German Grandmaster, World Championship Challenger. A very great player who in the winter of 1890 could have played Steinitz for the World Championship but let the opportunity pass him by. After Emanuel Lasker had arrived on the scene and became the World Champion in 1894, Tarrasch was never really in contention for the title, losing the 1908 match against him easily. He compensated for not winning the crown by becoming an important chess writer and theoretician, explaining the difficult theories of Steinitz clearly. His two best books: Three Hundred Best Games and The Game of Chess showed he was a writer and teacher of a high standard. Tarrasch was a great disciple of chess and spread the gospel even in difficult times. "Chess, like music, like love, has the power to make men happy."  

In his early days Tarrasch passed on the revolutionary theories of Steinitz to his fellow players but now in the twilight of his career he faced a breed of younger men who had their own ideas of how the game should be played. He relished the chance to play the hypermoderns and he occasionally inflicted a devastating defeat.

(a) Basic Endings. These are theoretical positions in which we know the correct result with optimum play by both sides. They may consist of three pawns or less and also include all the non-pawn and five piece endings which have now been extensively analysed by computer and of which we have tablebases. In the days when we had adjournments some of these endings could be looked up in text books to give us some idea how to play the position. As we no longer can do this, knowledge and memory of these endings has become important in practical play. Fundamental Chess Endings (2001) by Muller and Lamprecht and Basic Endings (1992) by Balashov and Prandstetter and the earlier A Pocket Guide to Chess Endgames (1970) by David Hooper are good introductions to these endings.

(b) Practical Endings. These occur in over-the-board play where usually more pawns are present. The above ending is an example of this type. Some of these endings are in the process of being transformed to basic endings but often they finish before this stage is reached. Endgame strategy is very different from the middlegame and has its own set of rules and exceptions. Fine's book Basic Chess Endings (1941,2003) recently revised by Pal Benko and Batsford Chess Endings (1993) by Speelman, Tisdall and Wade are about basic and practical endings and both can be recommended.

(c) Endgame Studies. These are positions which have been composed and will contain elements of one or both of the above types of endings. But there are important differences between these types and the study, such as artistic form and economy of construction. An endgame study has to follow strict rules of composition, especially if it is entered into a composing competition. One of these rules states there should only be one solution. If there is an unintended second solution then the study is unsound and said to be "cooked".