---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue."
description: "\"Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.\" — Richard Reti"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg"
---

#  Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.

![“Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.” quote by Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg)

> “Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.”

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

## About This Quote

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

Chess is as natural to Capablanca as a mother tongue, reflecting deep intuition.

**In simple terms:** Chess felt innate to Capablanca.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate deep, intuitive mastery.

Themes

chess mastery intuition language skill development

Mood

respectful motivational analytical

Type

sports philosophical

When to use this quote

- training
- mentorship
- self‑study
- competition

Key Concepts

expertise natural talent learning curves

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you develop intuition in a skill?
- What practices deepen natural feel?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone can achieve innate fluency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Capablanca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capablanca/) [Capablanca Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capablanca-mother-1150118/) [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Chess Capablanca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-capablanca-1150117/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother tongue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-tongue/) [Tongue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tongue/)

## Related quotes

> [No one has ever played these endgames with such elegant ease as Capablanca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/no-one-has-ever-played-these-endgames-with-such-elegant-ease-as/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [Poor Capablanca! Thou wert a brilliant technician, but no philosopher. Thou wert not capable of believing that in chess, another style could be victorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-euwe/poor-capablanca-thou-wert-a-brilliant-technician-but-no-philosopher/)

[Max Euwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-euwe/)

> [Capablanca used to talk calmly and moderately about everything. However, when our conversation turned to the problems of the battle for the world championship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-koblencs/capablanca-used-to-talk-calmly-and-moderately-about-everything/)

[Alexander Koblencs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-koblencs/)

> [Capablanca possessed an amazing ability to quickly see into a position and intuitively grasp its main features. His style, one of the purest, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/capablanca-possessed-an-amazing-ability-to-quickly-see-into-a/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [Capablanca's play produced and still produces an irresistable artistic effect. In his games a tendency towards simplicity predominated, and in this simplicity there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-botvinnik/capablanca-s-play-produced-and-still-produces-an-irresistable/)

[Mikhail Botvinnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-botvinnik/)

> [I can remember a case where Capablanca worked out an impressive combination, but then chose to make a simple move in answer to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kotov/i-can-remember-a-case-where-capablanca-worked-out-an-impressive/)

[Alexander Kotov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kotov/)

> [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 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/)

> [My first film was a Malayalam film where I played a small character and then my big debut happened in Kannada, which is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shraddha-srinath/my-first-film-was-a-malayalam-film-where-i-played-a-small-character/)

[Shraddha Srinath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shraddha-srinath/)

> [The fact of simultaneously being Christian and having as my mother tongue Arabic, the holy language of Islam, is one of the basic paradoxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amin-maalouf/the-fact-of-simultaneously-being-christian-and-having-as-my-mother/)

[Amin Maalouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amin-maalouf/)

> [Apart from English, I speak my mother tongue Malayalam, as well as Tamil, Telugu, and a bit of Kannada and French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asin/apart-from-english-i-speak-my-mother-tongue-malayalam-as-well-as/)

[Asin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asin/)

> [“God in His infinite wisdom blessed humans with redundant tongues: one to outfit the mouth for speech. And a mother tongue to give it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-lentz/god-in-his-infinite-wisdom-blessed-humans-with-redundant-tongues-one/)

[David B. Lentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-lentz/)

> [I am not really missing theatre as I get to act in films, that too in different languages, such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-kulkarni/i-am-not-really-missing-theatre-as-i-get-to-act-in-films-that-too-in/)

[Atul Kulkarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-kulkarni/)

> [My mother tongue is Punjabi, but my first language is Urdu, which was the case with the people in undivided Punjab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gulzar/my-mother-tongue-is-punjabi-but-my-first-language-is-urdu-which-was/)

[Gulzar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gulzar/)

> [For us Indians, I don't think English can ever exude that magic of emotions which our mother tongue can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-kher/for-us-indians-i-don-t-think-english-can-ever-exude-that-magic-of/)

[Kailash Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-kher/)

## More by Richard Reti

> [The majority of people imagine a chess master as being a townsman who passes his life in an atmosphere of smoke and play in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/the-majority-of-people-imagine-a-chess-master-as-being-a-townsman-who/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [Chess is a fighting game which is purely intellectual and includes chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/chess-is-a-fighting-game-which-is-purely-intellectual-and-includes/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [Most chess players know, thanks to the study of master games, that two bishops are stronger than two knights or than bishop and knight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/most-chess-players-know-thanks-to-the-study-of-master-games-that-two/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [No one has ever played these endgames with such elegant ease as Capablanca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/no-one-has-ever-played-these-endgames-with-such-elegant-ease-as/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [A knowledge of tactics is the foundation of positional play. This is a rule which has stood its test in chess history and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/a-knowledge-of-tactics-is-the-foundation-of-positional-play-this-is-a/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [It is the aim of the modern school, not to treat every position according to one general law, but according to the principle inherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/it-is-the-aim-of-the-modern-school-not-to-treat-every-position/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [The essential disadvantage of the isolated pawn ... lies not in the pawn itself, but in the square in front of the pawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/the-essential-disadvantage-of-the-isolated-pawn-lies-not-in-the-pawn/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [The pleasure to be derived from a chess combination lie in the feeling that a human mind is behind the game, dominating the inanimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/the-pleasure-to-be-derived-from-a-chess-combination-lie-in-the/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [The scheme of a game is played on positional lines; the decision of it, as a rule, is effected by combinations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/the-scheme-of-a-game-is-played-on-positional-lines-the-decision-of-it/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [In open positions the safety of the King should be the first consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/in-open-positions-the-safety-of-the-king-should-be-the-first/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [It is a profound mistake to imagine mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/it-is-a-profound-mistake-to-imagine-mistake-to-imagine-that-the-art/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [A knowledge of combinations is the foundation of positional chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/a-knowledge-of-combinations-is-the-foundation-of-positional-chess/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [It is a delight to watch a young and gifted chess player. To him have come no sinister experiences; to him continual carping care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/it-is-a-delight-to-watch-a-young-and-gifted-chess-player-to-him-have/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [Those chess lovers who ask me how many moves I usually calculate in advance, when making a combination, are always astonished when I reply,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/those-chess-lovers-who-ask-me-how-many-moves-i-usually-calculate-in/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [We perceive after a careful consideration of the evolution of the chess mind that such evolution has gone on, in general, in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/we-perceive-after-a-careful-consideration-of-the-evolution-of-the/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

[Explore all 16 Richard Reti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

## More Capablanca 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/)

> [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 can remember a case where Capablanca worked out an impressive combination, but then chose to make a simple move in answer to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kotov/i-can-remember-a-case-where-capablanca-worked-out-an-impressive/)

[Alexander Kotov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kotov/)

> [Capablanca's play produced and still produces an irresistable artistic effect. In his games a tendency towards simplicity predominated, and in this simplicity there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-botvinnik/capablanca-s-play-produced-and-still-produces-an-irresistable/)

[Mikhail Botvinnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-botvinnik/)

> [Capablanca possessed an amazing ability to quickly see into a position and intuitively grasp its main features. His style, one of the purest, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/capablanca-possessed-an-amazing-ability-to-quickly-see-into-a/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [Capablanca used to talk calmly and moderately about everything. However, when our conversation turned to the problems of the battle for the world championship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-koblencs/capablanca-used-to-talk-calmly-and-moderately-about-everything/)

[Alexander Koblencs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-koblencs/)

> [Poor Capablanca! Thou wert a brilliant technician, but no philosopher. Thou wert not capable of believing that in chess, another style could be victorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-euwe/poor-capablanca-thou-wert-a-brilliant-technician-but-no-philosopher/)

[Max Euwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-euwe/)

> [Without technique it is impossible to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to borrow from Capablanca his wonderful, subtle technique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/without-technique-it-is-impossible-to-reach-the-top-in-chess-and/)

[Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/)

> [No one has ever played these endgames with such elegant ease as Capablanca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/no-one-has-ever-played-these-endgames-with-such-elegant-ease-as/)

[Richard Reti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/)

> [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/)

> [I honestly feel very humble when I study Capablanca's games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-euwe/i-honestly-feel-very-humble-when-i-study-capablanca-s-games/)

[Max Euwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-euwe/)

> [One interesting indication of Capablanca's greatness is that to non-chess players his name was better known than the names of all other chess masters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reinfeld/one-interesting-indication-of-capablanca-s-greatness-is-that-to-non/)

[Fred Reinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reinfeld/)

> [The ideal in chess can only be a collective image, but in my opinion it is Capablanca who most closely approaches this ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-karpov/the-ideal-in-chess-can-only-be-a-collective-image-but-in-my-opinion/)

[Anatoly Karpov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-karpov/)

> [As with Steinitz, Fischer's genius has often been concealed by controversies away from the board. Like Lasker, Fischer has raised chess to new financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-soltis/as-with-steinitz-fischer-s-genius-has-often-been-concealed-by/)

[Andrew Soltis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-soltis/)

> [Capablanca plays very superficially sometimes, in a way that can only be ascribed to lack of concentration. This is an integral weakness of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-euwe/capablanca-plays-very-superficially-sometimes-in-a-way-that-can-only/)

[Max Euwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-euwe/)

[Browse all 30 Capablanca quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capablanca/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Reti"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Capablanca"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc9/richard-reti-31532_capablanca_chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue-251_2510407.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.” — Richard Reti",
                "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": "Richard Reti",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reti/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reti/chess-was-capablanca-s-mother-tongue/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```