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Play Chess Against Siegbert Tarrasch

Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934), the schoolmaster of classical chess and 1908 world championship challenger, sits across the board. Set the strength, clock, color and starting position, then press Start game.

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Portrait of Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch, 1862-1934.
Black · Siegbert Tarrasch10:00
Choose the settings, then press Start game.
White · You10:00
Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarraschhistorical player
Preparing the board.

Set the game on the right. Start unlocks the board and starts the side-to-move clock.

Set up your game against Siegbert Tarrasch

Siegbert Tarrasch stays selected. Choose the playing strength, clock, color and starting position.

OpponentSiegbert TarraschStrength1500Clock10+5You playWhite
Opponent

Siegbert Tarrasch remains selected while you choose the settings for this game.

Siegbert Tarrasch Siegbert Tarrasch1862-1934
Playing strength
100-point steps
1500
1500Tarrasch, 1500 Elo target2600
Time control

The first number is the starting time in minutes. The second is the increment after each completed legal move.

Your color
Starting position optional
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Start game locks these settings and begins the selected clock. Change setup unlocks them for a new game.

About Siegbert Tarrasch

Siegbert Tarrasch playing Mikhail Chigorin

Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934) was the great teacher of classical chess, honored in Germany as Praeceptor Germaniae. A physician from Breslau, he stood among the world's two or three best players around 1900, winning Vienna 1898, Monte Carlo 1903 and Ostend 1907 before losing the 1908 world championship match to Emanuel Lasker. His books reduced the game to clear principles of development, center control and space, rules so influential that the hypermoderns later made their names attacking them.

The teacher of GermanyCalled Praeceptor Germaniae for turning chess into principles anyone could learn
World title challengerFaced Emanuel Lasker for the crown in 1908, losing 5.5-10.5
Two openings carry his nameThe Tarrasch Defense in the Queen's Gambit and 3.Nd2 against the French
Won Ostend 1907Took first prize in the elite championship tournament ahead of the best masters alive
  1. 1862
    Born in Breslau

    Siegbert Tarrasch was born on 5 March 1862 in Breslau, Silesia, and became a medical doctor while rising through German chess.

  2. 1889
    Earns the master title

    Won the main tournament at Breslau 1889, which carried the German master title with it.

  3. 1898
    Wins Vienna

    Shared first with Harry Pillsbury at the great Vienna tournament, then beat him in the playoff for the title.

  4. 1903
    Wins Monte Carlo

    Took first prize at Monte Carlo 1903, confirming his place at the very top of world chess.

  5. 1907
    Champion of Ostend

    Won the masters' championship tournament at Ostend, billed as a world championship event for the game's elite.

  6. 1908
    Title match with Lasker

    Challenged Emanuel Lasker for the world championship and lost 5.5-10.5, later blaming the coastal air of Düsseldorf.

  7. 1912
    The modern game, codified

    Published Die moderne Schachpartie, the fullest statement of his classical system, reprinted for decades.

  8. 1934
    Dies in Munich

    Died on 17 February 1934 in Munich. Club players still learn the game from rules he wrote down a century ago.

Play another chess legend

Pioneers

Adolf AnderssenAdolf AnderssenPaul MorphyPaul Morphy

World champions

Wilhelm SteinitzWilhelm SteinitzEmanuel LaskerEmanuel LaskerJosé Raúl CapablancaJosé CapablancaAlexander AlekhineAlexander AlekhineMax EuweMax EuweMikhail BotvinnikMikhail BotvinnikVasily SmyslovVasily SmyslovMikhail TalMikhail TalTigran PetrosianTigran PetrosianBoris SpasskyBoris SpasskyBobby FischerBobby Fischer

Challengers and innovators

Mikhail ChigorinMikhail ChigorinSiegbert TarraschSiegbert TarraschYou are hereGéza MaróczyGéza MaróczyHarry PillsburyHarry PillsburyFrank MarshallFrank MarshallAkiba RubinsteinAkiba RubinsteinRudolf SpielmannRudolf SpielmannAron NimzowitschAron NimzowitschSavielly TartakowerSavielly TartakowerRichard RétiRichard RétiSultan KhanSultan KhanSicilian Najdorf — 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6Miguel NajdorfSamuel ReshevskySamuel ReshevskyPaul KeresPaul KeresSvetozar GligorićSvetozar GligorićDavid BronsteinDavid BronsteinEfim GellerEfim GellerViktor KorchnoiViktor KorchnoiLeonid SteinLeonid SteinLev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyBent LarsenBent Larsen

Questions about playing Siegbert Tarrasch

Can I play against Siegbert Tarrasch for free?

Yes. You can start a game without a subscription, account or download.

Who was Siegbert Tarrasch?

Siegbert Tarrasch was a celebrated chess master. The portrait and lifetime on this page identify the person represented here.

Can I change Tarrasch's playing strength?

Yes. Choose the approximate Lichess scale from 600 to 3000 or FIDE scale from 1500 to 2600, both in 100-point steps.

Is the strength number a historical rating?

No. It is an approximate playing-strength target for this game, not a biographical rating or a rating conversion.

Can I start from a FEN or PGN?

Yes. Standard chess is the default. Open Starting position to paste a FEN or one PGN. A PGN loads its final mainline position.

What do 3+2 and 10+0 mean?

The first number is each side's starting time in minutes. The second is the increment added after each completed legal move.

Can I choose White, Black or a random color?

Yes. Choose the side you control. The starting position decides which color moves first, and Random chooses your side when you start.

Does the board work on a phone?

Yes. Tap a piece and then its destination, or drag the piece. The board and clocks adapt to narrow screens.

Can I undo moves and review the game?

Undo is unavailable during an active legend game. Review becomes available after the game ends.

Can I choose another chess legend?

Yes. Use the chess-legend hub or the links below the board to open another player page.