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Chess :: Maxims and Tools. Open-source insights shared via quotes and software.
https://github.com/rsvp/chess

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Chess :: Maxims and Tools. Open-source insights shared via quotes and software.

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## Chess :: Maxims and Software Tools



- Cross-platform (Linux, Mac, Windows) **random chess quote**:

  https://git.io/chess_quote.py compatible with Python 2.7 and 3 series.



- Linux bash script for random chess quote(s): https://git.io/chess-quote

  supports *multiple* quotes per call and regular expression for filtration.



- Linux bash script to get and browse latest games from players at Lichess.org: 

  https://git.io/lich-game supports both rated and casual games.



## Chess insights conveyed by quotes and maxims



Please add to our collection at https://git.io/chess by making a [pull request].

You can vote on submissions at [pulls] by adding a :+1: to any pull request.

The [editor] will merging it when votes exceed **14**.



Also join our chat at [Gitter] to share your wisdom.

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* A bad plan is better than none at all.

* A beginner should play neither Queen's Gambit nor French Defense, but instead, open games.

* A bold opening can unnerve even the most steely opponent.

* A champion is afraid of losing, everyone else is afraid of winning.

* A change in the character of the play will influence your psychological mood.

* A chess player is a frivolous man who cares more about attaining his goal than the goal in itself.

* A clever player not only wins, but excels at winning with ease.

* A combination is a forced variation with a sacrifice.

* A combination seeks to refute false values which leads to an unexpected reassessment.

* A defeatist attitude inevitably leads to disaster.

* A defense is skillful if your opponent does not know what to attack.

* A draw can be obtained by three-fold repetition, but also by one-bad move.

* A draw can be obtained not only by repeating moves, but also by one weak move.

* A draw in theory just means equal in battle, so fight on!

* A gambit opening brings reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing.

* A good plan incorporates many little plans.

* A good player creates his own luck.

* A good sacrifice may not be necessarily sound but should leave your opponent dazed and confused.

* A great chess player is not a great man, for he leaves the world as he found it.

* A great chess player usually has a very good memory.

* A knight and queen complement each other, and often are superior to a bishop and queen.

* A knight entrenched in enemy territory is worth a rook.

* A knight on the rim is dim.

* A knight on the rim is grim.

* A man who will take back a chess move will pick a pocket.

* A man's wealth, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him win, often checkmate him.

* A master knows when to panic.

* A master looks at every move he would like to make, especially the impossible ones.

* A master must envisage himself as a cross between an ascetic monk and a beast of prey.

* A master often considers fewer alternatives than an amateur, this is understanding.

* A master senses the critical moments in a game.

* A modest little move may embarrass your opponent more than the biggest threat.

* A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes.

* A passion for sacrifices is part of a chess player's nature.

* A pawn unprotected by another pawn is on the brink of death.

* A pawn, exposed to attack and difficult to defend, is weak.

* A pawn, separated from his fellows, will seldom make a fortune.

* A pawn, when separated from his fellows, will seldom make a fortune.

* A pinned piece is not for the taking.

* A plan is made for only a few moves, not for the whole game.

* A plan is the sum of strategic operations executed following ideas arising from positional demands.

* A player constantly improves his understanding of chess with experience.

* A queen's sacrifice always rejoices the heart.

* A rook and queen will always checkmate a naked king.

* A rook in front of a passed pawn has some explaining to do.

* A rook on the seventh rank is sufficient compensation for a pawn.

* A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it.

* A singular attack by a solo piece demonstrates a plan to die.

* A surprised chess player is half beaten.

* A sustained initiative is worth some material.

* A vivid memory, concentration, imagination, and a strong will are mandatory.

* A well-played game should practically be decided during the middlegame.

* A win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror.

* A wing attack is best met by a counterattack in the center.

* Absolutely no takebacks: take your lumps, face up to consequences.

* Activating the worst-placed piece is often the most reliable way of improvement.

* After 1. d4 there are more opportunities for richer play.

* After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame, but then, the moment of truth has arrived.

* After a mistake, calm yourself and reassess the position.

* Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess.

* Aggression is the key: one has to be merciless.

* All conceptions in the game of chess have a geometrical basis.

* All masters have on occasion played a magnificent game, only to lose by a stupid mistake.

* All that matters on the chessboard is good moves.

* Always check, for it could be mate.

* Always put the rook behind the pawn, except when it is incorrect to do so.

* Always study your opponent's last move.

* An attack is skillful if your opponent does not know what to defend.

* An emotional stake in the game will make you work harder, and remember more.

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

* An inaccurate move in the endgame is luxury which costs a victory.

* An innovation does not need to be ingenious, but it must be worked out in great detail.

* An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard.

* An ounce of common sense can outweigh a ton of variations.

* Analysis of the most varied positions builds up a player's knowledge and intuition.

* Analysis, together with a complete concentration, forms a chess player.

* Analyze your games for mistakes until you no longer make them.

* Anchor at least one pawn in the center and give it solid support.

* Apart from blunders, there is nothing more ruinous than routine mechanical development.

* Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

* Appear where you are not expected.

* Approaching victory, do not rush, spend extra time on your important decision.

* As a relaxation from the severe pursuits of life, chess deserves high commendation.

* As black, play to equalize.

* As for a marathon runner, perseverance and stamina are necessary for a chess player.

* As in a first-rate short story, the plot and counter-plot should lead up to a striking finale.

* As in life, mastery is attained only if you deal with your mistakes and defeats.

* As in life, there are no take-backs: so think before you move.

* As in life, today's bliss may be tomorrow's poison.

* As long as an opening is reputed to be weak it can be played.

* Assume your opponent will play like a machine, but if he falters, punish him.

* Attack the base of a pawn chain.

* Attack their weaknesses, and emerge to their surprise.

* Attack when you have the superior game, or else: lose your advantage.

* Attack where the enemy is unprepared.

* Attackers may regret bad moves, but it is worse to forever regret a passed opportunity.

* Attacking two weaknesses simultaneously will wear out the defense.

* Avoid checking your opponent, unless it improves your attack.

* Avoid fighting unless the position is crucial.

* Avoid moving the same piece twice in the opening.

* Avoid piece exchanges when you control more squares.

* Avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.

* Avoidance of mistakes is the beginning, as it is the end, of mastery in chess.

* Be extremely subtle, to the point of formlessness.

* Be patient in times of crisis.

* Be patient while calculating.

* Be quick, but do not hurry without full development.

* Be the chess player, not the chess piece.

* Be the harshest critic of your own wins.

* Be well enough prepared so that preparation does not play a role.

* Be where your enemy is not.

* Bear in mind the outlines of a possible future ending.

* Begin with either e4 or d4, thus releasing two pieces.

* Best by test: 1. e4.

* Black should play to win instead of just steering for equality.

* Blitz chess kills your ideas.

* Blitz chess rots the brain just as surely as alcohol.

* Blunders are ever present on the board, just waiting to be made.

* Boredom leads to complacency and mistakes.

* Botvinnik-Kasparov rule for mastery: Thoroughly analyze your own games.

* Break a bind to free your pieces, even if it costs a pawn.

* By playing chess, we may learn: first, Foresight; second, Circumspection; third, Caution.

* By trying to win at all costs, expect to lose from a riposte.

* Calculate while waiting for your opponent to move.

* Capture of your opponent's King is the ultimate, but not the first, object of the game.

* Castle because you must or because you want to, never just because you can.

* Castle early and often.

* Centralize your pieces to give them power.

* Chance is practically eliminated in chess, when played between masters.

* Chess appeals to those who seek that success which life has denied them.

* Chess can be a matter of vanity.

* Chess demands total concentration.

* Chess has been elevated into an art form, but it is simply human nature: a fight.

* Chess has trailed only the military and pornography in exploiting new technology.

* Chess is 36% percent psychology.

* Chess is 99% tactics.

* Chess is a battle between your aversion to thinking and your aversion to losing.

* Chess is a cold bath for the mind.

* Chess is a game which reflects most honor on human wit.

* Chess is a matter of delicate judgement: know when to punch and how to duck.

* Chess is a meritocracy.

* Chess is a part of culture, thus if a culture is declining then chess will also decline.

* Chess is a rare art where composition takes place simultaneously with performance.

* Chess is a sport, a violent sport.

* Chess is a test of wills.

* Chess is an art form where creativity prevails over other factors.

* Chess is an infinitely complex game which one can play in infinitely numerous ways.

* Chess is difficult: it demands slavery work, zealous research, and serious reflection.

* Chess is everything: art, science, and sport.

* Chess is life, and every game is a new life.

* Chess is like alcohol or a drug: I have to control it, or it could overwhelm me.

* Chess is like war on a board.

* Chess is meditation on combinatorics and geometric proof.

* Chess is mental torture.

* Chess is not 99% tactics, but tactics will take up 99% of your time.

* Chess is not a game of speed, it is a game of speech through actions.

* Chess is not for the faint-hearted, it can absorb a person entirely.

* Chess is not for the timid.

* Chess is not relaxing, for it is stressful even if you win.

* Chess is one long regret.

* Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands!

* Chess is psychologically brutal.

* Chess is really 99% calculation.

* Chess is refined and improved by experience.

* Chess is ruthless: you have to be prepared to kill people.

* Chess is so beautiful, one can waste an entire lifetime.

* Chess is so rich in meaning that it can be both tragedy and comedy.

* Chess is something clever for fools to waste their time.

* Chess is the art of analysis.

* Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic.

* Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.

* Chess is the only game greater than its players.

* Chess is the struggle against error.

* Chess is the triumph of the intellect over lack of imagination.

* Chess levels rank: title, wealth, politics, religion -- all are forgotten across the board.

* Chess makes man wiser and clear-sighted.

* Chess mastery essentially consists of analyzing chess positions accurately.

* Chess must be the most permanently pleasurable drug in the world.

* Chess pieces are an alphabet shaping thoughts, expressing their beauty abstractly like a poem.

* Chess poses an inexact problem, similar to those which must be solved in everyday life.

* Chess probably originated as a symbolic representation of a war game between two kingdoms.

* Chess problems: invention, conciseness, complexity, and splendid insincerity.

* Chess shackles the mind such that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer.

* Chess strength in general and chess strength in a specific match are not same thing.

* Chess teaches you to sit calmly and to think about a good idea and to create better ones.

* Chess trains you to think objectively when you are in trouble.

* Chess would be laughable, were it not so serious.

* Chess, unlike life, has rules.

* Child prodigies have been known in only: mathematics, music, and chess.

* Choose a battlefield that gives you the best chance of success.

* Choose your move carefully, in chess as in life.

* Combinations are the poetry of the game, they are to chess what melody is to music.

* Combinations with a queen sacrifice are among the most striking and memorable.

* Complicated tactical play favors the side with sounder position.

* Computer chess destroys the beauty and romance of chess, for the game can be calculated.

* Concentrate on forcing moves.

* Concentrate on material gains.

* Confidence is very important, even pretending to be confident.

* Conform to their tactics until you can act upon a favorable opportunity.

* Connect your rooks as soon as you can.

* Continue using a certain opening, if the consequences suit your style.

* Control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks good.

* Control your feelings, be as cold as a machine.

* Controlling more than half of the squares confers a distinct advantage.

* Courage or cowardice depends on circumstances; strength or weakness on dispositions.

* Daring ideas, like advancing pawns, may be beaten, but they start a winning game.

* Decide on candidate moves and look at them each in turn.

* Deeply study endgames for they rely on technique rather than the imagination.

* Depending on intuition is a losing proposition.

* Develop a new piece with each move in the opening.

* Develop knights before bishops.

* Develop, before your pawns challenge opposing pawns.

* Devour the games of the masters.

* Disciplined thinking will improve your concentration.

* Discovered check is the dive-bomber of the chessboard.

* Disturbance in the camp indicates authority is weak.

* Do not allow your opponent to distract you.

* Do not attack unless you have superior position.

* Do not be afraid of losing, be afraid of playing a game and not learning something.

* Do not be intimidated by higher ratings.

* Do not bring out your queen too early.

* Do not chase pawns at the expense of development.

* Do not fall in love with the endgame to the exclusion of entire games.

* Do not indulge in chess to the detriment of more serious avocations.

* Do not let little details distract you from the bigger picture.

* Do not move pawns in front of your castled king.

* Do not sacrifice unless something can be gained.

* Don't over think routine moves.

* Double-check your analysis.

* Doubled immobile pawns are a weakness, but they offer half-open files for rooks.

* Drawing conclusions about your weaknesses can provide a great stimulus to further growth.

* During a game a player lives on his nerves, and at the same time he must be perfectly composed.

* During unforced good time, anticipate how events will develop, and take the necessary measures.

* Early queen moves are disastrous because she is susceptible to panic attacks.

* Endgames should be studied and mastered unto themselves.

* Epic games are valuable, not for their moves, but for their manner of thinking.

* Errors are caused by time pressure, discomfort, tension, distractions, and excessive caution.

* Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all.

* Even the best experience severe disappointments due to ignorance of the best lines.

* Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of double check.

* Every battle is won before it's ever fought.

* Every chess master was once a beginner.

* Every chess player should exercise: A sound mind in a sound body.

* Every move creates a weakness.

* Every move should either interfere with your opponent's plans, or further your own plans.

* Every move should have a purpose.

* Every pawn is a potential queen.

* Every pawn move is a life decision.

* Excellence at chess is one mark of a scheming mind.

* Exchange your bad pieces, and let them remain with your opponent.

* Exchange your opponent's blockading pieces to make room for passed pawns to march.

* Exchange your opponent's defending pieces to make room for your pieces to attack.

* Exercise patience with your pawns.

* Failing to open the center at the right moment is a common error.

* Failure to castle makes your king vulnerable, and prevents the rooks from protecting each other.

* Fewer pawn islands for more life.

* Finding the opponent's dispositions will lead to victory.

* First principle of attack: do not let the opponent develop.

* First restrain, next blockade, lastly destroy.

* Fischer almost never has any bad pieces, for he exchanged them.

* Focus.

* For a game, chess is too serious, yet for seriousness, too much of a game.

* For every door the computers have closed, they have opened a new one.

* Force your opponent to reveal himself, then find his vulnerable spots.

* Fortune favors the brave.

* French Defense requires patience while defending, and waiting to counterattack.

* Games in progress are never drawn, perhaps they are equal.

* Get the knights into action before both bishops are developed.

* Given castling on opposite-sides, attack where your pawn chain is pointing.

* Given two developing alternatives, select the more aggressive threatening move.

* Given two opportunities to capture pawns, make the move towards the center.

* Good attacks win games, but good defense wins championships.

* Good offense and good defense both begin with good development.

* Good players develop a tactical sense of what is likely and what is not worth calculating.

* Good positions don't win games, good moves do.

* Great results can be achieved with small forces.

* Greatness: the ability to take a risk on a dangerous move at a critical moment.

* Greatness: trading off pawn structure, and even material, for dynamic use of the pieces.

* HAL 9000 to astronaut Frank Poole (2001): I'm sorry, Frank, I think you missed it.

* Half the calculated variations are superfluous, but no one knows in advance which half.

* Haste is never more dangerous than when you feel victory is within your grasp.

* Haste is the great enemy.

* Having a pair of bishops is often sufficient compensation for weak pawns.

* Having good strategies in playing chess is often a good indication of being focused in life.

* He who analyzes blitz is stupid.

* He who does not know tactics cannot appreciate its benefits.

* He who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively, and boldly.

* He who wishes to attack should first tally the costs.

* Healthy pawns get boosted superiority in the endgame.

* Help your pieces so they can help you.

* Hit 'em where they ain't.

* However hopeless the situation may appear, one can always stubbornly resist.

* I beat the guy by making moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style.

* I do not believe in psychology, I believe in good moves.

* I do not play chess, I fight at chess, I aim to respond to the demands of each position.

* I knew he was a chess champion because it took him twenty minutes to pass the salt.

* I prefer to lose a really good game than to win a bad one.

* If a man delays castling, files will open up against him and rooks will dominate the seventh rank.

* If a mistake occurs, there is no need to mope, find a new plan to fit the new situation.

* If a ruler does not understand chess, how can he rule over a kingdom?

* If chess is a passion, it is a rewarding one.

* If chess is life, it is a sad one.

* If chess was a vast jungle, computers are the chainsaws of an insensitive logging company.

* If enemy forces are united, separate them.

* If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you certainly will perish.

* If strategy was a block of marble, then tactics are the chisel in creating works of chess art.

* If the center is blocked, you are playing the wrong opening.

* If the defender gives up the center, then every possible attack will follow.

* If the opening is unknown to you, concentrate on developing moves.

* If the opposing king is exposed, a pawn is worth sacrificing to activate your rook.

* If the position is hopeless, look for dirty tricks.

* If you accept losing, you cannot win.

* If you are short on time, keep calm, do not get flustered.

* If you cannot win, make sure you do not lose.

* If you do have a center, then you really have something to worry about.

* If you do not know what to do, find your worst piece and look for a better square.

* If you don't win, it's not a great tragedy.

* If you get overly tired from preparations, you will not have enough energy for the tournament.

* If you know something about your opponent, steer to his weaknesses.

* If you make a mistake, do not let your opponent see what you are thinking.

* If you must accept weak pawns, make sure you are compensated.

* If you reinforce everywhere, you shall be weak everywhere.

* If you sacrifice material, make sure that initiative is enduring, or has greater gain later.

* If you want to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.

* If your king is under attack, don't worry about losing a pawn on the queen's side.

* If your opponent has a bad temper, seek to irritate him.

* If your opponent has not yet castled, seek a pretext for an offensive on each move.

* If your opponent offers you a draw, figure out why he thinks he is worse off.

* Ignore your opponent's threat whenever you can do so with impunity.

* In a convergence, contrast the numbers of attackers and defenders.

* In a gambit you give up a pawn for the sake of getting a lost game.

* In blitz games, rely more on your intuition than analytical calculation.

* In blitz, the knight is stronger than the bishop.

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

* In chess, as in life, prime opportunity strikes only once.

* In classic endgames the King is brought up as soon as possible, even if there was no need to hurry.

* In life, as in chess, our own pawns are an obstruction.

* In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.

* In open games, quickly develop the pieces and bring the king to safety.

* In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame.

* In the early game rooks are defensive, but later must become offensive.

* In the middlegame, the king is merely an extra, but in the endgame he is a star actor.

* In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

* Inferior positions are the easiest to play.

* Invincibility comes from defense, possibility of victory from attack.

* It has been said that life is not long enough for chess, but that is life's fault.

* It is always better to sacrifice your opponent's men.

* It is better to lose a really good game than to win a bad one.

* It is better to study a worse line well than to reproduce a better computer line.

* It is difficult for a crippled pawn majority to create a passed pawn.

* It is necessary to attack where your opponent is weak and you are strong.

* It is no time to be playing chess when your house is on fire.

* It is not a move, even the best move, that you must seek, but a realizable plan.

* It is not acceptable to lose a beautiful game.

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

* It is not the best move that you must seek, but a realizable plan.

* It is only necessary to see one move ahead as long as you find the best one.

* It is only the enemy queen that your king cannot directly attack.

* Just look one move ahead: the best one.

* Keep the opening simple, but play the middlegame with such brilliance that the game is decisive.

* Keep torturing with threats until, exhausted and exasperated, he finally makes a losing mistake.

* Keep your plans flexible.

* Knights perform best when given strong support.

* Know with ease when you can or cannot get there first.

* Know your strengths, and limitations.

* Knowing your opponent enables you to take the offensive.

* Knowing yourself enables you to maintain the defensive.

* Knowledge of tactics is the foundation of positional play.

* Lack of patience is probably the most common reason for a draw which should have been won.

* Lack of patience is probably the most common reason for losing a game.

* Learn from your draws and especially your defeats.

* Leave the pawns alone, except for center and passed pawns.

* Let the perfectionist play postal chess.

* Let the perfectionist play postal correspondence.

* Let your main objective be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

* Life is a kind of chess, with struggle, competition, good and ill events.

* Life is like a game of chess, for it changes with each move.

* Life is too short for chess.

* Like basketball, move around and probe, then attack cracks in the defense.

* Liquidate backward and isolated pawns.

* Long analysis, wrong analysis.

* Look at the whole board.

* Look through the eyes of your pieces.

* Look to pawn structure to drive your plan.

* Losing your objectivity almost always means losing the game.

* Luck quantified: how often your opponent fails to punish your blunders.

* Maintain positional tension, rather than dissipating it too soon.

* Make certain all your pieces are defended.

* Make only one ill-considered move, and your opponent's wildest dreams becomes reality.

* Make your decision, then live or die with it.

* Making excuses for losing will never help you to win.

* Man is masterful over a machine, so long as he assigns its goals.

* Many calculations will lead to victory.

* Many men, many styles: what is chess style but the intangible expression of the will to win.

* Many won games have been lost due to overconfidence.

* Mastery essentially consists of analyzing chess positions accurately.

* Methodical thinking is more useful in chess than inspiration.

* Minimize distractions.

* Mistakes are inevitable, so get in the habit of learning from them.

* Mistakes are there to be made.

* Mistakes in a game make it more memorable, for you have suffered over each of them.

* Mistakes usually come in bunches.

* Mistrust is the most necessary characteristic of a chess player.

* Most book variations have no value because they are mistaken or contain fallacious assumptions.

* Most combinations are inspired by the player's memories of earlier games.

* Move to create an advantage.

* Move your piece in the worst plight, unless you discern an advantage by attacking.

* My favorite victory is when it is not even clear where my opponent made a mistake.

* Mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy.

* Never bring the queen out too early.

* Never count on your opponent to make a mistake.

* Never feel sorry for your opponent.

* Never forget that the king can be a fighting piece.

* Never underestimate your opponent.

* Never venture, never win!

* No chess grandmaster is normal, they only differ in their madness.

* No matter how bad one is, there is always somebody worse.

* No matter how good one is, there is always somebody better.

* No pawn breaks without resources to deal with them.

* No pawn exchanges, no file opening, no attack.

* No price is too great for the scalp of the enemy king.

* Not all artists are chess players, but all chess players are artists.

* Nothing excites jaded grandmasters more than a theoretical novelty.

* Nothing is more important than the fight for the center.

* Nothing that will teach you more than a trashing by a strong player or machine.

* On the chessboard, lies and hypocrisy do not last long.

* One bad move nullifies forty good ones.

* One cannot possibly know all about chess.

* One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.

* One does not have to play well, it is sufficient to play better than your opponent.

* One lost game will teach you more than ten wins.

* One must make every effort to combat the thoughts and will of the opponent.

* One shall learn the art of self-control.

* Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.

* Only attack squares which are inadequately defended.

* Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack.

* Openings merely teach you openings, while endgames will teach you chess.

* Openings teach you openings, but endgames teach you chess!

* Opponent's big mistake: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

* Opportunities arrive when least expected.

* Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

* Overcome that moment of panic when the scale of disaster is yet unknown.

* Passed pawns must be pushed.

* Pawn endings have a forced character, and they can be worked out conclusively.

* Pawns are so small, almost insignificant, and yet they can depose kings.

* Pawns are the soul of chess, they alone form the attack and defense.

* Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are the soil of any position.

* Perfection has no style.

* Physical stamina is sometimes more important than knowledge or analytical ability.

* Pick competitions which best suit you.

* Place your knight and bishop on the same colors to control more squares.

* Place your pawns on the color opposite to your bishop.

* Plan in a way that masks your real intent.

* Plan your victory in relation to the opponent you are facing.

* Planning an attack is the secret of defense.

* Play a move you know how to refute.

* Play lots of blitz to practice opening theory.

* Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.

* Play to control the center, whether in the classic or hypermodern style.

* Play your best chess by postal correspondence.

* Playing against a machine, the question is not about winning, but whether you will survive.

* Playing against computer is like playing against an idiot who beats you everytime.

* Playing blitz chess, one can lose the habit of concentrating for several hours in serious chess.

* Playing for complications should only be adopted when you cannot find a clear and logical plan.

* Playing on both sides of the board is a great strategy.

* Playing slowly during the early phase to grasp the basic requirements of each position.

* Ponder and deliberate before making a move.

* Positional play is preparation for combinations.

* Positional players slowly take away your space, tie up your pieces, leaving you with nothing to do.

* Positional sacrifices are more praise-worthy than those based on tactical exactitude.

* Practice endings to master the intricacies of openings and middlegames.

* Practice makes perfect.

* Pretend to be inferior so that your opponent may grow arrogant.

* Prevent your opponent from winning, then wait to deliver a counter-attack.

* Psychology is the most important factor in chess.

* Put your opponent in a position where he must make two moves in a row.

* Rapid opening play will leave sufficient time for the middlegame.

* React to a strong unexpected move by reassessing your position calmly.

* Recall meaningful relations among the pieces, not just their distribution in space.

* Recognize the unreality of their unreal threats.

* Reinforcing every part, weakens every part.

* Relentlessly attack pinned pieces, weak pawns, and the exposed king.

* Religiously follow these maxims, except when it is incorrect to do so.

* Remember to enjoy the game.

* Revisit your errors, and work to make sure they do not occur again.

* Rooks belong behind passed pawns.

* Satisfaction can lead to a lack of vigilance, then to mistakes and missed opportunities.

* Search for pieces which have no retreat, and see if they can be captured.

* Secure the safety of the king by castling early, preferably kingside.

* Secure your center before beginning a wing attack.

* Seek to open lines and gain space.

* Seize that which your opponent holds dear.

* Seize the initiative whenever the opportunity presents itself.

* Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential for improvement.

* Shuffle around to see if your opponent makes a mistake.

* Simplicity, rather than dynamic complications, perhaps is the wisest.

* Since the passed pawn is a criminal, police surveillance is not sufficient.

* Sit on your hands, think it through, then take action.

* Some part of a mistake can be correct.

* Some people have all the will in the world, but still cannot play good chess.

* Sometimes we fear that which our opponent had never even considered.

* Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.

* Strike while the iron is hot.

* Strive for positions that make your opponent uncomfortable.

* Study composed problems and endgames.

* Study tactics primarily, endgames secondarily.

* Studying your current weaknesses can provide great stimulus for future growth.

* Success is gained by accommodating ourselves to the opponent's purpose.

* Superior development increases in value relative to the game's openness.

* Supreme excellence consists in breaking the opponent's resistance.

* Tactical proficiency is the first requirement for mastery of the game.

* Tactical trees conceal the strategic picture of the woods where one is likely to get lost.

* Tactics flow from a superior position.

* Take whatever your opponent gives, unless you see a good reason not to.

* Take your time on those decisive moments.

* Talent can be developed, but first find what you are good at.

* Tell them nothing when their situation is gloomy.

* That pawn gained by accepting the Queen's Gambit is illusory.

* The aim on an open file is the intrusion into the seventh or eighth rank.

* The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in key battles.

* The art of chess: ability to create and to control the tension of battle.

* The beauty of a move lies not in its appearance but in the thought behind it.

* The beauty of logic: in chess the best move is often the most beautiful.

* The best defense is good attack.

* The center is the Balkans of the chessboard: fighting there may break out at any time.

* The chess engine reminds us to be humble in our self-assessment.

* The chess master moves his opponent, and avoids being moved by him.

* The chessboard explains the movement of time and the higher influences which control the world.

* The defensive power of a pinned piece is only imaginary.

* The difference between masters and amateurs is that masters know when to panic.

* The double attack is the principle behind almost all tactics.

* The endgame is probably where you need the most practice.

* The essence of chess is thinking about what chess is.

* The fervor to win is perhaps more important than playing good moves.

* The first essential for an attack is the will to attack.

* The game of chess eases our life's struggle.

* The goal of most endgames is pawn promotion.

* The goal of the opening is to get a decent middlegame.

* The hardest game to win is a won game.

* The hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.

* The highest art lies in not allowing your opponent to show you what he can do.

* The idea comes before the logical argument.

* The joy in chess is an escape into complete absorption.

* The main difficulty in making positional exchange sacrifices is psychological caution.

* The masters distinguished two principal types of the Game: formal and psychological.

* The middlegame is chess itself with all its attacks, defences, and sacrifices.

* The middlegame provides the most decisive stage.

* The moment that you let up is the time that you can be hit by the sucker punch.

* The most important feature of the chess position is the activity of the pieces.

* The most important feature of the chess position is the mobility of the pieces.

* The most important role in pawn endings is played by the king.

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

* The move is there, but you must see it.

* The object is to crush the opponent's mind.

* The older I get, the more I value pawns.

* The only way to refute a gambit is to accept it.

* The opening and middle game must be studied in relation to the endgame.

* The opening is the only phase that holds the potential for true creativity.

* The opportunity to defeat the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

* The pin is mightier than the sword.

* The pleasure of victory is greatly exceeded by the pain of defeat.

* The power of doubled rooks is more than double of a single rook.

* The power of hanging pawns is their mobility, their ability to create acute situations instantly.

* The primary constraint on a piece's activity is the pawn structure.

* The queen is the worst piece to block an enemy pawn.

* The queen is too precious to simply win a pawn.

* The rook belongs to the seventh rank.

* The scheme of a game is played on positional lines, its decision effected by combinations.

* The single most important thing in life is to believe in yourself.

* The spot from where you intend to fight must be reinforced.

* The strategist knows what to do when there is nothing to do.

* The threat is greater than its execution.

* The threat is stronger than the execution.

* The threat you do not see is the one which will defeat you.

* The victor has prepared himself, and waits to take the unprepared enemy.

* The victor is prudent and waits for an impatient enemy.

* The victor knows when to fight, but also when not to fight.

* The way a man plays chess demonstrates his whole nature.

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

* The world is like a great chess game being played by the Gods where we are observers.

* The worst calamities arise from hesitation.

* Theoretically it is almost certain that the game is a draw.

* There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world.

* There are no heroes in chess.

* There are no signposts, such as "checkmate in 3," which will give alert.

* There are no sound studies, only ones which have not been busted yet.

* There are positions which must not be contested.

* There are several varieties of weak pawns: isolated, doubled, too advanced, retarded.

* There are some situations in chess where luck plays a part.

* There is no remorse like the remorse of chess.

* There is nothing more precious than the bishop pair.

* There is only one mistake: over-estimating your opponent, all else is either bad luck or weakness.

* There is only one real mistake: over-estimation of your opponent.

* Think of a draw offer as an offer to remain ignorant of what you could have learned.

* Think strategy while the opposing clock is ticking, but analyze tactics during your own turn.

* Thoroughly understand the endgame.

* Those who say they understand chess, understand nothing.

* Though combinations are numerous, the number of ideas are limited.

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

* To clearly see ahead, concentrate on forcing moves.

* To improve your game you must study the endgame before everything else.

* To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.

* To play for a draw as White is a great crime against chess.

* To play for a draw is simply a crime against chess.

* To reach their full potential, bishops require open diagonals and attackable weaknesses.

* To reach their full potential, rooks require open files and ranks.

* To succeed, you need to be disciplined and adjust when circumstances change.

* Towards the end, the king can be a powerful offensive and defensive piece.

* Trade off your bad bishops.

* Trade pieces when your pawn structure is more sound than your opponent's.

* Trade your opponent's attacking pieces to break the attack.

* Trade your passive pieces for your opponent's active pieces.

* Train every day to stay in top shape, chess is a matter of daily training.

* True sacrifice involves a change in risk requiring foresight and fantasy.

* Try not to offer a draw which will send spectators into uncontrollable laughter.

* Try to play blindfold games.

* Turning chess into poker and hoping for a bluff is not advisable.

* Two types of men: those who yield to circumstances and those who aim to control circumstances.

* Under surging emotions we lose concentration and cease to objectively evaluate the board.

* Understand the trade-off between structural weakness and dynamic strength.

* Understanding is far more important than memory.

* Understanding must be supported by memory.

* Verify any published analysis before any reliance.

* Wait for it: there is always a moment when your opponent will miss an opportunity.

* Waste not resources on things which will not help you to win.

* We learn the habit of hoping for a favorable chance.

* We learn the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs.

* We learn the habit of persevering in the secrets of resources.

* Weak holes in the opponent's position must be occupied by pieces not pawns.

* What is better than a passed pawn? A passed pawn on the edge.

* What would chess be without silly mistakes?

* When a combination cannot be obtained, build small advantages.

* When ahead in material, trade pieces, not pawns.

* When behind in material, trade pawns, not pieces.

* When both queens are gone, your king becomes powerful.

* When cramped, exchange pieces to free your game.

* When exchanging pieces, the key is not always their value, but what is left on the board.

* When in doubt, do anything but push a pawn.

* When the game is over, the pawn and the king go back to the same box.

* When there is unusual disparity in material, initiative often is the deciding factor.

* When winning, offer a draw to a superior player only if it secures a big prize.

* When you absolutely do not know what to do anymore, it is time to panic.

* When you are behind, balance these two strategies: counter-attack and all-out defense.

* When you don't know what to play, just wait for a wrong idea to enter your opponent's mind.

* When you have the advantage, press on, else risk losing your edge.

* When you lose, you really feel the weight of oneself.

* When you see a good move, wait, then look for a better one.

* Whether you prefer chess or sex depends on the position.

* Whoever sees no other aim than checkmate will never become a good chess player.

* Win with grace, lose with dignity.

* Winning is not everything, but losing is nothing.

* Winning just comes as a relief, while defeats will be crushing.

* With perfect play, God versus God, chess is a draw.

* Without error there can be no brilliancy.

* Work hard to acquire the technique of rook endings.

* World events can seem quite unimportant in comparison to a catastrophe on the chessboard.

* Years of analysis and minutes of play are completely different.

* Yet given equality in battle, sometimes a draw should be offered.

* You can only improve if you love the game.

* You can retreat pieces, but not the pawns, so always think twice about pawn moves.

* You cannot win at chess if you are kind-hearted.

* You have to force moves and take chances.

* You must believe in yourself.

* You must have confidence in yourself, and this confidence should be based on fact.

* You need not play well, just help your opponent to play badly.

* You shall see your mistake, just as you lift your finger off the piece.

* You will have to lose thousands of games before becoming a decent player.

* You will learn much more from a game you lost than from a game you won.

* Your eyes on the wings, your mind on the center.

* Your pawns in the center will keep enemy pieces away from the best squares.

* Your playing deteriorates as your body does, since mind and body cannot be separated.

* Your true ability is only measured only when things get tough.



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Shortcut to this page: https://git.io/chess | Revision date : 2018-01-25



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