--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I asked Fischer why he had not…" description: "\"When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied: 'Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!'\" — Mikhail Tal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/mikhail-tal-16521_certain_when-i-asked-fischer-why-he-had-not-play_1771446.jpg" --- # When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move… ![“When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied: 'Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!'” quote by Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/mikhail-tal-16521_certain_when-i-asked-fischer-why-he-had-not-play_1771446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/mikhail-tal-16521_certain_when-i-asked-fischer-why-he-had-not-play_1771446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/mikhail-tal-16521_certain_when-i-asked-fischer-why-he-had-not-play_1771446.jpg) > “When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied: 'Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!'” [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tal highlights the absurdity of over‑analysis, emphasizing intuition over endless calculation. **In simple terms:** Intuition beats over‑thinking. Key Takeaway Trust your gut in complex decisions. Themes intuition creativity overanalysis Mood playful reflective Type anecdotal philosophical When to use this quote - high‑stakes games - creative problem solving - rapid decision making Key Concepts chess strategy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you balance intuition with analysis? - When does intuition fail? A Different Perspective Relying solely on intuition can lead to errors without verification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-fischer-1783193/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Chess game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-game/) [Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fischer/) [Fischer Played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fischer-played-1783194/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughed/) [Laughed Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughed-wrote-1783196/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Playing chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-chess/) [Replied Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/replied-laughed-1783195/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [It is difficult to play against Einstein's theory -on his first loss to Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/it-is-difficult-to-play-against-einstein-s-theory-on-his-first-loss/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [When Grand Masters play, they see the logic of their opponent's moves. One's moves may be so powerful that the other may not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-taimanov/when-grand-masters-play-they-see-the-logic-of-their-opponent-s-moves/) [Mark Taimanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-taimanov/) > [You know you're going to lose. Even when I was ahead I knew I was going to lose -on playing against Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-soltis/you-know-you-re-going-to-lose-even-when-i-was-ahead-i-knew-i-was/) [Andrew Soltis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-soltis/) > [Fischer is the greatest genius to descend from the chess heavens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/fischer-is-the-greatest-genius-to-descend-from-the-chess-heavens/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Fischer is Fischer, but a knight is a knight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/fischer-is-fischer-but-a-knight-is-a-knight/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Many Chess players were surprised when after the game, Fischer quietly explained: 'I had already analyzed this possibility' in a position which I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/many-chess-players-were-surprised-when-after-the-game-fischer-quietly/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [To play for a draw (at any rate with White) is to some degree a crime against chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/to-play-for-a-draw-at-any-rate-with-white-is-to-some-degree-a-crime/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [In complicated positions, Bobby Fischer hardly had to be afraid of anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keres/in-complicated-positions-bobby-fischer-hardly-had-to-be-afraid-of/) [Paul Keres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keres/) > [It was clear to me that the vulnerable point of the American Grandmaster (Bobby Fischer) was in double-edged, hanging, irrational positions, where he often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efim-geller/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-vulnerable-point-of-the-american/) [Efim Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efim-geller/) > [Fischer prefers to enter Chess history alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-najdorf/fischer-prefers-to-enter-chess-history-alone/) [Miguel Najdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-najdorf/) > [“In drum spre varf, Viesturs a trecut pe langa cadravele inghetate ale lui Fischer si Hall. -Jean (sotia lui Fischer) si Jan(sotia lui Hall)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/in-drum-spre-varf-viesturs-a-trecut-pe-langa-cadravele-inghetate-ale/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [Play out a boring game to the end and funny things can happen; Fischer knew it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-ree/play-out-a-boring-game-to-the-end-and-funny-things-can-happen-fischer/) [Hans Ree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-ree/) > [Fischer was a good kid but very unsophisticated about anything but chess. It was all chess for him, every waking moment. We'd go down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-gross/fischer-was-a-good-kid-but-very-unsophisticated-about-anything-but/) [Ronald Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-gross/) > [I like to say that Bobby Fischer was the greatest player ever. But what made Fischer a genius was his ability to blend an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-pandolfini/i-like-to-say-that-bobby-fischer-was-the-greatest-player-ever-but/) [Bruce Pandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-pandolfini/) > [“Emil Fischer represents a symbol of Germany's greatness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-dietrich-harries/emil-fischer-represents-a-symbol-of-germany-s-greatness/) [Carl Dietrich Harries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-dietrich-harries/) ## More by Mikhail Tal > [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/) > [I think that the FIDE leaders have to reconsider the current drawing rules - their advantages aren't very clear, but their shortcomings are obvious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/i-think-that-the-fide-leaders-have-to-reconsider-the-current-drawing/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Planning anything is hopeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/planning-anything-is-hopeless/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [I'd like to always be romantic in chess. Sadly, this doesn't always work like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/i-d-like-to-always-be-romantic-in-chess-sadly-this-doesn-t-always/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [“I prefer to make my annotations 'hot on the heels', as it were, when the fortunes of battle, the worries, hopes and disappointments are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/i-prefer-to-make-my-annotations-hot-on-the-heels-as-it-were-when-the/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Later, I began to succeed in decisive games. Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/later-i-began-to-succeed-in-decisive-games-perhaps-because-i-realized/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Playing in your home city is very special. You feel the support and attention. 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But the "external barriers", my opponents, do indeed concern me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/i-can-take-care-of-myself-but-the-external-barriers-my-opponents-do/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [“Young man, consider that the train has left, and all you can do is loudly slam the door in farewell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/young-man-consider-that-the-train-has-left-and-all-you-can-do-is/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones and mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/there-are-two-types-of-sacrifices-correct-ones-and-mine/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [“...That is my biography from the first day of my chess life to the present. JOURNALIST. And your plans. PLAYER. To play!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/that-is-my-biography-from-the-first-day-of-my-chess-life-to-the/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [Naturally, the psychological susceptibility of a match participant is significantly higher than a participant in a tournament, since each game substantially changes the over-all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/naturally-the-psychological-susceptibility-of-a-match-participant-is/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/i-will-not-hide-the-fact-that-i-love-to-hear-the-spectators-react/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [In my games I have sometimes found a combination intuitively simply feeling that it must be there. 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