---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most dangerous area is the centre…"
description: "\"The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football, and it's the same in chess.\" — Henrikh Mkhitaryan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg"
---

#  The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be…

![“The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football, and it's the same in chess.” quote by Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg)

> “The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football, and it's the same in chess.”

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

In both football and chess the central zone is the most contested, demanding either offensive or defensive focus.

**In simple terms:** Control the middle to win the game.

Key Takeaway

Focus on the core to dominate.

Themes

strategy competition centrality

Mood

determined analytical

Type

strategic insightful

When to use this quote

- team sports
- board games
- coaching
- game analysis

Key Concepts

tactics spatial control

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide when to attack versus defend the centre?
- What risks arise from over‑committing to one side?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting the centre leaves you vulnerable to opponent’s plans.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Centre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centre/) [Centre Attacked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centre-attacked-691307/) [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Dangerous Area](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous-area-691309/) [Defended Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defended-football-691310/) [Either](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/either/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-chess-691308/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/)

## Related quotes

> [The most dangerous area where our laws are not being faithfully executed are the laws designed to protect Americans against the millions of aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/the-most-dangerous-area-where-our-laws-are-not-being-faithfully/)

[Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/)

> [Any people whose lives are about the way they look, whether it's fat or thin, are in a dangerous area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-french/any-people-whose-lives-are-about-the-way-they-look-whether-it-s-fat/)

[Dawn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-french/)

> [Football and chess can seem like sporting polar opposites, but there are so many similarities with the modern game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-alexander-arnold/football-and-chess-can-seem-like-sporting-polar-opposites-but-there/)

[Trent Alexander-Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-alexander-arnold/)

> [Football is a chess game to me. If you move your pawn against my bishop, I'll counter that move to beat you. Football is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-seau/football-is-a-chess-game-to-me-if-you-move-your-pawn-against-my/)

[Junior Seau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junior-seau/)

> [The strategies of offense and defense are very similar between chess and football. Chess really brought closeness to the team back in those days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rubin-carter/the-strategies-of-offense-and-defense-are-very-similar-between-chess/)

[Rubin Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rubin-carter/)

> [Chess has definitely helped me understand a lot of the strategy of football. In chess, good offense is often an exercise in putting multiple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-rivers/chess-has-definitely-helped-me-understand-a-lot-of-the-strategy-of/)

[Reggie Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-rivers/)

> [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/)

[Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/)

> [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/)

[Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/)

> [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [The entire hierarchy of angels can best be described as an endlessly vast sphere of beings, who surround an unknowable centre-point, which is called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-godwin/the-entire-hierarchy-of-angels-can-best-be-described-as-an-endlessly/)

[Malcolm Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-godwin/)

> [The problem was Le Corbusier was a genius and an enormous artist, but he tried to resolve problems to which there is no solution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-krier/the-problem-was-le-corbusier-was-a-genius-and-an-enormous-artist-but/)

[Leon Krier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-krier/)

> [I don't really like being in the centre of attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-thunburg/i-don-t-really-like-being-in-the-centre-of-attention/)

[Greta Thunburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-thunburg/)

> [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“She had gone into herself and was looking for a centre, a pivotal point between what she had been and what she would become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-had-gone-into-herself-and-was-looking-for-a-centre-a-pivotal/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Henrikh Mkhitaryan

> [The Brazilians are amazing in their nature. You cannot describe it; you must feel that warmth when you're around them to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-brazilians-are-amazing-in-their-nature-you-cannot-describe-it-you/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [My time with my father would be very meaningful, but also very short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/my-time-with-my-father-would-be-very-meaningful-but-also-very-short/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [My father played five years for Valence in France's second division. I'd always cry when he would leave for training. Every morning, I'd say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/my-father-played-five-years-for-valence-in-france-s-second-division-i/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [If you play football, you have to try to do the maximum, so I'm always doing the maximum for myself because, after my football…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/if-you-play-football-you-have-to-try-to-do-the-maximum-so-i-m-always/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [For Manchest United, every cup is very important. A trophy is a trophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/for-manchest-united-every-cup-is-very-important-a-trophy-is-a-trophy/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [I think the first goal can be weight off your shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/i-think-the-first-goal-can-be-weight-off-your-shoulders/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [When we're leading during the game, we have to squeeze the opponent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/when-we-re-leading-during-the-game-we-have-to-squeeze-the-opponent/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [The year after my father died, I started football training. He was the drive for me; he was my idol. I said to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-year-after-my-father-died-i-started-football-training-he-was-the/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [I know I can succeed at Manchester United, and I want to show everyone that I deserve to be a key player in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/i-know-i-can-succeed-at-manchester-united-and-i-want-to-show-everyone/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [You can lose to any team and then beat your top opponents and still not be in the top four.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/you-can-lose-to-any-team-and-then-beat-your-top-opponents-and-still/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [I can be very serious, but if I'm being honest, I'm very happy with the way my life has turned out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/i-can-be-very-serious-but-if-i-m-being-honest-i-m-very-happy-with-the/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [I keep working hard, and this will pay off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/i-keep-working-hard-and-this-will-pay-off/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [When I watched the Premier League on the telly, I didn't expect it to be that hard. The opponents are all physically strong, real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/when-i-watched-the-premier-league-on-the-telly-i-didn-t-expect-it-to/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [I think the most important thing is to play to help the team, winning the games - that is the main thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/i-think-the-most-important-thing-is-to-play-to-help-the-team-winning/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

> [Everything is up to the players and not the tactics. They're just small details that can show you the way to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/everything-is-up-to-the-players-and-not-the-tactics-they-re-just/)

[Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

[Explore all 85 Henrikh Mkhitaryan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/)

## More Centre quotes

> [“She had gone into herself and was looking for a centre, a pivotal point between what she had been and what she would become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-had-gone-into-herself-and-was-looking-for-a-centre-a-pivotal/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [I don't really like being in the centre of attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-thunburg/i-don-t-really-like-being-in-the-centre-of-attention/)

[Greta Thunburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-thunburg/)

> [The problem was Le Corbusier was a genius and an enormous artist, but he tried to resolve problems to which there is no solution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-krier/the-problem-was-le-corbusier-was-a-genius-and-an-enormous-artist-but/)

[Leon Krier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-krier/)

> [The entire hierarchy of angels can best be described as an endlessly vast sphere of beings, who surround an unknowable centre-point, which is called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-godwin/the-entire-hierarchy-of-angels-can-best-be-described-as-an-endlessly/)

[Malcolm Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-godwin/)

> [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/)

[Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/)

> [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/)

[Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/)

> [An article on playwrights in the Daily Mail , listed according to Hard Left, Soft Left, Hard Right, Soft Right and Centre. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/an-article-on-playwrights-in-the-daily-mail-listed-according-to-hard/)

[Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/)

> [A person who is able to be a living centre of peace in today's world and who is able to radiate that peace powerfully,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-assagioli/a-person-who-is-able-to-be-a-living-centre-of-peace-in-today-s-world/)

[Roberto Assagioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-assagioli/)

> [There is a book called San Francisco Tape Music Centre:1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde and this book describes everything that you want to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/there-is-a-book-called-san-francisco-tape-music-centre-1960s/)

[Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/)

> [In the humanist ideal, the mainstream is where interesting debate, the generating of new ideas and creativity take place. In rational society this mainstream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-humanist-ideal-the-mainstream-is-where-interesting-debate-the/)

[John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/)

> [Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/your-country-is-one-of-the-most-notorious-centres-of-trading-in/)

[Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/)

> [If you are playing King Lear you are the centre of attention anyway. You don't need to draw attention to yourself. It's all laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/if-you-are-playing-king-lear-you-are-the-centre-of-attention-anyway/)

[Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/)

[Browse all 761 Centre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centre/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football, and it's the same in chess.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henrikh Mkhitaryan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-which-has-to-be-either-attacked/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Centre"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-which-has-to-be-either-attacked/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d9/henrikh-mkhitaryan-8003_chess_the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-wh_1654690.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football, and it's the…” — Henrikh Mkhitaryan",
                "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": "Henrikh Mkhitaryan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most dangerous area is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-which-has-to-be-either-attacked/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-most-dangerous-area-is-the-centre-which-has-to-be-either-attacked/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
