Chess Quotes

1355 Chess quotes by 411 unique authors

Life is too short for chess. — Lord Byron
The scheme of a game is played on positional lines; the decision of it, as a rule, is effected by combinations. — Richard Reti
Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all. — Mikhail Chigorin
Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for… — Magnus Carlsen
Enormous self-belief, intuition, the ability to take a risk at a critical moment and go in for a very dangerous play with counter-chances for the… — Garry Kasparov
The single most important thing in life is to believe in yourself regardless of what everyone else says. — Hikaru Nakamura
Too many times, people don't try their best. They don't have the keen spirit; the winning spirit. And once you make it you've got to… — Bobby Fischer
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… — Garry Kasparov
The ability to work hard for days on end without losing focus is a talent. The ability to keep absorbing new information after many hours… — Garry Kasparov
If you are going to make your mark among masters, you have to work far harder and more intensively, or, to put it more exactly,… — Mikhail Botvinnik
This is the essential element that cannot be measured by any analysis or device, and I believe it's at the heart of success in all… — Garry Kasparov
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… — Alexander Alekhine
Those who think that it is easy to play chess are mistaken. During a game a player lives on his nerves, and at the same… — Viktor Korchnoi
It is true that even across the Himalayan barrier India has sent to the west, such gifts as grammar and logic, philosophy and fables, hypnotism… — Will Durant
In this respect, I suppose I'm the total opposite of Garry [Kasparov]. With his very emotive body language at the [chess]board he shows and displays… — Vladimir Kramnik
Concentrate on material gains. Whatever your opponent gives you take, unless you see a good reason not to. — Bobby Fischer
Genius. It's a word. What does it really mean? If I win I'm a genius. If I don't, I'm not. — Bobby Fischer
I add status to any tournament I attend. — Bobby Fischer
I don't keep any close friends. I don't keep any secrets. I don't need friends. I just tell everybody everything, that's all. — Bobby Fischer
I like to make them squirm. — Bobby Fischer
I object to being called a chess genius, because I consider myself to be an all around genius, who just happens to play chess, which… — Bobby Fischer
I think it's almost definite that the game is a draw theoretically. — Bobby Fischer
If you don't win, it's not a great tragedy - the worst that happens is that you lose a game. — Bobby Fischer
I'm not afraid of Spassky. The world knows I'm the best. You don't need a match to prove it. — Bobby Fischer
Let's play. I'm willing to play anywhere. — Bobby Fischer

Who Wrote These Chess Quotes

411 authors contributed a total of 1,355 Chess Quotes, led by these top contributors: