled in Paris. Although Tartakower did not even speak the Polish language, after Poland regained its independence in 1918 he accepted Polish citizenship and became one of the most prominent honorary ambassadors of Poland abroad. young Ksawery Tartakower, from the Dutch wiki File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... young Ksawery Tartakower, from the Dutch wiki File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search Polish (język polski, polszczyzna) is the official language of Poland. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Chess Professional

In France he decided to become a profesional chess player. He also started cooperation with various chess-related magazines. He also wrote several books and brochures related to chess playing. The most famous of his books, the Hyper-modernist chess play (Die hypermoderne Schachpartie) was published in 1924 and has been issued in almost a hundred re-editions ever since. Tartakower took also part in many of the most important chess tournaments of the epoch. In 1927 and 1928 he won two tournaments in Hastings and shared the first place with Aron Nimzowitsch at the London contest. At the latter occasion he managed to beat as notable chess players as Frank Marshall, Milan Vidmar and Yefim Bogolubov. In 1930 he won the Liège tournament beating Mir Sultan Khan by two points. Further down the list were, among others, Akiba Rubinstein, Nimzowitsch and Marshall. Jump to: navigation, search 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Hastings is a town and local government district in South East England, in the county of East Sussex. ... Jump to: navigation, search Aron Nimzowitsch (also Nimzovich or Niemzowitsch) (November 7, 1886, Riga – March 16, 1935, Denmark) was a Latvian chess grandmaster. ... This article is about the early 20th century chess champion. ... Jump to: navigation, search Milan Vidmar (June 22, 1885 – October 9, 1962) was a Slovene electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist, philosopher and writer, born in Ljubljana, Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia). ... Efim Bogoljubov (1889 - 1952) was a leading Ukrainian chess master. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Liège (Dutch: Luik, German: Lüttich; before 1946, the citys name was written Liége, with the acute accent) is a major city located in the Belgian province of Liège, of which it is the capital. ... Mir Sultan Khan (1905 - 1966) was generally considered to have been the strongest chess master of his time from Asia. ... Akiba Rubinstein (born 12 December 1882, died 15 March 1961 in Antwerp) was a brilliant Polish chess master and a famous grandmaster at the beginning of the 20th century. ...

Tartakower opening

In the thirties Tartakower represented Poland in six chess olympiads, gathering three individual medals (gold in 1931 and bronze in 1933 and 1935), as well as 5 team medals (gold, two silver and two bronze). In 1935 he was one of the main organisers of the Chess Olympiad in Warsaw. He also won the Polish Chess Championship twice (1935 in Warsaw and in 1937 in Jurata). Tartakower opening - from the Dutch wiki This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Tartakower opening - from the Dutch wiki This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Chess Olympiad is a chess event which has been officially organised by FIDE since 1927 and takes place every second year. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1935(MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1935(MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Warsaw (disambiguation) and Warszawa (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1939 the outbreak of World War II caught him in Buenos Aires, where he was playing the 8th Chess Olympiad, representing Poland in a team with, among others, Mieczysław Najdorf. Najdorf always referred to Tartakower as "my teacher". Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ... Buenos Aires (Good Airs in Spanish, originally meaning Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Miguel Najdorf (born as Mieczysław Najdorf; 1910 - 1997) was a Polish-Argentine chess player. ...

Final years

After a short stay in Argentina he decided to return to Europe. He arrived in France shortly before its collapse in 1940. Under a false name Cartier he joined the forces of general Charles de Gaulle. After World War II and the communist take-over of power in Poland, Tartakower became a French citizen. He represented France at the 1950 Chess Olympiad. FIDE instituted the title of International Grandmaster in 1950; Tartakower was in the first group of players to receive that title. He died on February 4, 1956, in Paris. World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search General Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (listen â–¶(?)) (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as général de Gaulle or Le Général, was a French military leader and statesman. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search The five original grandmasters of chess, from left to right: Lasker (seated), Alekhine, Capablanca, Marshall, Tarrasch (seated) The title International Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player... Jump to: navigation, search 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

Personality

Tartakower is regarded as one of the most notable chess personalities of his times. Harry Golombek translated Tartakower's book of his best games, and in the forward wrote: Harry Golombek (March 1, 1911–January 7, 1995), was a British chess player and honorary grandmaster. ...

Dr. Tartakower is far and away the most cultured and the wittiest of all the chess masters I have ever met. His extremely well stored mind and ever-flowing native wit make conversation with him a perpetual delight. So much so that I count it as one of the brightest attractions an international tournament can hold out for me that Dr. Tartakower should also be one of the participants. His talk and thought are rather like a modernized blend of Spinoza and Voltaire; and with it all a dash of paradoxical originality that is essential Tartakower.

A talented chess player, Tartakower is also known for his countless aphorisms, which are sometimes called Tartacoverisms. One of the variations of the Dutch Defence is named after him. The Tartakower Defence in the Queen's Gambit Declined (also known as the Tartakower-Makogonov-Bondarevsky System) also bears his name. He is alleged to be the inventor of the 'Orangutan Opening' 1.b4..., so named after Tartakower fell in love with a great ape during his visit to the zoo whilst playing in the great 1924 tournament in New York. Baruch Spinoza Benedictus de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 - February 21, 1677), named Baruch Spinoza by his synagogue elders and known as Bento de Spinoza or Bento dEspiñoza in the community in which he grew up. ... Jump to: navigation, search The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Aphorism (from the Greek αφοριζειν, to define), literally a distinction or a definition (see the Online Etymology Dictionary entry), is a term used to describe a principle expressed tersely in a few telling words or any general truth conveyed in a short and pithy sentence, in such... The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves 1. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Queens Gambit Declined (QGD) is, in its broadest sense any variation of the Queens Gambit chess opening where Black does not play the Queens Gambit Accepted, 2. ...

Capablanca scored +5-0=7 against Tartakower, but they had many hard fights. After their fighting draw in London 1922, Capablanca said, "You are lacking in solidity", and Tartakower replied in his usual banter, "That is my saving grace". But in Capablanca's reports of the 1939 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires for the Argentinian newspaper Crítica, he wrote: José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (November 19, 1888 - March 8, 1942) was a famous Cuban chess player in the early to mid twentieth century. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Chess Olympiad is a chess event which has been officially organised by FIDE since 1927 and takes place every second year. ... Buenos Aires (Good Airs in Spanish, originally meaning Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country in southern South America, situated between the Atlantic Ocean in the east. ...

The Polish team … is captained and led by Dr S. Tartakower, a master with profound knowledge and great imagination, qualities which make him a formidable adversary. … Luckily for the others, the Polish team has only one Tartakower.

Quotations

• "It's always better to sacrifice your opponent's men."
• "An isolated Pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard."
• "The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made."
• "The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."

Writings of Savielly Tartakower

• 500 Master Games of Chess by Savielly Tartakower and J. du Mont (Dover Publications, June 1, 1975, ISBN 0486232085)
• Bréviaire des échecs, one of the best known initiation text for chess in the French language
• My Best Games Of Chess 1905-1954 by S.G. Tartakower (Dover Publications, 1985, ISBN 0486248070), the definitive recollection of Tartakower's career, written in his unique style; translated by Harry Golombek.

Harry Golombek (March 1, 1911–January 7, 1995), was a British chess player and honorary grandmaster. ...

See also

• Hypermodernism

Jump to: navigation, search The Queens Indian Defence is a hypermodern opening Hypermodernism is a school of chess thought which advocates controlling the centre of the board with distant pieces rather than with pawns, thus inviting the opponent to occupy the centre with pawns which can then become objects...

External links

• Kmoch, Hans (2004). Grandmasters I Have Known: Sawielly Grigoriewitsch Tartakower. Chesscafe.com.