Savielly Tartakower (also known as Xavier or Ksawery Tartakower, less often Tartacover or Tartakover; 21 February 1887 – 4 February 1956) was a Polish chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandmaster in its inaugural year, 1950. Tartakower was also a leading chess journalist and author of the 1920s and 1930s.
Early career
Tartakower was born on 21 February 1887 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, to Austrian citizens of Jewish origin. His father, a first-generation Christian, had him christened with the Latin form of his name, Sabelius. His parents were killed in a robbery in Rostov-on-Don in 1911. Tartakower stayed mainly in Austria. He graduated from the law faculties of universities in Geneva and Vienna. He spoke German and French. During his studies he became interested in chess and started attending chess meetings in various cafés for chess players in Vienna. He met many notable masters of the time, among them Carl Schlechter, Géza Maróczy (against whom he played what was probably his most famous ), Milan Vidmar, and Richard Réti. His first achievement was first place in a tournament in Nuremberg in 1906. Three years later he achieved second place in the tournament in Vienna, losing only to Réti.
During World War I Tartakower was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army and served as a staff officer on various posts. He went to the Russian front with the Viennese infantry house-regiment. After the war he emigrated to France, and settled in Paris. Although Tartakower did not speak Polish, after Poland regained its independence in 1918 he accepted Polish citizenship and became one of the country's most prominent honorary ambassadors. He was the captain and trainer of the Polish chess team in six international tournaments, winning a gold medal for Poland at the Hamburg Olympiad in 1930.
Chess professional
In France, Tartakower decided to become a professional chess player. He also started cooperating with various chess magazines, and wrote several books and brochures on chess. The most famous of these, Die Hypermoderne Schachpartie (The Hypermodern Chess Game) was published in 1924 and has been issued in almost 100 editions since. Tartakower took part in many of the most important chess tournaments of his day. In 1927 and 1928 he won two tournaments in Hastings and shared first place with Aron Nimzowitsch in London. On the latter occasion, he defeated such notable players as Frank Marshall, Milan Vidmar, and Efim Bogoljubov. In 1930 he won the Liège tournament, beating Mir Sultan Khan by two points. Further down the list were, among others, Akiba Rubinstein, Nimzowitsch, and Marshall.
Tartakower won the Polish Chess Championship twice, at Warsaw 1935 and Jurata 1937. In the 1930s he represented Poland in six Chess Olympiads, and France in 1950, winning three individual medals (gold in 1931 and bronze in 1933 and 1935), as well as five team medals (gold in 1930, two silver in 1931 and 1939, and two bronze in 1935 and 1937).
In 1930, at second board at the 3rd Chess Olympiad in Hamburg (+9−1=6); In 1931, at second board at the 4th Chess Olympiad in Prague (+10−1=7); In 1933, at first board at the 5th Chess Olympiad in Folkestone (+6−2=6); In 1935, at first board at the 6th Chess Olympiad in Warsaw (+6−0=11); In 1937, at first board at the 7th Chess Olympiad in Stockholm (+1−2=10); In 1939, at first board at the 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires (+7−3=7); In 1950, at first board at the 9th Chess Olympiad in Dubrovnik (+5−5=5).
In 1935 he was one of the main organizers of the Chess Olympiad in Warsaw.
In 1939, the outbreak of World War II found him in Buenos Aires, where he was playing the 8th Chess Olympiad, representing Poland on a team which included Miguel Najdorf, who always called Tartakower "my teacher".
Final years
After a short stay in Argentina Tartakower returned to Europe. He arrived in France shortly before its collapse in 1940. Under the pseudonym Cartier, he joined the forces of general Charles de Gaulle.
After World War II and the Soviet takeover of Poland, Tartakower became a French citizen. He played in the first Interzonal tournament at Saltsjöbaden 1948, but did not qualify for the Candidates tournament. He represented France at the 1950 Chess Olympiad. FIDE instituted the title of International Grandmaster in 1950; Tartakower was in the first group of players to receive it. In 1953, he won the French Chess Championship in Paris.
He died on 4 February 1956 in Paris, 18 days before his 69th birthday.