Xavier Tartakower (1887-1956), born in Rostov-on-Don, chess player.

He began his chess career in Vienna, where he studied law and received his doctorate. There he came into contact with the best chess players of the era and achieved his first tournament successes. After the First World War, during which he served in the Austro-Hungarian army, he settled in Paris but took Polish citizenship. Representing Poland, he appeared six times at the Chess Olympiads, winning five team medals and three individual medals. He was twice Polish champion (1935, 1937).

At the outbreak of World War II, he was at the Buenos Aires Olympics. On his return to Europe, he served as an officer in General Charles de Gaulle's army. After the war, he took French citizenship, won the French championship (1953) and represented the country at the Chess Olympiad. In 1950, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) awarded him the title of grandmaster.

He was the co-founder of the hypermodern school in chess and the author of numerous publications. His book Die hypermoderne Schachpartie is still popular today. He was also famous for his chess aphorisms, known as 'lumbering aphorisms'. According to the Chessmetrics retrospective ranking, he was ranked third in the world in March 1921.