my chess world champions_64ekhar

8/15/2019 My Chess World Champions_64ekhar

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by Tartakower

No one ever won a game by resigning.

It is always better to sacrifce your opponents' men.

The mistakes are there waiting to be made.

The winner o the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake.

The blunders are all there on the board waiting to be made.

To avoid losing a piece many a person has lost the game.

!ome part o a mistake is always correct.

"hess is a airy tale o #$$# blunders.

The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing% thestrategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing.

& "hess game is divided into three stages the frst when you hope you havethe advantage the second when you believe that you have an advantage andthe third ( when you know you're going to lose )

& thorough understanding o the typical mating continuations makes the mostcomplicated sacrifcial combinations leading up to them not only di*cult butalmost a matter o course.

!ei+e the outpost , with your knight and you can go to sleep. "heckmate willcome by itsel.

&n isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard.

& draw can be obtained not only by repeating moves but also by one weakmove.

In chess there is only one mistake over-estimation o your opponent. &ll else iseither bad luck or weakness.


2/86

eti is a brilliant type o artist who battles not so much with his opponents aswith himsel with his own ideals and doubts.

eti studies mathematics although he is not a dry mathematician% represents/ienna without being /iennese% was born in old 0ungary yet he does not know

0ungarian% speaks uncommonly rapidly only in order to act all the morematurely and deliberately% and will yet become the best chessplayer withouthowever becoming world champion.

1henever 2lack succeeds in assuming the initiative and maintaining it to asuccessul conclusion the sporting spirit o the chess lover eels gratifedbecause it shows that the resources o the game are ar rom being exhausted.

The ability to create and to control the tension o battle is perhaps the principalattainment o the great player.

3ike the alchemist o old or ever searching or the philosopher's stone theanalyst to-day never stops looking or stronger moves to prevent the deenderrom establishing e4uality.

5rawn games are sometimes more scintillating than any conclusive contest.

It is well-known that chess and music go well together and many are those whohave achieved unusual profciency in both.

6layed 'a la 7orphy'. 1hat greater praise can be given8

6sychologically the choice o an appropriate opening is o the utmostimportance or a player's success in a tournament.

& 9ueen's sacrifce even when airly obvious always re:oices the heart o thechess-lover.

It is said that an ounce o common sense can outweigh a ton o ;variations;.

3asker thought that his rationalism rendered him immune rom the surprises ochess theory.

!hall we ever live to see the ollowing wise prohibition - the audience isorbidden to smoke and the masters are orbidden to 'smoke out' the audienceby playing exchanging variations8

The frst essential or an attack is the will to attack.


3/86

by Tarrasch

I have always had a slight eeling o pity or the man who has no knowledge ochess.

"hess like love like music has the power to make men happy.

0e who ears the isolated 4ueen's pawn should give up chess.

2eore the endgame the gods have placed the middlegame.

It is not enough to be a good player... you must also play well.

7istrust is the most necessary characteristic o the chess player.

1eak points or holes in the opponent's position must be occupied by pieces not pawns.

ou may be sure that idea will be wrong.

1hat is the ob:ect o playing a gambit opening8... To ac4uire a reputation obeing a dashing player at the cost o losing a game.

In a rook and pawn ending the rook must be used aggressively. It must eitherattack enemy pawns or give active support to the advance o one o its own pawns to the 4ueening s4uare.

&s ousseau could not compose without his cat beside him so I cannot playchess without my king's bishop. In its absence the game to me is lieless andvoid. The vitali+ing actor is missing and I can devise no plan o attack.

I the deender is orced to give up the center then every possible attack ollowsalmost o itsel.


4/86

1hite has no positional e4uivalent or the centrali+ed pawn.

&ll lines o play which lead to the imprisonment o the bishop are on principle tobe condemned. ?on the closed uy 3ope+@

It cannot be too greatly emphasi+ed that the most important role in pawnendings is played by the king.

( a lively imagination can exercise itsel most ully and creatively in con:uringup magnifcent combinations.

The uture belongs to he who has the bishops.

"hess is a terrible game. I you have no center your opponent has a reer position. I you do have a center then you really have something to worryabout)

Airst-class players lose to second-class players because second-class playerssometimes play a frst-class game.

7any have become chess masters - no one has become the master o chess.

Bvery move creates a weakness.

Intellectual activity is perhaps the greatest pleasure o lie% chess is one o theorms o intellectual activity.

by Nimzowitsch

The isolated pawn casts gloom over the entire chessboard.

Bven the la+iest king Cees wildly in the ace o double check.

In the middlegame the king is merely an extra but in the endgame he is one o the star actors.

The beauty o a move lies not in its' appearance but in the thought behind it.

The deensive power o a pinned piece is but imaginary.


5/86

The passed 6awn is a criminal who should be kept under lock and key. 7ildmeasures such as police surveillance are not su*cient.

The night o 92D is under obligation the moment the enemy gives him thechance o undertaking an invasion o the center by ,n-9.

The great mobility o the ,ing orms one o the chie characteristics o allendgame strategy. In the middlegame the ,ing is a mere ;super; in theendgame on the other hand - on o the ;principals;. 1e must thereore develophim bring him nearer to the fghting line.

!teinit+ had perhaps only one defciency he was ahead o his generation by atleast $ years)

0e deals with us like inexperienced Cedglings. - ater a #E move loss vs. &lekhine in 2led #ED#

!trategically important points should be overprotected. I the pieces are soengaged they get their regard in the act that they will then fnd themselveswell posted in every respect.

idicule can do much or instance embitter the existence o young talents.

No pawn exchanges no fle-opening no attack.

It is a well known phenomenon that the same amateur who can conduct themiddle game 4uite creditably is usually perectly helpless in the end game. =neo the principal re4uisites o good chess is the ability to treat both the middleand end game e4ually well.

I in a battle I sei+e a bit o debatable land with a handul o soldiers withouthaving done anything to prevent an enemy bombardment o the position wouldit ever occur to me to speak o a con4uest o the terrain in 4uestion8 =bviouslynot. Then why should I do so in chess8

1hen I today ask mysel whence I got the moral courage or it takes moralcourage to make a move ?or orm a plan@ running counter to all tradition I thinkI may say in answer that it was only my intense preoccupation with the problemo the blockade which helped me to do so.

Airst restrain next blockade lastly destroy.

"hess strategy as such today is still in its diapers despite Tarrasch's statement'1e live today in a beautiul time o progress in all felds'. Not even the slightestattempt has been made to explore and ormulate the laws o chess strategy.#EF

7any men many styles% what is chess style but the intangible expression o thewill to win.


6/86

The chess world is obligated to organi+e a match between the champion o theworld and the winner o this "arlsbad tournament - indeed this is a moralobligation. I the world o chess should remain dea to its obligation on theother hand it would amount to an absolutely unorgivable omission carryingwith it a heavy burden o guilt. - upon fnishing clear frst ahead o "apablancain "arlsbad #EFE where current champion &lekhine did not participate

0ow vain are our ears) I thought to mysel. ;!ometimes we ear that which ouropponent ?or ate@ had never even considered) &ter this then is it any longerworthwhile to rack one's brain to fnd new ghosts to ear8 No indeed &ll hailoptimism) - upon his opponent 7attison missing an unusual knight manouevre.

!pielmann is in act the hardest-working o all the masters continuallysearching out the Caws in his game and striving to eliminate them.

&nother o ubinstein's characteristic eatures is his dislike or melodramatics.

Bmpty rhetoric and pretentious moves alike shock him to the core)

on Chigorin "higorin's talent is enormous and possibly he is a real genius. &t times thedepth o his ideas can be inaccessible to mere mortals. - &lexander &lekhine.

?"higorin@ was a bundle o nervous energy and he constantly swung his crossedoot back and orth. !peaking only in his native ussian he was handicapped ingetting along with the other masters. - Arank 7arshall

=nce he fxated on an idea his theoretical point became more important to himthan winning and this lack o competitive pragmatism prevented him rom

making it to the top. - Garry ,asparov

0ad "higorin been able to rein in his antasy on :ust a ew occasions the worldmight have had its frst ussian champion decades beore &lekhine. - Garry,asparov

In ussia the frst player to devote all his lie to the game the man who initiatedthe habit o adopting a proound approach to chess was 7ikhail Ivanovich


7/86

"higorin and we can only speak o the existence o a ussian chess school romthis time onward. - 7ikhail 2otvinnik

The grandiosity o "higorin's ideas is enchanting his every move breathes withcreative orce and an irresistable will to win. - udolph !pielmann

"higorin a genius o practical play considers his privilege at every convenientopportunity to challenge the principles o contemporary chess theory. -1ilhelm !teinit+

In di*cult positions "higorin gets very excited and at times seems 4uite fercesitting at the board with his black hair brushed back splendid bright eyes andCushed ace look as i he could see right through the table. 1hen calmhowever he is decidedly handsome and calculated to beget confdence. - Tournament 2ook o 0astings #HE

by Carlsen

I played like a child. - ?#D year old 7agnus ater a loss in the second game o atwo game rapid chess match with ,asparov - ater drawing the frst game@

It's easy to get obsessed with chess. That's what happened with Aischer and6aul 7orphy. I don't have that same obsession. - ?as interviewed in Timemaga+ine@

I am not some sort o reak. I might be very good at chess but I'm :ust a normal person.

I am trying to beat the guy sitting across rom me and trying to choose themoves that are most unpleasant or him and his style.

I get more upset at losing at other things than chess. I always get upset when Ilose at 7onopoly.

0e has an extreme capacity or work extreme determination to win andextreme perectionism. - ?on ,asparov@


8/86

on Carlsen

This is real talent. - &lexander Nikitin

7agnus has a strong fghting spirit and only starts complications when he cancontrol them. - "arsten 7uller

1ith so many victories coming relatively easily to his immense talent andfghting spirit the fnal crucial ingredient o relentless work will guarantee his place in history. - Garry ,asparov

>ou could say that both Aischer and "arlsen had or have the ability to let chesslook simple. - /iswanathan &nand

by Bronstein

"hess is imagination.

The most powerul weapon in chess is to have the next move.

The essence o "hess is thinking about what "hess is.

Aar rom all o the obvious moves that go without saying are correct.

3osing your ob:ectivity almost always means losing the game.

>ou want to play the ,ing's Gambit8 1ell 2lack can draw ater D. ND. 6lay D.2c i you want to win )

&pparently 7orphy's style exerts an irresistable magnetic power or players oall times and the return to a style o the highest degree is the dream o everychessplayer not excluding even the Grandmasters.

In chess as in lie opportunity strikes but once.


9/86

& strong player re4uires only a ew minutes o thought to get to the heart o theconCict. >ou see a solution immediately and hal an hour later merely convince yoursel that your intuition has not deceived you.

!ometimes at lectures I am asked how would the champions o the last century play today8 I think that ater making a hurried study o modern openings andwatching one or two tournaments the champions o the last century andindeed the century beore that would very 4uickly occupy the same place thatthey occupied when they were alive.

There is not a single true chess-player in the world whose heart does not beataster at the mere sound o such long beloved and amiliar words as 'gambitgames'.

It is no secret that any talented player must in his soul be an artist and whatcould be dearer to his heart and soul than the victory o the subtle orces oreason over crude material strength) 6robably everyone has his own reason or

liking the ,ingJs Gambit but my love or it can be seen in precisely those terms.

2ut whatever you might say and whatever I might say a machine which can play chess with people is one o the most marvellous wonders o our F$thcentury)

2otvinnik himsel is always right at the ront in chess theory% what becomesknown to us today was known to him yesterday. &nd that means that what willonly be understandable to us tomorrow 2otvinnik already knows today.

"hess is infnite and one has to make only one ill-considered move and oneJsopponentJs wildest dreams will become reality.

It would be as naive to study the song o the nightingale as it would beridiculous to try and win a ,ing's Gambit against a representative o the oldchess guard.

Nowadays grandmasters no longer study their opponent's games so much butthey study his character his behaviour and his temperament in the mostthorough ashion.

&ll my lie I have studied deeply and careully the work o this great player andas well as I can I have tried to convert the best o it to my own use. - ?on3asker@

Independence o thought is a most valuable 4uality in a chess-player both atthe board and when preparing or a game.

It is annoying that the rules o chess do not allow a pawn to take eitherhori+ontally or backwards but only orwards ... This psychological tuning is idealor attacking purposes but what about or deence8


10/86

I agree with the opinion expressed by many commentators that in the art odelicate strategic manoeuvring Garry ,asparov and &natoly ,arpov have noe4uals.

To lose one's ob:ective attitude to a position nearly always means ruining yourgame.

I you have made a mistake or committed an inaccuracy there is no need tobecome annoyed and to think that everything is lost. >ou have to reorientate yoursel 4uickly and fnd a new plan in the new situation.

Bven in the heat o a middlegame battle the master still has to bear in mind theoutlines o a possible uture ending.

1hen you play against an experienced opponent who exploits all the deensiveresources at his command you sometimes have to walk time and again alongthe narrow path o 'the only move'.

To play a match or the 1orld "hampionship is the cherished dream o everychess player.

Theory regards this opening as incorrect but it is impossible to agree with this.=ut o the fve tournament games played by me with the ,ing's Gambit I havewon all fve.

!ome pieces in the ,ing's Indian appear on a 'special price' list the darks4uarebishops are at the top o that list.

I a mistake or an inaccuracy occurs there is no need to assume 'all is lost' and

mope - one must reorient onesel 4uickly and fnd a new plan to ft the newsituation.

The chie characteristics o Geller's creativity are an ama+ing ability to extractthe very maximum rom the opening and a readiness to abandon positionalschemes or an open game rie with combinations or vice-versa at anymoment.

There is no disputing that in the eyes o !chlechter Teichmann or evenubinstein the backward pawn was something more substantial than lively piece play but in our day the latter is more oten preerred.

on Bronstein

&ter reaching the heights 2ronstein was unable to maintain his concentrationand play his best chess. 0e committed several o the worst errors o his careerduring his match with 2otvinnik. - Garry ,asparov


11/86

... In my match with 2ronstein I was re4uently conused - I could notimmediately understand what my opponent wanted to do) - 7ikhail 2otvinnik

I must admit that although I am an ardent admirerer o Grandmaster 5.2ronstein I do not 4uite understand his habit o thinking about his frst moverom #$ minutes to hal an hour. - 7ikhail Tal

0is style is typical o the bold tactics adpoted by the !oviet masters with oneexceptionally original twist - his attacks come right out o the openings whichhe has studied more prooundly than his collegues. - ueben Aine

0is antasy was a torrent which could not be dammed. I remember our gamesand the analysis aterwards. I regarded with disbelie the variations which2ronstein considered during play. It was a antastic world into which my coldreason even had I been able would never have entered. - !veto+ar Gligoric

0e is extremely vulnerable. & breaking o ethics puts him in a state o shock and

he cannot bear rudeness. - /anstein

by Kortchnoi

"hess is my lie.

No "hess Grandmaster is normal% they only diKer in the extent o theirmadness.

The only positive contribution to chess rom Aischer in the last F$ years. - ?onthe Aischer clock@

Now how the hell can I be 6etrosian's second i it makes me sick to watch howhe plays8

&s a rule the more mistakes there are in a game the more memorable itremains because you have suKered and worried over each mistake at theboard.


12/86

"hess players people who travel all over the world should be trusted or elsenot sent anywhere at all. 1hy are these our people ?&ntoshin and three othero*cial 'minders'@ sent along to supervise us8 1ith their meagre experience allthat thay did was interere more than ever beore. &nd when they wereneeded they weren't to be ound ...

=ne cannot help but admire the devilish determination and ingenuity o thisman. - ?on 6etrosian@

There came a time when I reali+ed that the ability to deend was - or a goodchess player - insu*cient. >ou can't be dependent upon your opponent's willbut must try to impose your will on him.

It is unpleasant or the players when the organi+ers arrange or play to take place in the morning. The games rom such last rounds in view o the largenumber o mistakes are not ft or publication)

Those who think that it is easy to play chess are mistaken. 5uring a game a player lives on his nerves and at the same time he must be perectlycomposed.

&s a ellow traveller and a living witness o !passky's progress I can testiy thatI know no man who is more capable o sel-perection than !passky.

Arom being an average member o society - eatureless unreasoningsubmissive - he has become an independent discerning thinker and hasgradually turned into a dissident. - ?on !passky@

on Kortchnoi

&s ar as ,ortchnoi the chess player is concerned he ulflled himsel as much ashis strength and talent allowed. - &natoly ,arpov

7y association with ,ortchnoi is linked with many di*cult moments darkthoughts disappointments and despair but I have nothing against ,ortchnoi. - &natoly ,arpov

I have heard so many times that ,ortchnoi had the great misortune o meeting

me when his best playing was already behind him. Nothing o the sort),ortchnoi's best years arrived exactly at the time he battled me (. - &natoly,arpov

1ith all his outward aplomb ostentatious strength and demonstrativeassurance ,ortchnoi was always a rather unstable and doubting person. - &natoly ,arpov


13/86

,ortchnoi has a stable opening repertoire with which he aims to lure hisopponents into schemes where he is well versed. - &natoly ,arpov

1hen playing against ,ortchnoi you have to think not only about the currentmoves but also about what the opponent may take the liberty o doing and thisis not the best atmosphere or creativity. - &natoly ,arpov

,ortchnoi rarely declines any opportunity to gain material. - &natoly ,arpov

by Morphy

6ermit me to repeat what I have invariably declared in every chess community Ihave had the honor o entering that I am not a chess proessional player - that Inever wished to make any skill I possess the means o pecuniary advancement -and that my earnest desire is never to play or any stake but honor.

on Morphy

7orphy treats chess with the seriousness and conscientiousness o an artist (Aor him a game o chess is a sacred duty. - &dol &nderssen

0e who plays with 7orphy must abandon all hope o catching him in a trap nomatter how cunningly laid but must assume that it is so clear to 7orphy thatthere can be no 4uestion o a alse step. - &dolph &nderssen

I cannot record any remarkable saying o 7orphy's because I never heard himutter any% he was indeed eminently taciturn seldom i ever opening his lipsand only doing so to make some remark about chess ... - &lexander7ac5onnell

7orphy was probably the greatest genius o them all. - 2obby Aischer

!taunton appears to have been araid to meet 7orphy and I think his ears werewell-ounded. 7orphy would have beaten him but it wouldn't have been theone-sided encounter that many writers now think it would. It would have been agreat struggle. - 2obby Aischer


14/86

& popularly held theory about 6aul 7orphy is that i he returned to the chessworld today and played our best contemporary players he would come out theloser. Nothing is urther rom the truth. In a set match 7orphy would beatanybody alive today ... - 2obby Aischer

!o still was he that but or the searching intellect which glittered in his ull darkeye you might have taken him or a carven image as he pondered his moves.0is bearing was mild and that o a refned gentleman and he dealt with themost crushing blows on his adversary with an almost womanly ease and grace.- "aptain ,ennedy

&pparently 7orphy's style exerts an irresistable magnetic power or players oall times and the return to a style o the highest degree is the dream o everychessplayer not excluding even the Grandmasters. - 5avid 2ronstein

1hen seated beore the chessboard his ace betrays no agitation even in themost critical positions% in such cases he generally whistles an air through his

teeth and patiently seeks or the combination to get him out o trouble. - Brnst7orphy

7orphy stepped rom the armchair in which he had been almost immovable orten consecutive hours without having tasted a morsel o anything even waterduring the whole o the period% yet as resh apparently as when he sat down ...- Arederick 7ilne Bdge on the blindold exhibition at "ae de egence in 6aris

1ho that was present that evening does not remember 6aul 7orphy's frstappearance at the New >ork "ity "hess "lub8 The secretary 7r. Arederick6errin valorously oKered to be his frst antagonist and presented about thesame resistance as a mos4uito to an avalanche. - Arederick 7ilne Bdge

7orphy has a great love or music and his memory or any air he has onceheard is astonishing. 7rs. 7orphy is renowned in the salons o New =rleans as abrilliant pianist and musician and her son without ever having studied musichas a similar aptitude or it and it is believed that he would have becomeamous theirin as in chess had he given his attention to it. - Arederick 7ilneBdge

7orphy was so ar ahead o his time that it took another 4uarter century orthese principles o development and attack to be rediscovered and ormulated.- Garry ,asparov

1hen he went to the New >ork tournament in #HL he had his frst experienceo mean and petty chess :ealousy. 0e ound out or the frst time that there were persons who did not have the same loty ideas about the game that he had andit was a great shock to the young gentleman. - M.&. Galbreath

7orphy gained most o his wins by playing directly and simply and it is simpleand logical method that constitutes the true brilliance o his play i it isconsidered rom the viewpoint o the great masters. - Mose "apablanca


15/86

6aul 7orphy was never so passionately ond so inordinately devoted to chessas is generally believed. &n intimate ac4uaintance and long observation enablesus to state this positively. - "harles 7aurian

I the distinguishing eature o a genius is that he is ar ahead compared with his

epoch then 7orphy was a chess genius in the complete sense o the word. - 7ax Buwe

To this day 7orphy is an unsurpassed master o the open games. Must how greatwas his signifcance is evident rom the act that ater 7orphy nothingsubstantially new has been created in this feld. - 7ikhail 2otvinnik

1hen one plays with 7orphy the sensation is as 4ueer as the frst electricshock or frst love or chloroorm or any entirely novel experience. - 7oncure5aniel "onway

6layed 'a la 7orphy'. 1hat greater praise can be given8 - !avielly Tartakower

There is no doubt that or 7orphy chess was an art and or chess 7orphy was agreat artist. 0is play was captivated by reshness o thought and inexhaustibleenergy. 0e played with inspiration without striving to penetrate into the psychology o the opponent% he played i one can express it so 'pure chess'. -/asily !myslov

!teinit+ confrmed me in my opinion that 7orphy played some o his best movesby intuition as it was impossible that the human brain could have thoroughlyanalysed the result. - 1.M.&. Auller

7orphy Cashed upon the chess world like a meteor and disappeared almost assuddenly as he came. 0is sad ate and untimely end were due to other causesthan chess as his riends all know. - 1.M.&. Auller

I played more games with him than any other man. The reason why he preerred to play with me at these parties was because I knew I should bebeaten as a matter o course and I was not araid to play an open game so that he might exhibit his great brilliancy ... - 1.M.&. Auller

It's easy to get obsessed with chess - that's what happened with Aischer and6aul 7orphy. I don't have that same obsession. - 7agnus "arlsen

In general there is something pu++ling about the act that the most renownedfgures in chess - 7orphy 6illsbury "apablanca and Aischer - were born in &merica. - Garry ,asparov

The radiant combinations o this chess genius can be compared with thetransparent music o 7o+art and his impeccable behaviour at the board and his precise observance o the chess rules which he himsel introduced resemblethe 7endeleyev Table o the elements. - &natoly ,arpov


16/86

WILHELM STEINITZ {WCH 1886-1894}

Chanchalgiri mah ,kn!"r nagar

The scientific method, which could, in his opinion, provide the key to the solving of any problems arising on the chess board. He was the first to divide a position in to its components

elements, to pick out its most important factors, and so state the general principal of strategy.

This was a great discovery, a turning point in chess history!! But in practice Steinitz often

overestimated the importance of the theory of positional play he had created, and relied

ecessively on abstract principals. ell, he was a true child of his materialistic time, when there

prevailed a na"ve belief in the omnipotence of science and in the inevitability that soon all natural

processes would be completely understood.

by Steinitz

The King is a fighting piece - use it!

I have never in my life played the French Defense, which is the dullest of all openings.

A sacrifice is est refuted y accepting it.


17/86

nly the player with the initiative has the right to attac".

A win y an unsound comination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror.

#apture of the adverse King is the ultimate ut not the first o$ect of the game.

#hess is so inspiring that I do not elieve a good player is capale of having an evil thought during

the game.

In the ending the "ing is a powerful piece for assisting his own pawns, or stopping the adverse pawns.

#higorin, a genius of practical play, considers his privilege at every convenient opportunity to

challenge the principles of contemporary chess theory.

I am not a chess historian - I myself am a piece of chess history, which no one can avoid. I will not

write aout myself, ut I am sure that someone will write %

&nfortunately, many regard the critic as an enemy, instead of seeing him as a guide to the truth %

#hess is not for the faint-hearted' it asors a person entirely. To get to the ottom of this game, he

has to give himself up into slavery. #hess is difficult, it demands wor", serious reflection and (ealous

research.

The "ing pawn and the )ueen pawn are the only ones to e moved in the early part of the game.

I may e on old lion, ut if someone puts his finger in my mouth, I*ll ite it off!


18/86

The tas" of the positional player is systematically to accumulate slight advantages and try to convert

temporary advantages into permanent ones, otherwise the player with the etter position runs the

ris" of losing it.

on Steinitz

+teinit( had perhaps only one deficiency he was ahead of his generation y at least years! -

Aaron /im(owitsch

+teinit( was the most profound opening analyst of all time. 0e was more theorist than player, utnonetheless he was the strongest player of his day. 1laying over his games, I discover that they are

completely modern' where 2orphy and +teinit( re$ected the fianchetto, +teinit( emraced it. In

addition, he understood all of the positional concepts which modern players hold so dear, and thus -

with +teinit(, must e considered the first modern player. - 3oy Fischer

0e understood more aout the use of s)uares than did 2orphy, and contriuted a great deal more to

chess theory. - 3oy Fischer

True friends of chess must e than"ful to you for the interest which you constantly awa"e with your

aversion to schalon-li"e 4stereotyped5 play. As "nown to you I do not share your theory and

principlies completely, which, however, does not prevent me from appreciating them. - 2i"hail

#higorin

A player, as the world elieved he was, he was not, his studious temperament made that impossile'

and thus he was con)uered y a player and in the end little valued y the world, he died. - 6manuel

7as"er

0e was a pioneer and one of the most profound researchers into the truth of the game, which was

hidden from his contemporaries. - 8ose #apalanca


19/86

1lace the contents of the #hess o9 in a hat, sha"e them up vigorously, pour them on the oard from

a height of two feet, and you get the style of +teinit(. - 0enry 3ird

# sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it.Wilhlm S#ini#$

# win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic

horror.Wilhlm S#ini#$

$hess is intellectual gymnastics.Wilhlm S#ini#$

$hess is not for timid souls.Wilhlm S#ini#$

$hess is so inspiring that % do not believe a good player is capable of having

an evil thought during the game.Wilhlm S#ini#$

&ame, % have already. 'ow % need the money.Wilhlm S#ini#$

% do not believe a good player is capable of having an evil thought during the

game.Wilhlm S#ini#$

% have never in my life played the &rench (efence, which is the dullest of allopenings.Wilhlm S#ini#$

)nly the player with the initiative has the right to attack.Wilhlm S#ini#$

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20/86

hen you have an advantage, you are obliged to attack* otherwise you are

endangered to lose the advantage.Wilhlm S#ini#$

EM%N&EL L%S'E( {WCH 1894-19)1}

% native of +ermany, a doctor of philosophy and mathematics, asker was the first, andat that time the only player to appreciate the importance of psychological factors. hile being an

ecellent tactician and strategist, at the same time he realized that the art of eploiting the

opponents deficiencies was sometimes far more important than the ability to make the most

correct moves. # deep knowledge of human psychological and an understanding of the relative

value of chess strategy helped him to win almost all the events in which he competed, and to

retain the title of champion for - long years. #n absolute record!! #nd who at that time were the

masters of thinking/ )f course, 0insiain and &reud!! #s they say, commentary is superfluous1..

By lasker

:hen you see a good move, loo" for a etter one.

:ithout error there can e no rilliancy.

#hess is, aove all, a fight.

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21/86

n the chessoard lies and hypocrisy do not last long.

In #hess, as it is played y masters, chance is practically eliminated.

The laws of chess do not permit a free choice you have to move whether you li"e it or not.

The hardest game to win is a won game.

I have added these principles to the law get the Knights into action efore oth ishops are

developed.

3y what right does :hite, in an asolutely even position, such as after move one, when oth sides

have advanced ;. eamit

The game gives us a satisfaction that 7ife denies us. And for the #hess player, the success which

crowns his wor", the great dispeller of sorrows, is named *comination*.

+how me three variations in the leading handoo" on the openings, and I will show you two of those

three that are defective.

Do not permit yourself to fall in love with the end-game play to the e9clusion of entire games. It is

well to have the whole story of how it happened' the complete play, not the denouement only. Do not

emrace the rag-time and vaudeville of chess.

3y some ardent enthusiasts #hess has een elevated into a science or an art. It is neither' ut its

principal characteristic seems to e - what human nature mostly delights in - a fight.


22/86

Truth derives its strength not so much from itself as from the rilliant contrast it ma"es with what is

only apparently true. This applies especially to #hess, where it is often found that the profoundest

moves do not much startle the imagination.

The process of ma"ing pieces in #hess do something useful 4whatever it may e5 has received a

special name it is called the attac". The attac" is that process y means of which you remove

ostructions.

To refer to the oft mooted )uestion, ?:hich piece is stronger, the 3ishop or the Knight=? it is clear

that the value of the 3ishop undergoes greater changes than that of the Knight.

@anity should never tempt a player to engage in a comat at the ris" of loss of health. It is adenough to lose without the additional annoyance of paying doctors* ills.

I elieve in magic ... There is magic in the creative faculty such as great poets and philosophers

conspicuously possess, and e)ually in the creative chessmaster.

The most intelligent inspection of any numer of fine paintings will not ma"e the oserver a painter,

nor will listening to a numer of operas ma"e the hearer a musician, ut good $udges of music and

painting may so e formed. #hess differs from these. The intelligent perusal of fine games cannot fail

to ma"e the reader a etter player and a etter $udge of the play of others.

In mathematics, if I find a new approach to a prolem, another mathematician might claim that he

has a etter, more elegant solution. In chess, if anyody claims he is etter than I, I can chec"mate

him.

The comination player thin"s forward' he starts from the given position, and tries the forcefulmoves in his mind.

A chess game, after all, is a fight in which all possile factors must e made use of, and in which a

"nowledge of the opponent*s good and ad )ualities is of the greatest importance.


23/86

:hen Ale"hine recogni(es the wea"ness in his position he has a tendency to ecome very aggressive.

1atient defence is not for him if he can see the slightest chance of creating an attac". et sound

strategy often demands that you sumit to the opponent*s will so as to strengthen your wea"nesses

and get rid of defects in your game.

To find the right plan is $ust as hard as loo"ing for its sound $ustification.

3y positional play a master tries to prove and e9ploit true values, whereas y cominations he see"s

to refute false values ... A comination produces an une9pected re-assessment of values.

Th range of circumstances in which it is possile to presuppose the presence of a comination is very

limited. The presence of such circumstances is the reason for the genesis of the idea in the master*s

rain.

7oss generally occurs when a player overrates his advantage or for other reasons see"s to derive

from a minute advantage a great return such as a forced win.

0e who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively and more oldly than his

antagonist who either ta"es it easy or aspires after too much. Thus a slight disadvantage is very

fre)uently seen to convert into a good, solid advantage.

A player, as the world elieved he was, he was not, his studious temperament made that impossile'

and thus he was con)uered y a player and in the end little valued y the world, he died.

King of chess - 4what he whispered to his wife efore he died5

% in itself the title of world champion does not give any significicant advantages, if it is not

ac"nowledged y the entire chess world, and a champion who does not have the chess world ehind

him is, in my view, a laughing-stoc".


24/86

The fatal hour of this ancient game is approaching. In its modern form this game will soon die a

drawing death - the inevitale victory of certainty and mechani(ation will leave its stamp on the fate

of chess

I have "nown many chess players, ut among them there has een only one genius - #apalanca!

on asker

For me, this personality, notwithstanding his fundamentally optimistic attitude, had a tragic note.

The enormous mental resilience, without which no chess player can e9ist, was so much ta"en up y

chess that he could never free his mind of this game, even when he was occupied y philosophical

and humanitarian )uestions. - Alert 6instein

7as"er was my teacher, and without him I could not have ecome whom I ecame. The idea of chess

art is unthin"ale without 6manuel 7as"er. - Ale9ander Ale"hine

All my life I have studied deeply and carefully the wor" of this great player and, as well as I can, I

have tried to convert the est of it to my own use. - David 3ronstein

I don*t thin" I will win a game in this match. 7as"er plays too stupidly for me to loo" at the oard

with any interest. - David 8anows"i

7as"er does not play chess, he plays dominoes. - 4after losing ;B; match CE-5 - David

8anows"i

/one of the great players has een so incomprehensile to the ma$ority of amateurs and even

masters, as 6manuel 7as"er. - 8ose #apalanca

That he was a great endgame player is un)uestionale. In fact, he was the greatest I have ever

"nown. 3ut he was also the most profound and the most imaginative player I have ever "nown. -

8ose #apalanca

7as"er was perhaps the first of the great masters who understood the importance of preparing for

competitions' efore him, of course, they studied chess, ut only in general, and they were not yet

ale to prepare concretely % - 2i"hail 3otvinni"

>reat was 7as"er*s role in the social recognition of chess, the reali(ation of its usefulness. ?The game

of chess eases our life*s struggle?, he said. - 2i"hail 3otvinni"

The greatest of the champions was, of course, 6manuel 7as"er. At the chess oard he accomplished

the impossile! - 2i"hail Tal

7as"er was purely and simply a great fighter who could also put up a tough fight in inferior

positions, in this way eing ale to save many a difficult position. - 1aul Keres


25/86

It stri"es one as remar"ale that 7as"er, the one-time world*s chess champion, had no disciples.

+teinit( founded a school. /early all modern masters have learnt from Tarrasch. ne perceives )uite

clearly the mind of young Guinstein in the chess pra9is of later years only 7as"er is inimitale.

:hy is it= - Gichard Geti

7as"er*s style was li"e clear limpid water - with a dash of poison! - Gudolph +pielmann

2any an e9pert says that there is a certain affinity etween 4#apalanca*s style5 and that of the

world master, 7as"er. There may e some truth in it. 7as"er*s style is clear water, ut with a drop of

poison which is clouding it. #apalanca*s style is perhaps still clearer, ut it lac"s that drop of

poison. - 8ac)ues 2ieses

They compare me with 7as"er, which is an e9aggerated honour. 7as"er made mista"es in every game

and I only in every second one! - 2i"hail Tal

*+SE (+&L C%%L%NC% {WCH 19)1-19).}

2The chess machine!!34 this was that the $uban genius was called, on account of the purity of his playing style. # favorite with the public, he was a person of refined manners and a

man of the world. The great capa crushed his opponents in an apparently offhand manner, with

e5uisite ease and elegance. #lso attractive was the fact that he gain his brilliant victories

apparently without any serious preparatory work on chess. But now remember that time 6 the

years of hope and optimism, when the world was en7oying the peace and 5uiet after the horrors

of the First World War . %t was that time that the global eport of #merican cultural value began 6

from literary bestsellers of Hollywood productions. Stories involving successful heroes, withdazzling smiles and invariable happy endings, healed the wounds of the recent war. #nd $apa, a

successful socialite and a spoilt child of fortune, correspondent ecellently with the spirit of the

times.


26/86

by Capablanca

A passed pawn increase in strength as the numer of pieces on the oard diminishes.

A good player is always luc"y.

ou may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. ou will have to lose

hundreds of games efore ecoming a good player.

In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame efore everything else. For whereas the

endings can e studied and mastered y themselves, the middle game and end game must e studied

in relation to the end game.

I have not given any drawn or lost games, ecause I thought them inade)uate to the purpose of the

oo". - 4in *2y #hess #areer*, pulished in ;BH5

6ndings of one roo" and pawns are aout the most common sort of endings arising on the chess

oard. et though they do occur so often, few have mastered them thoroughly. They are often of a

very difficult nature, and sometimes while apparently very simple they are in reality e9tremely

intricate.

The est way to learn endings, as well as openings, is from the games of the masters.

The winning of a pawn among good players of even strength often means the winning of the game.


27/86

The "ing, which during the opening and middlegame stage is often a urden ecause it has to e

defended, ecomes in the endgame a very important and aggressive piece, and the eginner should

reali(e this, and utili(e his "ing as much as possile.

An e9ception was made with respect to me, ecause of my victory over 2arshall. +ome of the masters

o$ected to my entry % one of them was Dr. 3ernstein. I had the good fortune to play him in the first

round., and eat him in such fashion as to otain the Gothschild pri(e for the most rilliant game ... a

profound feeling of respect for my aility remained throughout the rest of the contest.

2orphy gained most of his wins y playing directly and simply, and it is simple and logical method

that constitutes the true rilliance of his play, if it is considered from the viewpoint of the great

masters.

0e was a pioneer and one of the most profound researchers into the truth of the game, which was

hidden from his contemporaries. - 4on :ilhelm +teinit(5

/one of the great players has een so incomprehensile to the ma$ority of amateurs and even

masters, as 6manuel 7as"er.

:hen you sit down to play a game you should thin" only aout the position, ut not aout the

opponent. :hether chess is regarded as a science, or an art, or a sport, all the same psychology

ears no relation to it and only stands in the way of real chess.

69cellent! I will still e in time for the allet! - 4upon defeating ssip 3ernstein in the famous HB

move e9hiition game played in 2oscow in ;B;


28/86

2ost players ... do not li"e losing, and consider defeat as something shameful. This is a wrong

attitude. Those who wish to perfect themselves must regard their losses as lessons and learn from

them what sorts of things to avoid in the future.

The wea"er the player the more terrile the Knight is to him, ut as a player increases in strength the

value of the 3ishop ecomes more evident to him, and of course there is, or should e, a

corresponding decease in his estimation of the value of the Knight as compared to the ishop.

#hess can never reach its height y following in the path of science ... 7et us, therefore, ma"e a new

effort and with the help of our imagination turn the struggle of techni)ue into a attle of ideas.

The game might e divided into three parts, the opening, the middle-game and the end-game. There

is one thing you must strive for, to e e)ually efficient in the three parts.

An hour*s history of two minds is well told in a game of chess.

our +oviet players are cheating, losing the games on purpose to my rival, 3otvinni", in order to

increase his points on the score. - 4to +talin in 2oscow ;BE, where he finished clear ;st, one point

ahead of 3otvinni"5

#hess is something more than a game. It is an intellectual diversion which has certain artistic

)ualities and many scientific elements.

During the course of many years I have oserved that a great numer of doctors, lawyers, and

important usinessmen ma"e a hait of visiting a chess clu during the late afternoon or evening torela9 and find relief from the preoccupations of their wor".

+ultan Khan had ecome champion of India at Indian chess and he learned the rules of our form of

chess at a later date. The fact that even under such conditions he succeeded in ecoming champion

reveals a genius for chess which is nothing short of e9traordinary.


29/86

/inety percent of the oo" variations have no great value, ecause either they contain mista"es or

they are ased on fallacious assumptions' $ust forget aout the openings and spend all that time on

the endings.

Although the Knight is generally considered to e on a par with the 3ishop in strength, the latter

piece is somehat stronger in the ma$ority of cases in which they are opposed to each other.

The great :orld #hampions 2orphy, +teinit(, and 7as"er were past masters in the art of 1awn play'

they had no superiors in their handling of endgames. The present :orld #hampion has not the

strength of the other three as an endgame player, and is therefore inferior to them.

To my way of thin"ing, Troit("y has no peer among endgame compsers' no one else has composed so

many and such varied endings of the first ran".

/o other great master has een so misunderstood y the vast ma$ority of chess amateurs and even y

many masters, as has 6manuel 7as"er.

That he was a great endgame player is un)uestionale. In fact, he was the greatest I have ever

"nown. 3ut he was also the most profound and the most imaginative player I have ever "nown. - 4on

6manuel 7as"er5

1eople who want to improve should ta"e their defeats as lessons, and endeavor to learn what to

avoid in the future. ou must also have the courage of your convictions. If you thin" your move is

good, ma"e it.

on Capablanca


30/86

#apalanca did not apply himself to opening theory 4in which he never therefore achieved much5,

ut delved deeply into the study of end-games and other simple positions which respond to techni)ue

rather than to imagination. - 2a9 6uwe

3ut alas! 7i"e many another consumation devoutly to e wished, the actual performance was a

disappointing one. - 4on the long awaited 7as"er-#apalanca match in ;BH;5 - Fred Geinfeld

/ever efore and never since have I seen - and I cannot even imagine, such an ama(ing rapidity of

chess thin"ing that #apalanca possessed in ;B;E-;


31/86

:hen I used to go to the 2anhattan #hess #lu ac" in the fifties, I met a lot of old-timers there who

"new #apalanca, ecause he used to come around to the 2anhattan clu in the forties efore he

died in the early forties. They spo"e aout #apalanca with awe. I have never seen people spea"

aout any chess player li"e that, efore or since. - 3oy Fischer

3ut the thing that was great aout #apalanca was that he really spo"e his mind, he said what he

elieved was true, he said what he felt. 0e wanted to change the rules Lof chessM already, ac" in the

twenties, ecause he said chess was getting played out. 0e was right. /ow chess is completely dead.

It is all $ust memorisation and prearrangement. ItNs a terrile game now. @ery uncreative. -3oy

Fischer

I have "nown many chess players, ut among them there has een only one genius - #apalanca! -

6manuel 7as"er

ne interesting indication of #apalanca*s greatness is that to non-chess players his name was

etter "nown than the names of all other chess masters together! This was due partly to his engaging

personality and distinguished appearance he was one of those e9ceptional people who at once stand

out in a crowd. - Fred Geinfeld

#apalanca possessed an ama(ing aility to )uic"ly see into a position and intuitively grasp its main

features. 0is style, one of the purest, most crystal-clear in the entire history of chess, astonishes onewith his logic. - >arry Kasparov

1oor #apalanca! Thou wert a rilliant technician, ut no philosopher. Thou wert not capale of

elieving that in chess, another style could e victorious than the asolutely correct one. - 2a9

6uwe

The essence of #apalanca*s greatness is his rare talent for avoiding all that can complicate or

confuse the conflict. - 2a9 6uwe

0e can e regarded as the great master of simplification. The art of resolving the tension at the

critical moment and in the most effacious way so as to clarify the position as desired is #apalanca*s

own. - 2a9 6uwe


32/86

The *chess machine*, y which admiring title he had een "nown, revealed the great drawac" of a

machine it had not sufficient fle9iility to adapt itself to altered circumstances. - 2a9 6uwe

#apalanca plays very superficially sometimes, in a way that can only e ascried to lac" of

concentration. This is an integral wea"ness of his ma"e-up and can only e partially compensated y

his employing his time allowance to the full. - 2a9 6uwe

4#apalanca*s5 phenomenal move-searching algorithm in those early years, when he possessed a

wonderful aility for calculating variations very rapidly, made him invincile. - 2i"hail 3otvinni"

#apalanca*s play produced and still produces an irresistale artistic effect. In his games a tendency

towards simplicity predominated, and in this simplicity there was a uni)ue eauty of genuine depth.

- 2i"hail 3otvinni"

:ithout techni)ue it is impossile to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to orrow from

#apalanca his wonderful, sutle techni)ue. - 2i"hail Tal

Knowing nothing aout chess, I was unale to appreciate #apalanca*s genius in that field, ut

wor"ing with him gave me an opportunity to appreciate the rilliance of his mind. - lga

#apalanca

#hess was #apalanca*s mother tongue. - Gichard Geti

:hen I was a child I li"ed the games of #apalanca, and later I was captivated y Ale"hine*s play. -

@ladimir Kramni"

2any an e9pert says that there is a certain affinity etween 4#apalanca*s style5 and that of the

world master, 7as"er. There may e some truth in it. 7as"er*s style is clear water, ut with a drop of

poison which is clouding it. #apalanca*s style is perhaps still clearer, ut it lac"s that drop of

poison. - 8ac)ues 2ieses


33/86

ou will already have noticed how often #apalanca repeated moves, often returning to positions

which he had had efore. This is not lac" of deciciveness or slowness, ut the employment of a asic

endgame principle which is *Do not hurry*. - Ale9ander Kotov

In general there is something pu((ling aout the fact that the most renowned figures in chess -

2orphy, 1illsury, #apalanca and Fischer - were orn in America. - >arry Kasparov

#apa, a gourmet, was also a chef par e9cellence. Friends $o"ed that he could ma"e more money as a

maestro of the cuisine than in chess. - lga #apalanca

%LE/%N0E( %LE'HINE {WCH 19).-192,19.-1946}

The product of a rich noble family 6 and at the same time the first champion of Soviet8ussia!! 0ven before this he had known much sorrow in the hard times of war and revolution.

Then came emigration to &rance, the deploma of doctor of law, the grandiose battle with

capablanca, years of travelling, victories and defeats, the second world war, tournaments in

occupied 0urope, then accusations of collaboration with the 'azis and the threat of


34/86

dis5ualification 1.#lekhine9s style was the embodiment of psychological aggression. 0normous

preparatory work, eplosive energy at the board, and a maniacal striving to fi

by Alekhine

During a #hess competition a #hessmaster should e a comination of a east of prey and a mon".

:hen as"ed, ?0ow is that you pic" etter moves than your opponents=?, I responded I*m very glad

you as"ed that, ecause, as it happems, there is a very simple answer. I thin" up my own moves, and I

ma"e my opponent thin" up his.

1lay on oth sides of the oard is my favourite strategy.

The fact that a player is very short of time is to my mind, as little to e considered as an e9cuse as,

for instance, the statement of the law-rea"er that he was drun" at the time he committed the crime.

#higorin*s talent is enormous, and possily he is a real genius. At times the depth of his ideas can e

inaccessile to mere mortals.

% 1illsury aspired for the candle of his life to urn constantly at oth ends. *:ine, women, and not

harmless songs, ut strong cigars* - this was 1illsury*s principle in life.

7as"er was my teacher, and without him I could not have ecome whom I ecame. The idea of chessart is unthin"ale without 6manuel 7as"er.

/ever efore and never since have I seen - and I cannot even imagine, such an ama(ing rapidity of

chess thin"ing that #apalanca possessed in ;B;E-;


35/86


36/86

6uwe*s chess talent is in origin purely tactical - unli"e that of such masters as +teinit(, Guinstein,

#apalanca, and /iemtsovitch. 3ut he is a tactician who is determined at all costs to ecome a good

strategist, and y dint of a great deal of hard wor" he has had some measure of success.

The infallile criterion y which to distinguish the true from the would-e strategist is the degree of

originality of his conceptions. It ma"es little difference whether this originality is carried to e9cess,

as was the case with +teinit( and /im(owitsch.

During a chess tournament a master must envisage himself as a cross etween an ascetic mon" and a

east of prey.

oung players e9pose themselves to grave ris"s when they lindly imitate the innovations of masterswithout themselves first chec"ing all the details and conse)uences of these innovations.

1laying for complications is an e9treme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot

find a clear and logical plan.

1sychology is the most important factor in chess.

I did not elieve I was superior to him. 1erhaps the chief reason for his defeat was the

overestimation of his own powers arising out of his overwhelming victory in /ew or", ;BHJ, and his

underestimation of mine. - 4n #apalanca5

During a #hess competition a #hessmaster should e a comination of a east of prey and a mon".

on Alekhine

0e deals with us li"e ine9perienced fledglings. - 4after a ;B move loss vs. Ale"hine in 3led ;BE;5 -

Aaron /im(owitsch


37/86

It is said that Ale"hine sometimes got so e9cited with the position that he $umped up from the oard

and ran round it *li"e a haw"*. - Ale9ander Kotov

Ale"hine elieved it essential for every strong player to develop in himself *unwavering attention,

which must isolate the player completely from the world around him*. - Ale9ander Kotov

0e won a numer of well-"nown games, y right from the opening holding his opponent in a vice

prepared at home. And his grip was strong after sei(ing his victim, he would no longer release him.

- Anatoly Karpov

Ale"hine developed as a player much more slowly than most. In his twenties, he was an atrocious

chessplayer, and didn*t mature until he was well into his thirties. - 3oy Fischer

Ale"hine is a player I*ve never really understood. 0e always wanted a superior centre' he

manoeuvred his pieces toward the "ingside, and around the Hth move, egan to mate his opponent.

0e disli"ed e9changes, preferring to play with many pieces on the oard. 0is play was fantastically

complicated, more so than any player efore or since. - 3oy Fischer

0e considered that chess was closest to an art, and he was ale to demonstrate this with his

optimistic, eternally youthful play. - 3oris +pass"y

% I recalled the story aout Ale"hine, who after a lost game, threw his "ing far away. Though I am

far from Ale"hine*s genius, I could understand him at that moment. - 3orislav Iv"ov

:ho else in chess history has won so many serious games with the help of rilliant tactical stro"es=- >arry Kasparov

The inspirational games of Ale"ander Ale"hine, my first chess hero, find a place alongside the

inspirational character of :inston #hurchill, whose words and oo"s I still turn to regularly. -

>arry Kasparov


38/86

I "new Ale"hine very well and he was perfectly sane' there is not a scrap of evidence that he was

anything other than a chess genius who was perfectly sane either over the oard or away from it. -

0arry >olome"

Ale"hine evidently possesses the most remar"ale chess memory that has ever e9isted. It is said that

he rememers y heart all the games played y the leading masters during the last ;-H years. -

8ose #apalanca

The great :orld #hampions 2orphy, +teinit(, and 7as"er were past masters in the art of 1awn play'

they had no superiors in their handling of endgames. The present :orld #hampion has not the

strength of the other three as an endgame player, and is therefore inferior to them. - 8ose

#apalanca

% at the chessoard he was mighty, away from chess % he was li"e a little oy who would get up to

mischief and naively thin" that no one was watching him. - 2a9 6uwe

As a person Ale"hine was an enigma. 0e was focused on his chess and on himself to such a degree

that in our countries he was $o"ingly called *Alein-ich* 4in >erman *I am alone*5. :ith such a frame

of mind he could not have any real friends, only admirers and supporters. - 2a9 6uwe

/ot without reason is he famed as a conoisseur of opening theory. To gain some advantage from the

opening is vital to him, and he is willing to ris" any difficulty or even ha(ard to attain, as )uic"ly as

possile, a position in which he feels at home. - 2a9 6uwe

Ale"hine*s real genius is in the preparation and construction of a position, long efore cominations

or mating attac"s come into consideration at all. - 2a9 6uwe

0e is a poet who creates a wor" of art out of something which would hardly inspire another man to

send home a picture postcard. - 2a9 6uwe


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Ale"hine is dear to the chess world, mainly as an artist. Typical of him are deep plans, far-sighted

calculation and ine9haustile imagination. - 2i"hail 3otvinni"

In Ale"hine we are captivated y his e9ceptional cominative talent and his whole-hearted love for

chess. - 2i"hail Tal

2uch of Ale"hine*s theoretical wor" in the openings sprang from his refusal to accept the prevalent

notion that 3lac", ecause he moves second, must e satisfied to overcome :hite*s natural initiative

and achieve theoretical e)uality. - 1al 3en"o

I can comprehend Ale"hine*s cominations well enough' ut where he gets his attac"ing chances

from and how he infuses such life into the very opening - that is eyond me. >ive me the positions heotains, and I should seldom falter. - Gudolph +pielmann

The name of Ale"hine is illuminated y the rilliance of his chess cominations. Ale"hine possesssed

an e9ceptionally rich chess imagination, and his s"ill in creating cominative complications is

incomparale. - @asily +myslov

:hen Ale"hine recogni(es the wea"ness in his position he has a tendency to ecome very aggressive.

1atient defence is not for him if he can see the slightest chance of creating an attac". et sound

strategy often demands that you sumit to the opponent*s will so as to strengthen your wea"nesses

and get rid of defects in your game. - 6manuel 7as"er

:hen I was a child I li"ed the games of #apalanca, and later I was captivated y Ale"hine*s play. -

@ladimir Kramni"

M%/ E&WE {WCH 192-19.}


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by Euwe

+trategy re)uires thought, tactics re)uire oservation.

:homever sees no other aim in the game than that of giving chec"mate to one*s opponent will never

ecome a good chess player.

1oor #apalanca! Thou wert a rilliant technician, ut no philosopher. Thou wert not capale of

elieving that in chess, another style could e victorious than the asolutely correct one.

% at the chessoard he was mighty, away from chess % he was li"e a little oy who would get up to

mischief and naively thin" that no one was watching him. - 4on Ale"hine5

3otvinni" almost ma"es you feel that difficulty attracts him and stimulates him to the full unfolding of

his powers. 2ost players feel uncomfortale in difficult positions, ut 3otvinni" seems to en$oy them.


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If the distinguishing feature of a genius is that he is far ahead compared with his epoch, then 2orphy

was a chess genius in the complete sense of the word.

As a person Ale"hine was an enigma. 0e was focused on his chess and on himself to such a degree

that in our countries he was $o"ingly called *Alein-ich* 4in >erman *I am alone*5. :ith such a frame

of mind he could not have any real friends, only admirers and supporters.

/ot without reason is he famed as a conaisseur of opening theory. To gain some advantage from the

opening is vital to him, and he is willing to ris" any difficulty or even ha(ard to attain, as )uic"ly as

possile, a position in which he feels at home. - 4on Ale"hine5

Ale"hine*s real genius is in the preparation and construction of a position, long efore cominationsor mating attac"s come into consideration at all.

The essence of #apalanca*s greatness is his rare talent for avoiding all that can complicate or

confuse the conflict.

0e can e regarded as the great master of simplification. The art of resolving the tension at the

critical moment and in the most effacious way so as to clarify the position as desired is #apalanca*s

own.

:here dangers threaten from every side and the smallest slac"ening of attention might e fatal' in a

position which re)uires a nerve of steel and intense concentration - 3otvinni" is in his element.

Geshevs"y is the e9ception - he is an all-round player with an all-round temperament. 0e has no

partiality for any special type of position' he li"es and plays every sort of game e)ually well' it is this

which distinguishes him from his fellow-masters.

0e is a poet who creates a wor" of art out of something which would hardly inspire another man to

send home a picture postcard. - 4on Ale"hine5


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#apalanca did not apply himself to opening theory 4in which he never therefore achieved much5,

ut delved deeply into the study of end-games and other simple positions which respond to techni)ue

rather than to imagination.

The *chess machine,* y which admiring title he had een "nown, revealed the great drawac" of a

machine it had not sufficient fle9iility to adapt itself to altered circumstances. - 4on #apalanca5

#apalanca plays very superficially sometimes, in a way that can only e ascried to lac" of

concentration. This is an integral wea"ness of his ma"e-up and can only e partially compensated y

his employing his time allowance to the full.

Fortified y strong nerves, devout optimism, great self-confidence, a philosophical temperament anda tremendous weight of e9perience, he feels confident in any position that is even remotely

presentale, and is up to any tas" the world of his opponents may present him. -4on Geshevs"y5

on Euwe

6uwe*s chess talent is in origin purely tactical - unli"e that of such masters as +teinit(, Guinstein,#apalanca, and /iemtsovitch. 3ut he is a tactician who is determined at all costs to ecome a good

strategist, and y dint of a great deal of hard wor" he has had some measure of success. -

Ale9ander Ale"hine

6uwe will go down to chess history as the apostle of method. 0e is a Doctor of 2athematics, a

)ualified actuary, licensed to teach oo"-"eeping, an accomplished o9er, swimmer, aviator. 0e has

written more oo"s than any three other living masters put together. - 0ans Kmoch

As a result of his perhaps too versatile life, 6uwe has een ale to uild up no reserve of hait, no

aility to $udge a position y second nature. - 0ans Kmoch


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0as he some psychological antipathy to realism= I am no psychologist, and cannot say. The fact

remains that 6uwe commits the most ine9plicale mista"es in thoroughly favorale positions, and

that this wea"ness has consistently tarnished his record. - 0ans Kmoch

2ethod rules his training, which lends the physical with the mental. 0ow many chess masters put

in, prior to an important match, an allotted time daily to icycling and shadow-o9ing, followed y a

cold douche and a ris" ru down= - 0ans Kmoch

MI'H%IL +T3INNI' {WCH 1948-192.,1928-196,1961-196}

by Botvinnik

#hess is the art of analysis.

#hess is the art which e9presses the science of logic.

#hess mastery essentially consists of analy(ing chess positions accurately.


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+uddenly it was ovious to me in my analysis I had missed what Fischer had found with the greatest

of ease at the oard. - 4on his game versus Fischer in the ;BH @arna lympiad5

#hess, li"e any creative activity, can e9ist only through the comined efforts of those who have

creative talent, and those who have the aility to organi(e their creative wor".

es, I have played a lit( game once. It was on a train, in ;BHB.

Don*t worry "ids, you*ll find wor". After all, my machine will need strong chess player-programmers.

ou will e the first. - 4to Karpov O students, ;B5

The oy doesn*t have a clue aout chess, and there*s no future at all for him in this profession. - 4on

student Anatoly Karpov5

3efore >eller we did not understand the King*s Indian Defence.

The future of chess lies in the hands of this young man. - 4on Kasparov at age ;;5

L#apalanca*sM phenomenal move-searching algorithm in those early years, when he possessed a

wonderful aility for calculating variations very rapidly, made him invincile.

To this day 2orphy is an unsurpassed master of the open games. 8ust how great was his significance

is evident from the fact that after 2orphy nothing sustantially new has een created in this field.

7as"er was perhaps the first of the great masters who understood the importance of preparing for

competitions' efore him, of course, they studied chess, ut only in general, and they were not yet

ale to prepare concretely %


45/86

>reat was 7as"er*s role in the social recognition of chess, the reali(ation of its usefulness. ?The game

of chess eases our life*s struggle?, he said.

#apalanca*s play produced and still produces an irresistale artistic effect. In his games a tendency

towards simplicity predominated, and in this simplicity there was a uni)ue eauty of genuine depth.

Ale"hine is dear to the chess world, mainly as an artist. Typical of him are deep plans, far-sighted

calculation and ine9haustile imagination.

6very great master will find it useful to have his own theory on the openings, which only he himself

"nows, a theory which is closely lin"ed with plans for the middle game.

I personally never stood out amongst my contemporaries, ecause I always had to progress y hard

wor". Tal, on the other hand, there is an e9ample of someone who did not have to wor" at it.

Along with my retirement from chess analytical wor" seems to have gone too.

I claim that nothing else is so effective in encouraging the growth of chess stregth as such

independent analysis, oth of the games of the great players and your own.

2emori(ation of variations could e even worse than playing in a tournament without loo"ing in the

oo"s at all.

It is peculiar ut a fact nevertheless, that the gamlers in chess have enthusiastic followers.

#hess is the art which e9presses the science of logic.


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The triumph of the analytical movement, which formed in the *E*s and *


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There is no etter place for learning to wor" independently and to e9tend your hori(on than in higher

school.

Aove all else, efore playing in competitions a player must have regard to his health, for if he is

suffering from ill-health he cannot hope for success. In this connection the est of all tonics is ; to

H days in the fresh air, in the country.

If you are wea" in the endgame, you must spend more time analysing studies' in your training games

you must aim at transposing to endgames, which will help you to ac)uire the re)uisite e9perience.

It is a well "nown fact that almost all the outstanding chess-players have een first-class analysts.

In Gussia the first player to devote all his life to the game, the man who initiated the hait of

adopting a profound approach to chess, was 2i"hail Ivanovich Tchigorin, and we can only spea" of

the e9istence of a Gussian chess school from this time onward.

The player*s greatest art consists in e9ploring the possiilities of ringing the game to a position in

which the normal relative values cease to e9ist.

It must e clearly understood that +oviet players do not see" simple systems in the opening, ut try to

formulate opening systems in which everything is complicated, distinctive, or new.

on Botvinnik

I still rememer 3otvinni"*s reaction to each of my games, right from the opening moves. At first he

would e9press ama(ement, then annoyance, and, finally irritation. - Anatoly Karpov


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3otvinni" himself is always right at the front in chess theory' what ecomes "nown to us today, was

"nown to him yesterday. And that means that what will only e understandale to us tomorrow,

3otvinni" already "nows today. - David 3ronstein

3otvinni" almost ma"es you feel that difficulty attracts him and stimulates him to the full unfolding of

his powers. 2ost players feel uncomfortale in difficult positions, ut 3otvinni" seems to en$oy them.

- 2a9 6uwe

:here dangers threaten from every side and the smallest slac"ening of attention might e fatal' in a

position which re)uires a nerve of steel and intense concentration - 3otvinni" is in his element. -

2a9 6uwe

All told, there is not a single wea"ness in his armour. - Gueen Fine

2y studies with 3otvinni" rought me immense enefit, particularly the homewor" assignments

which forced me to refer to chess oo"s and to wor" independently. - Anatoly Karpov

3%SIL5 SM5SL+3 {WCH 192.-1928}


49/86

by Smyslov

I have fre)uently stated that I regard chess as an art form, where creativity prevails over other

factors.

The first chess oo" that I read was Dufresne*s self-tutor, pulished with 7as"er*s *#ommon +ense in

#hess* as an appendi9.

2y study of chess was accompanied y a strong attraction to music, and it was proaly than"s to

this that I ecame accustomed to thin"ing of chess as an art, for all the science and sport involved in

it.

In my opinion, the style of a player should not e formed under the influence of any single great

master.

Despite the development of chess theory, there is much that remains secret and une9plored in chess.

Although he was an outstanding player in his heyday, he was not one of that vanguard of chess

thin"ers, who la(e new trails and open new chess hori(ons. A populi(er of +teinit(* ideas, Tarrasch

made them accessile to ordinary players.

/o fantasy, however rich, no techni)ue, however masterly, no penetration into the psychology of the

opponent, however deep, can ma"e a chess game a wor" of art, if these )ualities do not lead to the

main goal - a search for truth.

A considerale role in the forming of my style was played y an early attraction to study

composition.


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2y fascination for studies proved highly eneficial - it assisted my the development of my aesthetic

understanding of chess, and improved my endgame play.

The Guy 7ope( occupied a constant place in my opening repertoire. In it is reflected the classical

interptetation of the prolem of the centre.

The name of Ale"hine is illuminated y the rilliance of his chess cominations. Ale"hine possessed

an e9ceptionally rich chess imagination, and his s"ill in creating cominative complications is

incomparale.

In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent.

There is no dout that for 2orphy chess was an art, and for chess 2orphy was a great artist. 0is

play was captivated y freshness of thought and ine9haustile energy. 0e played with inspiration,

without striving to penetrate into the psychology of the opponent' he played, if one can e9press it so,

*pure chess*.

on Smyslov

If a man may e summed up y a single characteristic, then the most suitale one for +myslov as a

chess player would e - assurance. /ot only in his method of play ut also in his movements +myslov

gives this impression. - +vetos(ar >ligoric

In whatever he says there is always a tincture of delicate irony. It is not pomposity, ut good humour,

which perhaps stems from +myslov*s elief that he is aove petty human wea"ness. - +vetos(ar>ligoric

MI'H%IL T%L {WCH 196-1961}


51/86

by Tal

I have always thought it a matter of honour for every chess player to deserve the smile of fortune.

There are two types of sacrifices correct ones, and mine.

ou must ta"e your opponent into a deep dar" forest where HCH, and the path leading out is only

wide enough for one.

:hen I as"ed Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied *:ell, you

laughed when I wrote it down*.

It is difficult to play against 6insteinNs theory. - 4on his first loss to Fischer5

2any #hess players were surprised when after the game, Fischer )uietly e9plained *I had already

analy(ed this possiility* in a position which I thought was not possile to forsee from the opening.


52/86

As long as my opponent has not yet castled, on each move I see" a prete9t for an offensive. 6ven

when I reali(e that the "ing is not in danger.

For pleasure you can read the games collections of Andersson and #higorin, ut for enefit you

should study Tarrasch, Keres and 3ronstein.

The greatest of the champions was, of course, 6manuel 7as"er. At the chess oard he accomplished

the impossile!

:ithout techni)ue it is impossile to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to orrow from

#apalanca his wonderful, sutle techni)ue.

In Ale"hine we are captivated y his e9ceptional cominative talent and his whole-hearted love for

chess.

In my games I have sometimes found a comination intuitively simply feeling that it must e there.

et I was not ale to translate my thought processes into normal human language.

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 thin" that there is anything ad in such a feeling' no artist or musician is indifferent to the

reactions of the pulic.

They compare me with 7as"er, which is an e9aggerated honour. 7as"er made mista"es in every game

and I only in every second one!

I elieve most definitely that one must not only grapple with the prolems on the oard, one must

also ma"e every effort to comat the thoughts and will of the opponent.

The cherished dream of every chessplayer is to play a match with the :orld #hampion. 3ut here is

the parado9 the closer you come to the reali(ation of this goal, the less you thin" aout it.


53/86


54/86

I personally never stood out amongst my contemporaries, ecause I always had to progress y hard

wor". Tal, on the other hand, there is an e9ample of someone who did not have to wor" at it. -

2i"hail 3otvinni"

:e are all, in a sense, Tal*s children' I grew up on his games and in my childhood I played in such a

style. - @ladimir Kramni"

Tal*s cominations often e9ert a sort of paralysing influence on the opponent*s play. It would seem

that the element of surprise plays a ig part in this. - 2ar" Taimanov

TI(%N ET(+SI%N {WCH 196-1969}

by Petrosian

They "noc" me for my draws, for my style, they "noc" me for everything I do.


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As to me, to e )uite honest I feel rather ill at ease ecause against me 3en"o plays calmly and

clearly. - 4on opponent 1al 3en"o5

% today many players, especially young ones, thin" that the older openings are so thoroughly

analysed that nothing more can e tried. This is a serious mista"e. The methods of positional play

ecome deeper and finer each year. 3eing well ac)uainted with them it is possile even in openings

which seem to e fully e9plored to find ways to create a real fight.

Turning chess into po"er and hoping for a *luff* is not one of my convictions.

It is easy to play against the young players, for me they are li"e an open oo".

The criterion of real strength is a deep penetration into the secrets of a position.

my chess world champions_64ekhar

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