"Ich mache Fehler - also ich existiere!" (I make errors, therefore I am!) – Dr. Sawielly Tartakower.
Born in Russia, Sawielly Tartakower (1887-1956) left in 1899 to study in Switzerland and Austria. With a law degree, he became an Austrian citizen and fought with distinction in the infantry in World War 1.
After the war, he became a chess professional. He is well known for his prolific writings on chess, notably including My Best Games of Chess 1905-1954, 500 Master Games of Chess (with J. du Mont), and The Hypermodern Game. Modern writers estimate his strength in the 2600 range and, indeed, he had many impressive firsts, including Paris 1929, 1940, and 1947, Liege 1930 (several; points ahead of Nimzovitch, Rubinstein, Marshall, and Colle), Hastings 1945-6, and Venice 1947.
Though not one of its practictioners, Tartakower coined the expression "hypermodern" to describe the new approach used by Breyer and Reti. By contrast, his approach was eclectic, empracing many forgotton lines and, through throrough study, catching his opponents with new ideas.
Here are the games from his "My Best Games of Chess, 1905-1954."
And here is one of his minatures from the book.
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 e6 8.Nc3 Qa5 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Ne5? Bxe2 11.Nxc6?? Diagram
"Sacrifices only prove that someone has blundered" – Dr. Tartakower.
