Bobby Fischer Quotes

The first great chess players, including the world champion, got by perfectly well without constant coaches.

Boris Vasilievich was the only top-class player of his generation who played gambits regularly and without fear ... Over a period of 30 years he did not lose a single game with the King's Gambit, and among those defeated were numerous strong players of all generations, from Averbakh, Bronstein and Fischer, to Seirawan.

Each player, it will be observed, has eight superior Pieces or officers, and eight minor ones which are called Pawns; and, for the purpose of distinction, the Pieces and Pawns of one party are of a different color from those of the other.

Recently I saw Kasparov and he looked to me as still young and potent champion.

My former coach, Simen Agdestein, used to be the best player in Norway.

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!

Chess is one of the few arts where composition takes place simultaneously with performance

Chess is a matter of daily training.

His teaching became a turning point in chess history: it was from Steinitz that the era of modern chess began. The contribution of the first world champion to its development is comparable with the great scientific discoveries of the 19th century.

I honestly feel very humble when I study Capablanca's games.

There was open collusion between the Russian players. They agreed ahead of time to draw the games they played against each other. Every time they drew they gave each other half a point.

Look at the catastrophic record Vishy Anand has against Garry Kasparov. Kasparov managed to beat him almost everywhere they played, even though Vishy Anand has belonged to the absolute top players in the world for fifteen years. This difference cannot be explained purely in chess terms, there must have been some psychology.

Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.

The shortcoming of hanging pawns is that they present a convenient target for attack. As the exchange of men proceeds, their potential strength lessens and during the endgame they turn out, as a rule, to be weak.

The captain was a good chess player, and the games were always interesting. Yossarian had stopped playing chess with him because the games were so interesting they were foolish.

The best players in the game want the responsibility of being the best player. The reality is the game has changed from now back to '87. It's a lot tighter checking. The players are better today. So, that makes it harder for him just in that fact. We can't rely solely on Mario [Lemieux] to carry this team. We're not relying on that.

By the time a player becomes a Grandmaster, almost all of his training time is dedicated to work on this first phase. The opening is the only phase that holds out the potential for true creativity and doing something entirely new.

I just think we should look at this as a chess match," he said, "between the world's greatest chess player and Garry Kasparov.

The legend of the best player of chess has been destroyed.

Chess-players are so unsociable, they are no company for any but themselves.

For inspiration I look to those great players who consistently found original ways to shock their opponents. None did this better than the eighth world champion, Mikhail Tal. The "Magician of Riga" rose to become champion in 1960 at age twenty-three and became famous for his aggressive, volatile play.

Often, in the Ruy Lopez, one must be patient, wait and carry on a lengthy and wearisome struggle.

All I ever want to do is just play chess.

The essence of Capablanca's greatness is his rare talent for avoiding all that can complicate or confuse the conflict.

I feel that my chess strengths are still here, .. I believe I can still improve.