Alexander Alekhine Quotes

People are governed with the head; kindness of heart is little use in chess.

You don't win tournaments by playing well and thinking poorly.

I learned to play chess at a young age, and I think that's where learning to plan things out and put things in position, that was the best thing for me.

Football is not just about physical, technical, tactical. It's mental, really.

Writing is sort of like chess for me. You have to think carefully before you move, thinking, planning.

Blitz chess kills your ideas.

Tactics involve calculations that can tax the human brain, but when you boil them down, they are actually the simplest part of chess and are almost trivial compared to strategy.

Chess demands total concentration

Sometimes I even say that I have surpassed Lasker in using psychology. How? Well, sometimes I use psychology with a portion of risk. That is something else, something that Lasker wouldn't allow.

Thank you, darling, for learning to play chess. It is an absolute necessity for any well organized family. (in a letter to his wife)

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.

Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life

You can't play chess if you're groggy from pills.

Chess is a game that benefits people of all ages, especially kids, in any area of life, business, problem solving, and social skills. Chess has the unique ability to combine focus, concentration, imagination, coordination, teamwork, and leadership all at the same time.

Psychology plays a big part but I always say psychology will only be a differentiator when the players are of equal technical strength.

For my victory over Capablanca I am indebted primarily to my superiority in the field of psychology. Capablanca played, relying almost exclusively on his rich intuitive talent. But for the chess struggle nowadays one needs a subtle knowledge of human nature, an understanding of the opponent's psychology.

Poets do not go mad, but chess players do.

Capablanca plays very superficially sometimes, in a way that can only be ascribed to lack of concentration. This is an integral weakness of his make-up and can only be partially compensated by his employing his time allowance to the full.

Thinking is one of the most important weapons in dealing with problems

In war you see your own troubles; those of the enemy you cannot see. You must show confidence.

I don't believe in psychology. I believe in good moves

Chess makes man wiser and clear-sighted.

It is important that you don't let your opponent impose his style of play on you. A part of that begins mentally. At the chessboard if you start blinking every time he challenges you then in a certain sense you are withdrawing. That is very important to avoid.

All obvious moves look dubious in analysis after the game.

You playing chess well is just a reflection of your inner thought process and your ability to maintain discipline throughout. If we can teach every child that, then we've taught them to be better people, better friends and better citizens.