I still remember Botvinnik’s reaction to each of my games, right from the opening moves. At first he would express amazement, then annoyance, and, finally irritation.
If the opponent offers keen play I don’t object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic.
The truth is that my chess development was nothing out of the ordinary, and it proceeded probably at a pace no faster than others.
I like to do projects in which you can see statistical results. I am very happy for all these small children, who have been the biggest group of victims of iodine deficiency.
We need strong personalities and only one world champion to attract sponsors.
I am thinking about chess in schools in particular. In the USA more than 3200 children competed in an event.
In Kansas I have a chess school.
First of all, we have to go back to the classical time control.
After that, Kasparov stepped back from chess which is, and I want this to be clear, not good for chess in general at all. As a whole, the current situation in the chess world leaves a lot to be desired.
The days when it was possible to win a serious game only by merit of sporting character or depth of chess understanding have vanished forever. Chess knowledge has become dominant, bypassing all the other factors that contribute to success.
You can’t play chess if you’re groggy from pills.
No, no, it is obvious that the ECU should act as a close alliance for the benefit of chess.
An amusing fact: as far as I can recall, when playing the Ruy Lopez I have not yet once in my life had to face the Marshall Attack!
I lost the match. I blame only myself for this. There were many opportunities to win. But I missed them, no one else.
The fact that a knight is temporarily on the edge of the board is of no great significance.
Combinations with a queen sacrifice are among the most striking and memorable.
My studies with Botvinnik brought me immense benefit, particularly the homework assignments which forced me to refer to chess books and to work independently.
Blunders rarely travel alone.
The priority must be the unification of the world titles to straighten things out. But we should not wait that long anymore to change the situation, because we are running out of time.
Furman astounded me with his chess depth, a depth which he revealed easily and naturally, as if all he were doing was establishing well-known truths.
But how difficult it can be to gain the desired full point against an opponent of inferior strength, when this is demanded by the tournament position!