A World Chess Championship was played between the incumbent Emanuel Lasker and the challenger Siegbert Tarrasch, both Germans, from August 17 to September 30, 1908, in Düsseldorf and Munich. Lasker successfully defended his title.

Lasker had become world champion in 1894, and Tarrasch had consistently refused to play for the world championship, and though he was perceived to be one of the strongest players in the world in the 1890's, he had failed to issue a challenge to Wilhelm Steinitz, making it all the more surprising that he played his first and only against Lasker, as the two of them were known not to be on good terms. Tarrasch won the Ostend 1907 chess tournament, which qualified him for the championship, and the terms of the match were agreed by July 1908.

Though contemporary commentators predicted a close-fought match, in the event Lasker took an early lead and maintained it, winning convincingly with 8 wins to 3.

Background

It was decided that the winner of the Ostend 1907 chess tournament would challenge Lasker in the next championship, with Tarrasch winning by half a point.

The German Chess Federation approached Lasker in June of 1908 to discuss the conditions of the match, which were agreed to by the players in July: The winner would be the first to eight wins; the time control was one hour for every 15 moves with an adjournment after six hours; the prize fund would be 4000 Marks, with the runner-up receiving 2500 Marks. Lasker also received an appearance fee of 7500 Marks.

The two had never played a major match against each other, though they had been rivals for years at this point. Lasker had challenged Tarrasch in 1892 to a match, but the latter declined, offering to play once the former had won an international tournament, which he duly did two years later, defeating Steinitz to become world champion. The two consistently avoided each other over the next few years, with a match almost taking place in 1904, but being abandoned over a dispute over a postponement, which Tarrasch had requested due to an alleged skating accident.

Results

The first player to win eight games would be the World Champion.

World Chess Championship Match 1908 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Wins Total Emanuel Lasker (Germany) 1 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 8 10½ Siegbert Tarrasch (Germany) 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 3 5½

Lasker retained his title.

Game 14, which lasted for 119 moves, held the record for the longest game in a world championship until Game 5 of the 1978 championship, which lasted 124 moves.

Games

Game 1: Lasker-Tarrasch, 1-0

Position after 52. Ke6. This attraction tactic threatened to win a tempo in the race to the queenside pawn cluster.

Following a fairly balanced middlegame, by move 24, the white king was able to become active, with the imbalance of kingside majority despite the material equality. Tarrasch made an inaccuracy with 35…Bd7, instead of capturing the knight, allowing the knight to move to g3 at any time to prevent Rh1 infiltration, which happened shortly afterwards. With 52. Ke6, white sacrificed his knight as an attraction tactic, which was not accepted by black. White arrived to protect the a and c pawns anyway with 55. Kb5, leading to Tarrasch's resignation.

Game 2: Tarrasch-Lasker, 0-1

Tarrasch gained a commanding position early in the game, after finding 15. Bxg7, which gave him an attack he failed to fully capitalise on, missing the crucial line after 15…Nxf2 of 16. Qd4!, instead recapturing the knight right away with the king, albeit maintaining a better position. Lasker began his counterattack after 19. Qxa7, as his king was now brought to safety. Lasker gained an advantage following move 32 by finding the reroute of the rook and queen to white's kingside. Lasker continued to build his advantage, and Tarrasch blundered with 40. a4??, which Lasker followed up with 40…f3 leaving white likely forced to sacrifice his queen in order to avoid checkmate on e1.

Game 3: Lasker-Tarrasch, 0-1

Game 4: Tarrasch-Lasker, 0-1

Game 5: Lasker-Tarrasch, 1-0

The first 15 moves of this game were the same as the third game, with Lasker diverting the position with 16. Bg5. He said the point of this move was "either to get rid of Black's important King's Bishop or to hamper its development.". He was disdainful of 17…Qb6, branding it as "too passive". Lasker built his advantage, and Tarrasch blundered with 25…f5, allowing an en passant capture, opening up black's king to an attack. 37…Qc6 blunders mate in 9.

Game 6: Tarrasch-Lasker, ½–½

Game 7: Lasker-Tarrasch, 1-0

Game 8: Tarrasch-Lasker, ½–½

Game 9: Lasker-Tarrasch, ½–½

Game 10: Tarrasch-Lasker, 1-0

Game 11: Lasker-Tarrasch, 1-0

Game 12: Tarrasch-Lasker, 1-0

Game 13: Lasker-Tarrasch, 1-0

Game 14: Tarrasch-Lasker, ½–½

This at the time held the record for longest game in World championship history.

Game 15: Lasker-Tarrasch, ½–½

Game 16: Tarrasch-Lasker, 0-1

Position after 26.Nd4??. The game-ending blunder. After 26…Bxd4, white cannot recapture the bishop, as the rook would leave the defence of the back rank, leading to 27…Re1+ 28. Nf1 Rxf1#.

The shortest game of the match. Lasker made a pseudo sacrifice with 11…Bc5. The game and the match ended with 26.Nd4?? Bxd4, with Tarrasch missing a ladder mate tactic.

Aftermath

Though after the fact many attributed Tarrasch's loss to being past his prime, he himself felt that the match's score gave a faulty impression of the his level of inferiority in skill to Lasker. He wrote in his book about the match:

If one does not just look at the result but plays through the games one will have to admit that on many occasions I have played much better, that my strength in the second half of the match was much greater than in the beginning, and that it was not the greater strength of the opponent which defeated me, but that I, particularly in the beginning, much too often missed the win and practically threw the games to my opponent. I am the first to wholeheartedly acknowledge the superior strength of an opponent. But this has to be strength which overcomes the opponent! But I noticed such a strength in only very few games, namely in the fifth and the eleventh game. In fact, in a lot of the other games a second-rate player could have led the game to a successful end in my stead after I had managed to create a winning position.

— Siegbert Tarrasch, Der Schachwettkampf Lasker - Tarrasch um die Weltmeisterschaft im August - September 1908

At the time, he also based his play on lack of practice" and the "maritime climate" in Düsseldorf. Lasker would go on to win the world championship two more times, while Tarrasch was apparently past his peak.

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