German chess master and physician who was noted for his books on chess theories.

Tarrasch won five major tournaments consecutively between 1888 and 1894. His best achievement was probably in 1898 at Vienna, where he tied for first with the American Harry Nelson Pillsbury, whom he defeated in a playoff match. After 1907 he participated in more than 20 international matches but never placed in the top three positions. Especially disappointing to him was his loss to Emanuel Lasker (Lasker, Emanuel) in 1908 for the world championship. Despite his failures, Tarrasch is best remembered for his books, especially The Game of Chess (1935), which developed and popularized Wilhelm Steinitz (Steinitz, Wilhelm)'s theories while differing with the master about what constituted a small advantage.