World Championship 1908: Lasker – Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch, the great teacher of classical chess, had spent years declining to play for the title — which made his one and only championship bid, against a rival he disliked, all the more anticipated. Lasker won it decisively, and the Praeceptor Germaniae never got another chance.
◈Two Germans, no love lost
For years Tarrasch was rated among the very strongest players alive, yet he had never challenged Steinitz, so it was a surprise when he finally played Lasker — a man he was famously not on good terms with. He earned the match by winning the Ostend 1907 tournament by half a point; the two agreed a first-to-eight-wins contest across Düsseldorf and Munich.
The clash was billed as dogma against pragmatism: Tarrasch's crisp classical principles against Lasker's flexible, fighting practicality.
◈Practice beats principle
Lasker took charge early, winning the first two games, and was never seriously threatened, closing out the match 10½–5½. Game 14 stretched to 119 moves — the longest game in World Championship history until the marathon fifth game of the 1978 match.
Tarrasch, past his peak, blamed his form on a lack of practice and even the maritime climate of Düsseldorf. Lasker would defend the title twice more; Tarrasch never again played for it.
◈Cross Table
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasker | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 10½ |
| Tarrasch | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 5½ |
1 win · ½ draw · 0 loss — click a game number to replay it.