--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Playing for complications is an extreme…" description: "\"Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.\" — Alexander Alekhine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg" --- # Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a… ![“Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.” quote by Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg) > “Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.” [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It warns against resorting to complex tactics when a straightforward strategy is unavailable, suggesting that unnecessary intricacy is a sign of strategic weakness. **In simple terms:** Avoid overcomplicating when simple plans work. Key Takeaway Simplicity beats needless complexity. Themes strategy decision-making risk management clarity efficiency Mood focused analytical cautious Type advice strategy maxim When to use this quote - chess matches - business negotiations - project planning - military operations - software debugging Key Concepts planning tactics cognitive bias Practical Applications - coaching players to prioritize clear plans - designing decision frameworks that favor simplicity Questions to Reflect On - When does complexity become an advantage? - How can you recognize when a simple plan is insufficient? A Different Perspective Sometimes complexity is necessary to outmaneuver opponents when simple moves are predictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Complication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complication/) [Complications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complications/) [Complications Extreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complications-extreme-353559/) [Extreme Measure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extreme-measure-353561/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Logical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logical/) [Measure Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measure-player-353560/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [Playing Complications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-complications-353558/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) ## Related quotes > [You measure a player from the head up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-mcguire/you-measure-a-player-from-the-head-up/) [Al McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-mcguire/) > [Probably, the secret is to be less complicated. We of course love to make complications - look at the way we live. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-huxley/probably-the-secret-is-to-be-less-complicated-we-of-course-love-to/) [Laura Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-huxley/) > [Complications take many forms, including an imbalanced lifestyle, toxic relationships, hidden emotional debts, resistance, indecision, addictions, and negative conditioned beliefs. When our life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/complications-take-many-forms-including-an-imbalanced-lifestyle-toxic/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Every relationship has its complications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/every-relationship-has-its-complications/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [If birth matters, midwives matter. In Europe, there are hospitals where the cesarean rate is less than 10%, and you'll find midwives in these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/if-birth-matters-midwives-matter-in-europe-there-are-hospitals-where/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [My way of expression is full of complications and mystery because that's my perception of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/my-way-of-expression-is-full-of-complications-and-mystery-because/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) > [I enjoy darker sardonic wit more than knock-knock jokes. I spent the first healthy chunk of my career playing all-American, pleasant, average, nice people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-enjoy-darker-sardonic-wit-more-than-knock-knock-jokes-i-spent-the/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [The degree of complications and unhappiness in a person's life corresponds to the degree to which he dwells on the way he thinks the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ringer/the-degree-of-complications-and-unhappiness-in-a-person-s-life/) [Robert Ringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ringer/) > [For diabetes in particular, we know there's a relationship between lack of glucose regulation and complications like blindness and kidney failure. So if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/for-diabetes-in-particular-we-know-there-s-a-relationship-between/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [“Over complication only confuses the essence of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/over-complication-only-confuses-the-essence-of-things/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Nothing worthwhile is ever without complications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/nothing-worthwhile-is-ever-without-complications/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/midwives-and-doctors-play-a-crucial-role-preventing-unnecessary/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [Maternal health remains a staggering challenge, particularly in the developing world. Globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/maternal-health-remains-a-staggering-challenge-particularly-in-the/) [Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/) > [Love with complications. Scenery was the last thing on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/love-with-complications-scenery-was-the-last-thing-on-my-mind/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Major third complications can be overcome by lots of alcohol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-van-halen/major-third-complications-can-be-overcome-by-lots-of-alcohol/) [Eddie Van Halen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-van-halen/) ## More by Alexander Alekhine > [I study chess eight hours a day, on principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/i-study-chess-eight-hours-a-day-on-principle/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [Play on both sides of the board is my favourite strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/play-on-both-sides-of-the-board-is-my-favourite-strategy/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [The fact that a player is very short of time is, to my mind, as little to be considered an excuse as, for instance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/the-fact-that-a-player-is-very-short-of-time-is-to-my-mind-as-little/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [The purpose of human life and the sense of happiness is to give the maximum what the man is able to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/the-purpose-of-human-life-and-the-sense-of-happiness-is-to-give-the/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [Never before and never since have I seen - and I cannot even imagine, such an amazing rapidity of chess thinking that Capablanca possessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/never-before-and-never-since-have-i-seen-and-i-cannot-even-imagine/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [I did not believe I was superior to him. 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It makes little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/the-infallible-criterion-by-which-to-distinguish-the-true-from-the/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [During a chess tournament a master must envisage himself as a cross between an ascetic monk and a beast of prey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/during-a-chess-tournament-a-master-must-envisage-himself-as-a-cross/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [Combination is a soul of chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/combination-is-a-soul-of-chess/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [For my victory over Capablanca I am indebted primarily to my superiority in the field of psychology. Capablanca played, relying almost exclusively on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/for-my-victory-over-capablanca-i-am-indebted-primarily-to-my/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [You can become a big master in chess only if you see your mistakes and short-comings. Exactly the same as in life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/you-can-become-a-big-master-in-chess-only-if-you-see-your-mistakes/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [Chess will always be the master of us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/chess-will-always-be-the-master-of-us-all/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [I consider chess an art, and accept all those responsibilities which art places upon its devotees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/i-consider-chess-an-art-and-accept-all-those-responsibilities-which/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [Oh! this opponent, this collaborator against your will, whose notion of beauty always differs from yours and whose means are often too limited for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/oh-this-opponent-this-collaborator-against-your-will-whose-notion-of/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [Capablanca was snatched too early from the chess world. With his death we have lost a great chess genius, the like of whom we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/capablanca-was-snatched-too-early-from-the-chess-world-with-his-death/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) [Explore all 37 Alexander Alekhine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) ## More Chess quotes > [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [Real chessplayers think about chess more or less 24 hours a day. 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That's upsetting to a lot of people, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/the-election-of-trump-threw-the-chess-board-up-the-pieces-are-all/) [Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/) > [“the shadows. “Why do you think they invented chess?” “He’s got you there,” said the captain, following Fletcher. Jake jogged slightly to catch up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-blake/the-shadows-why-do-you-think-they-invented-chess-he-s-got-you-there/) [Russell Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-blake/) > [ \[Photographer Julian Wasser\] had this great idea that I should play chess naked with Marcel Duchamp and it seem to be such a great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-babitz/photographer-julian-wasser-had-this-great-idea-that-i-should-play/) [Eve Babitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-babitz/) > [Chess is a good mistress but a bad master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-abrahams/chess-is-a-good-mistress-but-a-bad-master/) [Gerald Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-abrahams/) > [I am not some sort of freak. I might be very good at chess but I'm just a normal person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-carlsen/i-am-not-some-sort-of-freak-i-might-be-very-good-at-chess-but-i-m/) [Magnus Carlsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-carlsen/) > [Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/some-sacrifices-are-sound-the-rest-are-mine/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [My parents were very supportive of my chess. When I got home after a game of chess, having missed school or something, they always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/my-parents-were-very-supportive-of-my-chess-when-i-got-home-after-a/) [Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/) > [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [In high school, my sister went out with the captain of the chess team. My parents loved him... They figured that any guy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kiley/in-high-school-my-sister-went-out-with-the-captain-of-the-chess-team/) [Brian Kiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kiley/) > [The King is a fighting piece. Use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-steinitz/the-king-is-a-fighting-piece-use-it/) [Wilhelm Steinitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-steinitz/) > [“When she moves a chess piece on the board, it isn’t so she can win; it’s to move the game forward. She’s just keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-stewart/when-she-moves-a-chess-piece-on-the-board-it-isn-t-so-she-can-win-it/) [Danielle Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-stewart/) [Browse all 2,003 Chess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexander Alekhine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chess" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/alexander-alekhine-17228_chess_playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme_9455.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear…” — Alexander Alekhine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexander Alekhine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Playing for complications is an extreme...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```