Just as one’s imagination is stirred by a girl’s smile, so is one’s imagination stirred by the possibilities of chess.
The cherished dream of every chessplayer is to play a match with the World Champion. But here is the paradox: the closer you come to the realization of this goal, the less you think about it.
If you wait for luck to turn up, life becomes very boring.
Later, I began to succeed in decisive games. Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my opponent.
Quiet moves often make a stronger impression than a wild combination with heavy sacrifices.
Of course, errors are not good for a chess game, but errors are unavoidable and in any case, a game without any errors, or as they say ‘flawless game’, is colorless.
Many Chess players were surprised when after the game, Fischer quietly explained: ‘I had already analyzed this possibility’ in a position which I thought was not possible to foresee from the opening.
Fischer is Fischer, but a knight is a knight!
Without technique it is impossible to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to borrow from Capablanca his wonderful, subtle technique.
Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine.
It is difficult to play against Einstein’s theory.′ – On his first loss to Fischer.
I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn. I don’t think that there is anything bad in such a feeling; no artist or musician is indifferent to the reactions of the public.
I go over many games collections and pick up something from the style of each player.
For pleasure you can read the games collections of Andersson and Chigorin, but for benefit you should study Tarrasch, Keres and Bronstein.
When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied: ‘Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!’
First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop, then knight, then pawns.
I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind.
I believe most definitely that one must not only grapple with the problems on the board, one must also make every effort to combat the thoughts and will of the opponent.
As long as my opponent has not yet castled, on each move I seek a pretext for an offensive. Even when I realize that the king is not in danger.
Naturally, the psychological susceptibility of a match participant is significantly higher than a participant in a tournament, since each game substantially changes the over-all position.
I have always thought it a matter of honour for every chess player to deserve the smile of fortune.