Viktor Korchnoi Quotes

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.

In cricket, there is a lot of psychology in the game, especially if you are watching people who are not top-class.

It's important to get under your opponent's skin and let them know that you are coming for them out in the middle. When you do that, half the battle's won!

Psychology is the most important factor in chess.

For me, making my intent clear to the batsman before he stamps his authority is important. Playing with his mind is a way of attacking rather than setting attacking fields.

I lull them into a false sense of security by watching me pitch... If overconfidence can cause the Roman Empire to fall, I ought to be able to get a ground ball.

The human element, the human flaw and the human nobility - those are the reasons that chess matches are won or lost.

What's important is to get into the pitcher's head: to know what he's made of.

You have to be willing to risk things; otherwise, somebody else will put you out of business.

Of course, the psychological part, the tactics, is very important.

As athletes, when you find something that gets to someone you have to press their buttons.

In boxing, there are lot of things that happen where they try to slow down the process and try to get to the other team, trying to get into our heads.

If you notice, in every fight, I always have something to get into their head.

There are various psychological advantages you can take into boxing match. One is getting your opponent to fight with emotion and anger because he hates you.

Someone like Shane Warne played the game on and off the field really well and got into guys' heads. Even though he couldn't bounce you and hurt you physically, he was verbally aggressive and would let you know he'd get you out. He made batsmen doubt themselves. I learned from players like him and made a point of incorporating it into my own game.

You need to be uncomfortable and apprehensive: True strategy is about placing bets and making hard choices. The objective is not to eliminate risk but to increase the odds of success.

Take calculated risks. Act boldly and thoughtfully. Be an agile company.

To venture an opinion is like moving a piece at chess: it may be taken, but it forms the beginning of a game that is won.

You play with everything you've got. I'm not a lover of cheap tricks. I've always loved playing with people, but there's no rule about it. You try everything you can.

Taking smart risks can be very gratifying.

I knew I really had to put down a good run. I played it safe, and took risks when I could, and I came in the fastest, I guess.

I tried to get into the mind of my opponent and psyche him out.

If your opponent offers you a draw, try to work out why he thinks he's worse off

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.

I might be manipulating you to create risk for myself.