This Week's ChessVideos Show: Tarrasch the (Strong!) Dogmatist
This week, we have a look at chess matters pertaining to Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934), the great German grandmaster. After a brief discussion of his career, we take a look at some of his contributions and prejudices when it came to opening theory. Tarrasch has long had a reputation for dogmatism, and while he has his defenders, it is hard to seriously dispute the claim when one sees what he actually wrote. (This isn't to deny that he was a great player, a useful teacher and a genuinely creative mind. All this is compatible with his also being overly dogmatic from time to time.)
After presenting a(n un-)healthy number of examples of his exaggerated pronouncements about the opening, we turn to his chess, and there he shined: no doubt about it. In particular, we examine his game against Louis Paulsen from Nuremberg 1888, where he wins so convincingly on the black side of an Advance French you could almost believe that 3.e5 deserves the question mark he gives it! It's a model game, and while White need not give up the Advance, he - and Black, too - should be well aware of the sort of plan Tarrasch executed to near-perfection in this game.
Have a look for yourself: the show is free (free registration required) and will be available on-demand for the next month or so. And as a P.S.: Have a look at the comments there - there's a great picture (suitable for turning into a poster) good for a quick laugh.