"You cannot play at chess if you are kind-hearted." ― French Proverb
"The first principle of attack–Don't let the opponent develop!" ― Reuben Fine
"You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove you the better player." ― English Proverb
"For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion."
― Bobby Fischer
"I believe that true beauty of chess is more than enough to satisfy all possible demands." ― Alexander Alekhine
"We cannot resist the fascination of sacrifice, since a passion for sacrifices is part of a chessplayer's nature." ― Rudolf Spielmann
"To play for a draw, at any rate with white, is to some degree a crime against chess." ― Mikhail Tal
"Boring? Who's boring? I am Fredthebear. My mind is always active, busy."
"When you see a good move – WAIT! – look for a better one." ― Emanual Lasker
"There are two kinds of idiots - those who don't take action because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking action because they have issued a threat." ― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
"It is impossible to keep one's excellence in a glass case, like a jewel, and take it out whenever it is required." ― Adolf Anderssen, 1858
"It's a short trip from the penthouse to the outhouse." ― Paul Dietzel
* Capablanca's Double Attack — having the initiative is important: https://lichess.org/study/tzrisL1R
* Robert Fischer's Best Games by KingG (127 games, a ton of quotes):
Game Collection: Robert Fischer's Best Games
* Bobby Fischer Rediscovered/Andrew Soltis (97 games):
Game Collection: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered (Andy Soltis)
* 1992: Game Collection: Spassky-Fischer Match 1992
* Black Defends: Game Collection: Opening repertoire black
* Aggressive Gambits: https://thechessworld.com/articles/...
* 10 Crazy Gambits: https://www.chess.com/blog/yola6655...
* Lekhika Dhariyal Chess Ops: https://www.zupee.com/blog/category...
* Masterful: Game Collection: FRENCH DEFENSE MASTERPIECES
* Nakhmanson Gambit: https://chesstier.com/nakhmanson-ga...
* C53s: Game Collection: rajat21's italian game
* RL Minis: Game Collection: Ruy Lopez Miniatures
* Del's: Game Collection: Del's hidden gems
* 21st Century: Game Collection: 21st Century Masterpieces - First decade (2000)
* B20s: Game Collection: Grand Prix (Ginger's Models)
* GPA: https://chesstier.com/grand-prix-at...
* GK: Game Collection: Kasparov - The Sicilian Sheveningen
* Can you whip Taimanov's Sicilian? http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
* Glossary: Wikipedia article: Glossary of chess
* CFN: https://www.youtube.com/@CFNChannel
* Mr. Harvey's Puzzle Challenge: https://wtharvey.com/
"Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands." ― Renaud & Kahn
"Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem."
― Saudin Robovic
"Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory." ― Max Euwe
"Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game."
― Being Caballero
"If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure." — Garry Kasparov
"You win some, you lose some, you wreck some." — Dale Earnhardt
"In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate." ― Isaac Asimov
I have a fear of speed bumps. But I am slowly getting over it.
* Riddle-e-dee: https://chessimprover.com/chess-rid...
I was wondering why the frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me.
Кто не рискует, тот не пьет шампанского
Pronunciation: KTOH ni risKUyet, tot ni pyot shamPANSkava)
Translation: He who doesn't take risks doesn't drink champagne
Meaning: Fortune favours the brave
"Tal has a terrifying style. Soon even grandmasters will know of this."
- Vladimir Saigin (after losing to 17-year-old Tal in a qualifying match for the master title)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5S...
"I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind."
— Mikhail Tal
"Ponder and deliberate before you make a move." – Sun Tzu
"Concentration is the secret of strengths in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To avoid mistakes is the beginning, as it is the end, of mastery in chess." – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky
"Chess is the finest mental exercise. It develops concentration and logical reasoning; and it is one of the few games in which you cannot rectify a mistake. If you make a mistake, you lose, unless your opponent makes a worse mistake." – José Raúl Capablanca
"Few things are as psychologically brutal as chess." – Garry Kasparov
"Inclined to simplicity, I always play carefully and try to avoid unnecessary risks. I consider my method to be right as any superfluous "daring" runs counter to the essential character of chess, which is not a gamble but a purely intellectual combat conducted in accordance with the exact rules of logic." – Capablanca
"Oh! this opponent, this collaborator against his will, whose notion of Beauty always differs from yours and whose means (strength, imagination, technique) are often too limited to help you effectively! What torment, to have your thinking and your fantasy tied down by another person!" – Alexander Alekhine
"Independence of thought is a (most) valuable quality in a chess-player, both at the board and when preparing for a game." – David Bronstein
"I claim that nothing else is so effective in encouraging the growth of chess strength as such independent analysis, both of the games of the great players and your own." – Mikhail Botvinnik
"Analysis is a glittering opportunity for training: it is just here that capacity for work, perseverance and stamina are cultivated, and these qualities are, in truth, as necessary to a chess player as a marathon runner." – Lev Polugaevsky
"Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind." – Bobby Fischer
"I spend around one hour per day on physical exercise. Exercise is a must for every chess player. As the proverb says, 'A sound mind in a sound body.' " – Humpy Koneru
"Your practical results will improve when you play what you know, like and have confidence in." – Edmar Mednis
"Pawns: they are the soul of this game, they alone form the attack and defense." – François-André Danican Philidor
"The most important feature of the chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame and especially Endgame. The primary constraint on a piece's activity is the Pawn structure." – Michael Stean
"The first principle of attack - Don't let the enemy develop!" – Rueben Fine
"...only the player with the initiative has the right to attack." – William Steinitz
"Weak points or holes in the opponent's position must be occupied by pieces not pawns." – Siegbert Tarrasch
"Do you realize Fischer almost never has any bad pieces? He exchanges them, and the bad pieces remain with his opponents." – Yuri Balashov
"Any material change in a position must come about by mate, a capture, or a Pawn promotion." – C.J.S. Purdy (Thus, search for a mate-in-two, a beneficial capture, or the creation of a passed pawn that can be protected, pushed.)
"A Threat is more powerful than its execution." – Savielly Tartakower or Aron Nimzowitsch?
"A chess game is a dialogue, a conversation between a player and his opponent. Each move by the opponent may contain threats or be a blunder, but a player cannot defend against threats or take advantage of blunders if he does not first ask himself: What is my opponent planning after each move?" – Bruce A. Moon
"Examine moves that smite! A good eye for smites is far more important than a knowledge of strategical principles." – C.J.S. Purdy
"Concentrate on material gains. Whatever your opponent gives you take, unless you see a good reason not to." – Bobby Fischer
"The combination player thinks forward; he starts from the given position, and tries the forceful moves in his mind." – Emanuel Lasker
"Combinations have always been the most intriguing aspect of chess. The masters look for them, the public applauds them, the critics praise them. It is because combinations are possible that chess is more than a lifeless mathematical exercise. They are the poetry of the game; they are to chess what melody is to music. They represent the triumph of mind over matter." – Rueben Fine
"It has been stated that a characteristic mark of a combination is surprise; surprise for the defender, not for the assailant, since otherwise the combination will probably be unsound." – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky
"The pleasure to be derived from a chess combination lie in the feeling that a human mind is behind the game, dominating the inanimate pieces ... and giving them breath of life." – Richard Reti
"According to such great attacking players as Bronstein and Tal, most combinations are inspired by the player's memories of earlier games." – Pal Benko
"… in chess – as in any conflict – success lies in the attack." – Max Euwe
"A player surprised is half beaten." – Chess Proverb
"What would chess be without silly mistakes?" – Kurt Richter
"You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly." – Genrikh Chepukaitis
"The task of the positional player is systematically to accumulate slight advantages and try to convert temporary advantages into permanent ones, otherwise the player with the better position runs the risk of losing it." – Wilhelm Steinitz
"It is not a move, even the best move that you must seek, but a realizable plan." – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky
"A bad plan is better than none at all." – Frank J. Marshall
"It is better to follow out a plan consistently even if it isn't the best one than to play without a plan at all. The worst thing is to wander about aimlessly." – Alexander Kotov
"In almost any position the boundless possibilities of chess enable a new or at least a little-studied continuation to be found." – Tigran Petrosian
"Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan." – Alexander Alekhine
"No matter how much theory progresses, how radically styles change, chess play is inconceivable without tactics." – Samuel Reshevsky
"Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation." – Max Euwe
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." – Sun Tzu
"Strategically important points should be overprotected. If the pieces are so engaged, they get their regard in the fact that they will then find themselves well posted in every respect." – Aaron Nimzowitsch
"The best form of defense is attack." – Karl von Clausewitz
"It is dangerous to maintain equality at the cost of placing the pieces passively." – Anatoly Karpov
"Nothing so easily ruins a position as pawn moves." – Siegbert Tarrasch
"To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game." – Savielly Tartakover
"Once we have chosen the right formation in the centre we have created opportunities for our pieces and laid the foundation of subsequent victory." – Alexander Kotov
"Chess is a terrible game. If you have no center, your opponent has a freer position. If you do have a center, then you really have something to worry about!" – Siegbert Tarrasch
"He who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively and more boldly than his antagonist who either takes it easy or aspires after too much. Thus a slight disadvantage is very frequently seen to convert into a good, solid advantage." – Emanuel Lasker
"You have to have the fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances." – Bobby Fischer
"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." – Mikhail Tal
"In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent." – Vasily Smyslov
"The older I grow, the more I value pawns." – Paul Keres
"One charming characteristic of many flank attacks I could mention is that they do not very often lead to simplification: if the attack is parried, there usually are still opportunities left for initiating action in another sector." – Bent Larsen
"… the old aphorism holds good, that after the attack has been repulsed, the counterattack is generally decisive." – Richard Reti
"Though most people love to look at the games of the great attacking masters, some of the most successful players in history have been the quiet positional players. They slowly grind you down by taking away your space, tying up your pieces, and leaving you with virtually nothing to do!" – Yasser Seirawan
" … a 'quiet' move is the epitome of finesse. A soft answer turns away wrath, but its subdued quality makes it no less efficient." – Hans Kmoch
"If your opponent cannot do anything active, then don't rush the position; instead you should let him sit there, suffer, and beg you for a draw." – Jeremy Silman
"A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes." – José Raúl Capablanca
"In the endgame, the most common errors, besides those resulting from ignorance of theory, are caused by either impatience, complacency, exhaustion, or all of the above." – Pal Benko
"The technical phase can be boring because there is little opportunity for creativity, for art. Boredom leads to complacency and mistakes." – Garry Kasparov
"I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style." – Magnus Carlsen
"Chess is infinite, and one has to make only one ill-considered move, and one`s opponent`s wildest dreams will become reality." – David Bronstein
"People who want to improve should take their defeats as lessons, and endeavor to learn what to avoid in the future. You must also have the courage of your convictions. If you think your move is good, make it." – Jose Capablanca
"Winning is not a secret that belongs to a very few, winning is something that we can learn by studying ourselves, studying the environment and making ourselves ready for any challenge that is in front of us." – Garry Kasparov
"No one ever won a game by resigning." – Savielly Tartakower
"Winning isn't everything... but losing is nothing." – Edmar Mednis, on the importance of fighting for a draw
"All obvious moves look dubious in analysis after the game." – Viktor Korchnoi
"It is hardly useful if you trustingly play through variation after variation from a book. It is a great deal more useful and more interesting if you take part actively in the analysis, find something yourself, and try to refute some of the author's conclusions." – Mark Dvoretsky
"The key to ultimate success is the determination to progress day by day." – Edmar Mednis
Oscar Chajes (pronounced "HA-yes") (December 14, 1873 – February 28, 1928) was an American chess player. Chajes was Jewish and was born in Brody, Galicia, Austria-Hungary, in what is now Ukraine. Chajes was the last person to defeat José Raúl Capablanca, at New York 1916, prior to Capablanca's eight-year undefeated stretch from 1916 to 1924.
Sp-30-22 ZoboBear 000000001: Who deleted my previous post about mating patterns, and why? That post had good content - and a very measured tone. And yes, it was totally factual - I did invent the "Railroad Mate", as well as the "Balestra", "Escalator" and others. I would like an explanation please.
Sock puppet got caught lying again is the correct explanation.
* * *
Nv-12-22 stone free or die: Normally a <Railroad Mate> involves driving the king along either a file or a rank.
Over at <ChessTrax>, or even <chessfox>, they would call this a <Killbox Mate>
https://old.chessman.com/tactical...
Everything I know about <Railroad Mates> I learned from <ZLegend of CG> - including his (slight) regret over the <Killbox Mate> naming.
* * *
Nv-13-22 stone free or die: .
<"Beware misinformation, and keep on the right track"
* * * * *
So, let's ignore the diversionary fireworks and again reiterate that this game does NOT end in a railroad mate (RRM).
The railroad mate involves trapping the enemy king between the "rails". The queen travels on one rail, the rook on the other, chug-chug-chugging the king straight along either a file or rank.
It ends up as an edge mate position, or with a stop (the original nomenclature for the final position was either RRM-diag or RRM-ortho, now more commonly called a Kill Box or Triangle Mate I forget which is which).
The mate was "invented" by <ZLegend> (in one or another of his many guises!), along with Balestra and Escalator Mates, over on Chess Tempo. Here's a good RRM description (one that can be trusted for accuracy):
* * *
Missy get on it!
* Common Sense book: Game Collection: Common Sense in Chess (Lasker)
* Capa's Fundamentals: Game Collection: Chess Fundamentals (Capablanca)
* Golombek's book: Game Collection: Game of Chess (Golombek)
* Encyclopedia: https://thechesspedia.net
* For Italian Newbiez: https://chessquestions.com/the-ital...
* Chess Praxis: Game Collection: Chess Praxis (Nimzowitsch)
* Chernev's Golden Dozen: Game Collection: Golden Dozen (Chernev)
* Tartakover's 500 MGOC: Game Collection: Master Games - Chess (Tartakower/du Mont)
* Match Botvinnik: Game Collection: Match Botvinnik!
* Tiny French Def: Game Collection: French Defence repertoire
* French, Tarrasch: Game Collection: French Defense: Tarrasch Variation
* Development of Style: Game Collection: Development of Chess Style (Euwe)
* Fischer World Champion: Game Collection: Fischer World Champion (Timman/Euwe)
* How to Beat BF: Game Collection: How to Beat Bobby Fischer (Mednis)
* Seirawan's Duels: Game Collection: Chess Duels (Seirawan)
* Nunn's Chess Course: Game Collection: Lasker JNCC
* Secret Weapon: Game Collection: Lasker's Secret Weapon
* Edward's Secrets: Game Collection: Chess Secrets (Ed.Lasker)
"In war, truth is the first casualty." – Aeschylus
"I start out by believing the worst." – Napoleon
"Fortune, which has a great deal of power in other matters but especially in war, can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces." – Julius Caesar
"Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon." – Horatio Nelson
"Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination." – Clausewitz
"The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points." – Sun Tzu
"The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy's." – Napoleon Bonaparte
"Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things." – Musashi
Rule #29: "Always make your opponent think you know more than you really know." ― General Phil Sheridan
"Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive." – Sun Tzu
"In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack — the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers." – Sun Tzu
"When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise." – Sun Tzu
"One must indeed be ignorant of the methods of genius to suppose that it allows itself to be cramped by forms. Forms are for mediocrity, and it is fortunate that mediocrity can act only according to routine. Ability takes its flight unhindered." – Napoleon
"To ensure attaining an objective, one should have alternate objectives. An attack that converges on one point should threaten and be able to diverge against another. Only by this flexibility of aim can strategy be attuned to the uncertainty of war." – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954)
"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak." – Sun Tzu
"Select the tactic of seeming to come from the East and attacking from the West; avoid the solid, attack the hollow; attack; withdraw; deliver a lightning blow, seek a lightning decision. When guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances; harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws." – Mao Tse-Tung (On Guerrilla Warfare, 1937)
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized." – Sun Tzu
"Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way."
― General George S. Patton Jr., Patton
"You're never beaten until you admit it." ― General George S. Patton, Jr.
"It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory." – Napoleon
"If you want to know how the Battle of the Bulge was won, ask my G4 (Logistics) Officer..." – Patton (A successful army needs leadership, training, timing scouting, weather, terrain, deception, etc., transportation, all kinds of equipment and re-supplies, and perhaps reinforcements.)
* Beauty Prizes: Game Collection: Les Prix de Beauté aux Echecs (I)
* 1908 WC Match: Game Collection: Lasker vs Tarrasch WCM 1908
* Link to Frank Marshall - Edward Lasker 1923 Match:
Game Collection: Marshall -- Ed. Lasker 1923 match
* Fred's Fame: Fred Slingerland
* Here's a link to Center Game miniatures: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...
* Old Gambits: Game Collection: Gambit Lines (Old)
* 1892 WCC: Game Collection: 1892 World Chess Championship
* Fried Liver for Black: Game Collection: Two Knights' Defense Fried Liver for Black
* Traxler Counterattack: Game Collection: takchess italian's Traxler Counter Attack after
* Ataman's Miniatures: Game Collection: Instructive Chess Miniatures (Ataman)
* Sicily Starters: https://chessklub.com/the-sicilian-...
* Variety Pack: Game Collection: Sicilian
* By the Numbers: Game Collection: tpstar 4N
* 40 games of the Sicilian Four Knights: Game Collection: 0
* Moderns: Game Collection: Modern Defenses
* MG Magic: Game Collection: middle game magic
* Crush 'em: Game Collection: How to Crush Your Chess Opponents (Williams)
* Taking En Passant: Game Collection: Two or More En-Passant Captures
The new pawn move, advancing the pawn two squares on its first move instead of one, was first introduced in Spain in 1280.
* Chinese School: Game Collection: Chinese School of Chess (Liu Wenzhe)
* Linares 1997: Game Collection: Linares 1997
* Mammoth Book: Game Collection: Mammoth Book-Greatest Games (Nunn/Burgess/Emms)
* Great Endgames: Game Collection: Greatest Endgames (Giddins)
Thank you Qindarka!!
A is the Gambit, by Allgaier found out,
B is the Bishop, so warlike and stout;
C is our Chess – the glorious game,
D is Defeat, with its sorrow and shame;
E is the Evans, a famous attack,
F is the False-move we wish to take back;
G is a Gambit, full of startling delight,
H is the Houses of black and of white,
I is to Interpose in the midst of the fight;
J is J'adoube, which the careless must say,
K is the King, the soul of the play;
L is the López, the Gambit so old,
M is the Muzio, adventurous and bold;
N is the Notes, explaining our play,
O is the Opening, at the first of the fray;
P is a Pawn, marching boldly ahead,
Q is the Queen, mighty and dread;
R is the Rook, a warrior of weight,
S is a Stale, an unfortunate Mate;
T is a Tournay, where the weakest must yield,
U is to Unite our pawns in the field;
V is Variation, which black overlooks,
W is White, who moves first in the books;
X is Xantippe, the meanest of mates,
Y is to Yield, resigned to our fates;
Z is Zatrikiology, a game,
& an art of endurable fame.
Source: Chess Monthly, November 1860, page 348.
The Members and the Belly
Perhaps, had I but shown due loyalty,
This book would have begun with royalty,
Of which, in certain points of view,
Boss
Belly is the image true,
In whose bereavements all the members share:
Of whom the latter once so weary were,
As all due service to forbear,
On what they called his idle plan,
Resolved to play the gentleman,
And let his lordship live on air.
"Like burden-beasts," said they,
"We sweat from day to day;
And all for whom, and what?
Ourselves we profit not.
Our labour has no object but one,
That is, to feed this lazy glutton.
We'll learn the resting trade
By his example's aid."
So said, so done; all labour ceased;
The hands refused to grasp, the arms to strike;
All other members did the like.
Their boss might labour if he pleased!
It was an error which they soon repented,
With pain of languid poverty acquainted.
The heart no more the blood renewed,
And hence repair no more accrued
To ever-wasting strength;
Whereby the mutineers, at length,
Saw that the idle belly, in its way,
Did more for common benefit than they.
For royalty our fable makes,
A thing that gives as well as takes
Its power all labour to sustain,
Nor for themselves turns out their labour vain.
It gives the artist bread, the merchant riches;
Maintains the diggers in their ditches;
Pays man of war and magistrate;
Supports the swarms in place,
That live on sovereign grace;
In short, is caterer for the state.
Menenius told the story well:
When Rome, of old, in pieces fell,
The commons parting from the senate.
"The ills," said they, "that we complain at
Are, that the honours, treasures, power, and dignity,
Belong to them alone; while we
Get nothing our labour for
But tributes, taxes, and fatigues of war."
Without the walls the people had their stand
Prepared to march in search of other land,
When by this noted fable
Menenius was able
To draw them, hungry, home
To duty and to Rome.
"Pawns are such fascinating pieces, too...So small, almost insignificant, and yet--they can depose kings." ― Lavie Tidhar, The Bookman
One mind, any weapon. – Hunter B. Armstrong
32.
The pupil wants not so much to learn, as to learn how to learn. – Samuel Boden
33.
34.
I'm not a materialistic person, in that, I don't suffer the lack or loss of money. The absence of worldly goods I don't look back on. For chess is a way I can be as materialistic as I want without having to sell my soul. – Jamie Walter Adams
35.
Great results can be achieved with small forces. – Sun Tzu
36.
Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. – Musashi
37.
7
Grandmasters
No chess grandmaster is normal; they only differ in the extent of their madness. – Viktor Korchnoi
38.
Just as the pianist practices the most complicated pieces to improve the technique of his fingers, so too a grandmaster must keep his vision in trim by daily analysis of positions with sharp possibilities, and this applies whether he prefers such positions in his play or not. – Alexander Kotov
39.
Play the move that forces the win in the simplest way. Leave the brilliancies to Alekhine, Keres and Tal. – Irving Chernev
40.
Alekhine is a poet who creates a work of art out of something that would hardly inspire another man to send home a picture post card. – Max Euwe
41.
It would be idle, and presumptuous, to wish to imitate the achievements of a Morphy or an Alekhine; but their methods and their manner of expressing themselves are within the reach of all. – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovski
42.
Truth
Chess problems demand from the composer the same virtues that characterize all worthwhile art: originality, invention, conciseness, harmony, complexity, and splendid insincerity. – Vladimir Nabokov, Poems and Problems, 1969
43.
Chess, like any creative activity, can exist only through the combined efforts of those who have creative talent, and those who have the ability to organize their creative work. – Mikhail Botvinnik
44.
I have always had a very vivid imagination, which I have, after a long struggle, partly succeeded in controlling in order to use it to better purpose, according to the requirements of the occasion. – Capablanca
45.
No fantasy, however rich, no technique, however masterly, no penetration into the psychology of the opponent, however deep, can make a chess game a work of art, if these qualities do not lead to the main goal - the search for truth. – Vasily Smyslov
46.
The process of making pieces in chess do something useful (whatever it may be) has received a special name: it is called the attack. The attack is that process by means of which you remove obstructions. – Emanuel Lasker
47.
On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. The creative combination lays bare the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culminating in a checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite. – Emanuel Lasker
48.
Truth derives its strength not so much from itself as from the brilliant contrast it makes with what is only apparently true. This applies especially to chess, where it is often found that the profoundest moves do not much startle the imagination. – Emanuel Lasker
49.
Study
The concept of 'talent' is formed under completely abstract criteria, having nothing in common with reality. But the reality is such that I don't understand chess as a whole. But then again no one understands chess in its entirety. Perhaps talent is something else, in chess it is conditionality. – Alexander Morozevich
65.
Our knowledge of circumstances has increased, but our uncertainty, instead of having diminished, has only increased. The reason of this is, that we do not gain all our experience at once, but by degrees; so our determinations continue to be assailed incessantly by fresh experience; and the mind, if we may use the expression, must always be under arms. – Clausewitz
66.
The laws of circumstance are abolished by new circumstances. – Napoleon
67.
Nothing is so healthy as a trashing at the proper time, and from few won games have I learned as muchas I have from most of my defeats. – Capablanca
68.
Do not mind losing, for it is only by learning that you will improve, and by losing, if you use theknowledge you gained, you will improve rapidly. If you play with a much better player, so much morelikely that you will learn. Any ordinary man can learn a great deal of chess just as of music, art orscience, if he cares to devote his time and attention to study of the game. – Capablanca
69.
In order to make progress in chess, it is necessary to pay special attention to all the general principles, spending a little less time on the openings. Play the openings on the basis of your general knowledge of how to mobilize pieces and do not become involved in technicalities about whether the books recommend this or that move; to learn the openings by heart it is necessary to study a great number of books which, moreover, are sometimes wrong. However, if you study from the point of view of the general principles you are taking a more certain path for although a player's intellect can fail at a given moment, principles well used never fail. – Capablanca
70.
If the point of playing chess is as a battle of the intellect then most people would say that the memorization of other peoples ideas is something that is anathema to the spirit of chess. – Nigel Davies
71.
Lead the ideas of your time and they will accompany and support you; fall behind them and they drag you along with them; oppose them and they will overwhelm you. – Napoleon
72.
The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. – Thucydides
73.
It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability, he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way. – Miyamoto Musashi
74.
You work for a long period of time and the results don't really show, but at some point everything just comes together and you start to play better, or get more confidence. – Fabiano Caruana
75.
10
In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make youreveryday stance your combat stance. You must research this well. – Miyamoto Musashi
76.
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. – George Hyman Rickover
77.
Books
It has been said that man is distinguished from animal in that he buys more books than he can read. Ishould like to suggest that the inclusion of a few chess books would help to make the distinctionunmistakable. – Edward Lasker
78.
Chess books should be used as we use glasses: to assist the sight, although some players make use ofthem as if they conferred sight. – Jose Capablanca
79.
Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others' experience. – Otto von Bismark
80.
…It is hardly useful if you trustingly play through variation after variation from a book. It is a great dealmore useful and more interesting if you take part actively in the analysis, find something yourself, andtry to refute some of the author's conclusions. – Mark Dvoretsky
81.
Ninety percent of the book variations have no great value, because either they contain mistakes or they are based on fallacious assumptions; just forget about the openings and spend all that time on the endings. – Jose Capablanca
82.
…The most intelligent inspection of any number of fine paintings will not make the observer a painter, nor will listening to a number of operas make the hearer a musician, but good judges of music and painting may so be formed. Chess differs from these. The intelligent perusal of fine games cannot fail to make the reader a better player and a better judge of the play of others. – Emanuel Lasker
83.
The young people have read my book. Now I have no chance. – Efim Bogolubow
84.
Part Two: Playing
11
On Play
Act like a man of thought. Think like a man of action. – Thomas Mann
85.
Just as one man can beat ten, so a hundred men can beat a thousand, and a thousand men can beat ten thousand. In my strategy, one man is the same as ten thousand, so this strategy is the complete warrior's craft. – Miyamoto Musashi
86.
There are two classes of men; those who are content to yield to circumstances and who play whist; those who aim to control circumstances, and who play chess. – Mortimer Collins
87.
Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind. – Ts'ao Kung
88.
Question to Rubinstein: "Who is your opponent tonight?" Answer: "Tonight I am playing against the black pieces." – Akiba Rubinstein
89.
Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive. – Sun Tzu
90.
Every move creates a weakness. – Siegbert Tarrasch
91.
Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack. – Sun Tzu
92.
Chess is eminently and emphatically the philosopher's game. – Paul Morphy
93.
During a chess tournament a master must envisage himself as a cross between an ascetic monk and a beast of prey. – Alexander Alekhine
94.
Chess is a miniature version of life. To be successful, you need to be disciplined, assess resources, consider responsible choices and adjust when circumstances change. – Susan Polgar
95.
For success I consider three factors are necessary: firstly, an awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses; secondly, an accurate understanding of my opponent's strengths and weaknesses; thirdly, a higher aim than momentary satisfaction. I see this aim as being scientific and artistic achievements, which place the game of chess on a par with other arts. – Alexander Alekhine
96.
Whoever sees no other aim in the game than that of giving checkmate to one's opponent will never become a good chess player. – Max Euwe
97.
... The main thing that develops positional judgment, that perfects it and makes it many-sided, is detailed analytical work, sensible tournament practice, a self-critical attitude to your games and rooting out of all the defects in your play. – Alexander Kotov
98.
From triumph to downfall there is but one step. I have noted that, in the most momentous occasions, mere nothings have always decided the outcome of the greatest events. – Napoleon
99.
12
To lose one's objective attitude to a position, nearly always means ruining your game. – DavidBronstein
100.
Chess teaches you to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks goodand it trains you to think objectively when in you're trouble. – Stanley Kubrick
101.
When you see a good move, look for a better one. – Emanuel Lasker
102.
I often play a move I know how to refute. – Bent Larsen
103.
You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly. – Genrikh Chepukaitis
104.
When you have finished analyzing all the variations and gone along all the branches of the tree of analysis you must first of all write the move down on your score sheet, before you play it. – Alexander Kotov
105.
Winning
You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what Chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it's really a good idea and whether there are other better ideas. – Stanley Kubrick
106.
107.
The sign of a great master is his ability to win a won game quickly and painlessly. – Irving Chernev
108.
Under no circumstances should you play fast if you have a winning position. Forget the clock, use all your time and make good moves. – Pal Benko
109.
Losing
110.
However hopeless the situation appears to be there yet always exists the possibility of putting up a stubborn resistance. – Paul Keres
111.
Don't be afraid of losing, be afraid of playing a game and not learning something. – Dan Heisman
112.
Nothing is so healthy as a trashing at the proper time, and from few won games have I learned as much as I have from most of my defeats. – Capablanca
113.
I prefer to lose a really good game than to win a bad one. – David Levy
114.
13
You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player. – Jose Capablanca
115.
Most players ... do not like losing and consider defeat as something shameful. This is a wrong attitude. Those who wish to perfect themselves must regard their losses as lessons and learn from them what sorts of things to avoid in the future. – Jose Capablanca
116.
Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in the key battles. – Garry Kasparov
117.
Losing can persuade you to change what doesn't need to be changed, and winning can convince you everything is fine even if you are on the brink of disaster. – Garry Kasparov
118.
Loss generally occurs when a player overrates his advantage or for other reasons seeks to derive from a minute advantage a great return such as a forced win. – Emanuel Lasker
119.
Part Three: The Mental Game
Psychology
All action takes place, so to speak, in a kind of twilight, which like a fog or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are. – Clausewitz
120.
121.
You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one. – Mikhail Tal
122.
123.
You must not let your opponent know how you feel. – Alexander Kotov
124.
When your opponent can easily anticipate every move you make, your strategy deteriorates and becomes commoditized. – Garry Kasparov
125.
You can't overestimate the importance of psychology in chess, and as much as some players try to downplay it, I believe that winning requires a constant and strong psychology not just at the board but in every aspect of your life. – Garry Kasparov
126.
128.
Psychology is the most important factor in chess. – Alexander Alekhine
129.
Emotional instability can be one of the factors giving rise to a failure by chess players in important duels. Under the influence of surging emotions (and not necessarily negative ones) we sometimes lose concentration and stop objectively evaluating the events that are taking place on the board. – Mark Dvoretsky
130.
...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective. – Clausewitz
131.
My most difficult opponent is myself. When I am playing I often involuntarily make a world champion out of a candidate master. – Lev Polugaevsky
135.
Mistrust is the most necessary characteristic of the chess player. – Siegbert Tarrasch
136.Drawing general conclusions about your main weaknesses can provide a great stimulus to further growth. – Alexander Kotov
139.
The fear of war is worse than war itself. – Seneca
140.
There are two classes of men; those who are content to yield to circumstances and who play whist; those who aim to control circumstances, and who play chess. – Mortimer Collins
141.
15
...man is a frivolous, a specious creature, and like a chess-player cares more for the process of attaining his goal than for the goal itself. – Dostoyevsky
142.
In life, as in chess, one's own Pawns block one's way. A man's very wealth, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him to win, more often checkmate him. – Charles Buxton
143.
144.
Botvinnik tried to take the mystery out of chess, always relating it to situations in ordinary life. He used to call chess a typical inexact problem similar to those which people are always having to solve in everyday life. – Garry Kasparov
145.
Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things. – Musashi
146.
All great events hang by a single thread. The clever man takes advantage of everything, neglects nothing that may give him some added opportunity; the less clever man, by neglecting one thing, sometimes misses everything. – Napoleon
147.
To know ten thousand things, know one well. – Miyamoto Musashi
148.
Optimism
As has happened so often in history, victory had bred a complacency and fostered an orthodoxy which led to defeat in the next war. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954; on the French military development between the World Wars)
149.
I've seen - both in myself and my competitors - how satisfaction can lead to a lack of vigilance, then to mistakes and missed opportunities. – Garry Kasparov
150.
151.
Pessimism
All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time. – Lt Gen Lewis B. Puller, USMC
152.
A defeatist spirit must inevitably lead to disaster. – Eugene A. Znosko-Borovski
153.
154.
16
If a mistake or an inaccuracy occurs, there is no need to assume 'all is lost' and mope - one must reorient oneself quickly and find a new plan to fit the new situation. – David Bronstein
155.
How come the little things bother you when you are in a bad position? They don't bother you in good positions. – Yasser Seirawan
156.
158.
Opponents
159.
Nowadays grandmasters no longer study their opponent's games so much, but they study his character, his behavior and his temperament in the most thorough fashion. – David Bronstein
161.
The effect to be sought is the dislocation of the opponent's mind and dispositions -- such an effect is the true gauge of an indirect approach. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954)
162.
When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise. – Sun Tzu
163.
164.
Ultimately, what separates a winner from a loser at the grandmaster level is the willingness to do the unthinkable. A brilliant strategy is, certainly, a matter of intelligence, but intelligence without audaciousness is not enough. Given the opportunity, I must have the guts to explode the game, to upend my opponent's thinking and, in so doing, unnerve him. So it is in business: One does not succeed by sticking to convention. – Garry Kasparov
165.
Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. – Sun Tzu
166.
167.
It is a mistake, too, to say that the face is the mirror of the soul. The truth is, men are very hard to know, and yet, not to be deceived, we must judge them by their present actions, but for the present only. – Napoleon
168.
Some Warriors look fierce, but are mild. Some seem timid, but are vicious. Look beyond appearances; position yourself for the advantage. – Deng Ming-Dao
169.
You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. – an anonymous politician
170.
Physical Health
171.
Above all else, before playing in competitions a player must have regard to his health, for if he is suffering from ill-health he cannot hope for success. In this connection the best of all tonics is 15 to 20 days in the fresh air, in the country. – Mikhail Botvinnik
172.
Since your mental state can have such dramatic effects on your body, obviously your physical condition can affect your mental well-being. It follows that regular physical conditioning should be part of your overall chess training. – Pal Benko
173.
174.
Method rules his training, which blends the physical with the mental. How many chess masters put in, prior to an important match, an allotted time daily to bicycling and shadow-boxing, followed by a cold douche and a brisk rub down? – Hans Kmoch, on Max Euwe
175.
The stomach is an essential part of the Chess master. – Bent Larsen
176.
Part Four: On Strategy
18
Strategy vs Tactics
The laws of chess do not permit a free choice: you have to move whether you like it or not. – Emanuel Lasker
177.
In short, the ideal way of playing a game would be rapid development of the pieces of strategic use for attack or defense, taking into account the fact that the two elements are Time and Position. Calm in defense and decisiveness in attack. – José Raúl Capablanca
178.
179.
He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. – Sun Tzu
180.
However, if you study from the point of view of the general principles you are taking a more certain path for although a player's intellect can fail at a given moment, principles well used never fail. – José Raúl Capablanca
182.
The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing; the strategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing. – Savielly Tartakower
183.
184.
We often hear the terms 'positional' and 'tactical' used as opposites. But this is as wrong as to consider a painting's composition unrelated to its subject. Just as there is no such thing as 'artistic' art, so there is no such thing as 'positional' chess. – Samuel Reshevsky
185.
186.
In general, I consider that in chess everything rests on tactics. If one thinks of strategy as a block of marble, then tactics are the chisel with which a master operates, in creating works of chess art. – Tigran Petrosian
187.
Tactics flow from a superior position. – Bobby Fischer
188.
190.
Every move creates a weakness. – Siegbert Tarrasch
191.
Position
The criterion of real strength is a deep penetration into the secrets of a position. – Tigran Petrosian
194.
We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country -- its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. – Sun Tzu
195.
The laws of circumstance are abolished by new circumstances. – Napoleon
196.
It is the aim of the modern school, not to treat every position according to one general law, but according to the principle inherent in the position. – Richard Reti
197.
Bring all your pieces out! Give them scope! Occupy the central squares! – Siegbert Tarrasch
If the defender is forced to give up the center, then every possible attack follows almost of itself. – Siegbert Tarrasch
201.
By reinforcing every part, (the opponent) weakens every part. – Sun Tzu
210.
The winning of a pawn among good players of even strength often means the winning of the game. – José Raúl Capablanca
211.
Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. – Henry David Thoreau
212.
213.
The highest art of the chess player lies in not allowing your opponent to show you what he can do. – Garry Kasparov
214.
The aim is not so much to seek battle as to seek a strategic situation so advantageous that if it does not of itself produce the decision, its continuation by a battle is sure to achieve this. In other words, dislocation is the aim of strategy. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy)
215.
216.
I love all positions. Give me a difficult positional game, I will play it. Give me a bad position, I will defend it. Openings, endgames, complicated positions, dull draws, I love them and I will do my very best. But totally won positions, I cannot stand them. – Hein Donner
217.
It is rightly said that the most difficult thing in chess is winning a won position. – Vladimir Kramnik
218.
Plans
Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory is won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. – Sun Tzu
219.
To find the right plan is just as hard as looking for its sound justification. – Emanuel Lasker
223.
The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan. – Clausewitz
224.
A plan is made for a few moves only, not for the whole game. – Reuben Fine
225.
Capture of the adverse King is the ultimate but not the first object of the game. – Wilhelm Steinitz
226.
Whoever sees no other aim in the game than that of giving checkmate to one's opponent will never become a good chess player. – Max Euwe
228.
230.
The study of typical plans is something that the leading grandmasters devote a great deal of time to. I would say that the most far-seeing of them devote as much time to this as to the study of openings. – Alexander Kotov
231.
Analysis
If we wish to wrest an advantage from the enemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow for the possibility of the enemy also doing some harm to us, and let this enter as a factor into our calculations. – Sun Tzu
235.
22
236.
What is the Threat?? – Anon (a question to always ask of both your own and the opponent's moves...)
So do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat. – Sun Tzu
242.
244.
White lost because he failed to remember the right continuation and had to think up the moves himself. – Siegbert Tarrasch
245.
The most difficult art is not in the choice of men, but in giving to the men chosen the highest service of which they are capable. – Napoleon
246.
Dazzling combinations are for the many, shifting wood is for the few. – George Kieninger
247.
Human affairs are like a chess game: only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players. – Hung Tzu Ch'eng
248.
Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. – Clausewitz
249.
252.
Never do an enemy a small injury. – Niccolo Machiavelli
Speed is fine but accuracy is final. – Bill Jordan
250.
253.
Combinations
A combination is a blend of ideas – pins, forks, discovered checks, double attacks – which endow the pieces with magical powers. – Irving Chernev
254.
It is a profound mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot be learned. Every player knows that all (or almost all) combinations arise from a recollection of familiar elements. – Richard Reti
265.
A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost a matter of course. – Siegbert Tarrasch
251.
A win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror. – Wilhelm Steinitz
By positional play a master tries to prove and exploit true values, whereas by combinations he seeks to refute false values ... A combination produces an unexpected re-assessment of values. – Emanuel Lasker
261.
This high proportion of history's decisive campaigns, the significance of which is enhanced by the comparative rarity of the direct approach, enforces the conclusion that the indirect is by far the most hopeful and economic form of strategy. – Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart (Strategy, 1954)
262.
264.
Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half. – Jan Tinman
266.
The most difficult art is not in the choice of men, but in giving to the men chosen the highest service of which they are capable. – Napoleon
267.
Impossible is the word found only in a fool's dictionary. Wise people create opportunities for themselves and make everything possible... – Napoleon
268.
Preponderance of Force
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak. – Sun Tzu
269.
If in a battle, I seize a bit of debatable land with a handful of soldiers, without having done anything to prevent an enemy bombardment of the position, would it ever occur to me to speak of a conquest of the terrain in question? Obviously not. Then why should I do so in chess? – Aaron Nimzowitsch
270.
Strategically important points should be overprotected. If the pieces are so engaged, they get their regard in the fact that they will then find themselves well posted in every respect. – Aaron Nimzowitsch
271.
273.
If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak. – Sun Tzu
274.
275.
Attacking
The process of making pieces in chess do something useful (whatever it may be) has received a special name: it is called the attack. The attack is that process by means of which you remove obstructions. – Emanuel Lasker
277.
278.
The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move. – David Bronstein
279.
282.
Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him. – Sun Tzu
283.
Logistics is the Soul of War. – Napoleon
285.
In maneuver warfare, we attempt not to destroy the entire enemy force but to render most of it irrelevant. – Lt. Col. Robert R. Leonhard, U.S.A.
286.
287.
When you have an enemy in your power, deprive him of the means of ever injuring you. – Napoleon
288.
The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions. – Musashi
289.
The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points. – Sun Tzu
290.
The highest generalship is to compel the enemy to disperse his army, and then to concentrate superior force against each fraction in turn. – Col. Henderson
291.
Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war. – Clausewitz
292.
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak. – Sun Tzu
293.
26
Brilliancies
Without error there can be no brilliancy. – Emanuel Lasker
294.
295.
A game is always won through a mistake. – Tartakower
296.
The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made. – Savielly Tartakower
297.
298.
Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack. – Sun Tzu
299.
300.
A quiet move in the midst of an attack is the master's trademark. – Anon
301.
Not all artists may be chess players, but all chess players are artists. – Marcel Duchamp
Confidence is very important – even pretending to be confident. If you make a mistake but do not letyour opponent see what you are thinking then he may overlook the mistake. – Viswanathan Anand
306.
308.
27
One bad move nullifies forty good ones. – I.A. Horowitz
309.
A descriptive justification can be given for almost every mistake. – adapted from Nigel Davies
310.
Errors have nothing to do with luck; they are caused by time pressure, discomfort or unfamiliarity with a position, distractions, feelings of intimidation, nervous tension, overambition, excessive caution, and dozens of other psychological factors. – Pal Benko
311.
312.
Some things are really hard to do, almost impossible to do, like playing perfectly in extremely complicated positions. But it really bugs me when I miss things that I really shouldn't have. I am always going to make mistakes. I don't have any illusions that my understanding of chess is perfect or anything like that. It's just that I have to work on relatively simple mistakes. When I can lower the percentage of such mistakes then things are going to be much better. – Magnus Carlsen
313.
Defense
The first order of business for a General is to secure himself against defeat. – Sun Tzu
314.
315.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. – Sun Tzu
316.
When you don't know what to play, wait for an idea to come into your opponent's mind. You may be sure that idea will be wrong. – Siegbert Tarrasch
317.
When you defend, try not to worry or become upset. Keep your cool and trust your position - it's all you've got. – Pal Benko
318.
Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in the key battles. – Garry Kasparov
319.
A defensive war is apt to betray us into too frequent detachment. Those generals who have had but little experience attempt to protect every point, while those who are better acquainted with their profession, having only the capital object in view, guard against a decisive blow, and acquiesce in small misfortunes to avoid greater. – Frederick the Great
320.
322.
Every action is seen to fall into one of three main categories, guarding, hitting, or moving. Here, then, are the elements of combat, whether in war of pugilism. – B. H. Liddell-Hart
323.
Do nothing which is of no use. – Musashi
324.
...only the player with the initiative has the right to attack. – Wilhelm Steinitz
325.
It's less about physical training, in the end, than it is about the mental preparation: boxing is a chess game. You have to be skilled enough and have trained hard enough to know how many different ways you can counterattack in any situation, at any moment. – Jimmy Smits
326.
328.
when to complicate
In modern praxis lost positions are salvaged most often when the play is highly complicated with many sharp dynamic variations to be calculated. – Leonid Shamkovich
329.
330.
A good sacrifice is one that is not necessarily sound but leaves your opponent dazed and confused. – Rudolph Spielmann
331.
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. – Clausewitz
332.
From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step. – Napoleon
333.
There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom. – Clausewitz, (On War)
334.
29
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