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Quote by Alexander Kotov

“In order to become a grandmaster class player whose understanding of chess is superior to the thousands of ordinary players, you have to develop within yourself a large number of qualities, the qualities of an artistic creator, a calculating practitioner, a cold calm competitor.”

Quote by Alexander Kotov

Author

Alexander Kotov

Alexander Kotov (August 12, 1913 - January 8, 1981) was a Russian author whose works spanned various literary genres, including novels, poetry, and drama. more

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“Here is a definition which correctly reflects the course of thought and action of a grandmaster: - The plan in a game of chess is the sum total of successive strategical operations which are each carried out according to separate ideas arising from the demands of the position.”

Ideas Action Courses Games Plans Position Demand Definitions Chess Operations Thoughts And Actions

Author:Alexander Kotov

“I didn't picture myself as even a grandmaster, to say nothing of aspiring to the chess crown. This was not because I was timid - I wasn't - but because I simply lived in one world, and the grandmasters existed in a completely different one. People like that were not really even people, but like gods or mythical heroes.”

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Author:Anatoly Karpov

“Sometimes at lectures I am asked: how would the champions of the last century play today? I think that, after making a hurried study of modern openings, and watching one or two tournaments, the champions of the last century, and indeed the century before that, would very quickly occupy the same place that they occupied when they were alive.”

Thinking Two Sometimes Play Today Lasts Study Alive Modern Century Chess Opening Champion Lectures Tournaments

Author:David Bronstein

“By the time a player becomes a Grandmaster, almost all of his training time is dedicated to work on this first phase. The opening is the only phase that holds out the potential for true creativity and doing something entirely new.”

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Book:How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom

Source: How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom

“If we are to elevate the game of chess to a popular sport, grandmasters must become gladiators, otherwise the game will languish on the periphery, a voice crying in the wilderness, condemned to live and die on a cold arctic shore.”

Ifs Dies Games Sports Voice Cry Cold Chess Wilderness Shore Arctic Periphery Languish Popular Sports

Author:Michael Basman

“Chess is a contributor to net human unhappiness, since the pleasure of victory is greatly exceeded by the pain of defeat.”

Humans Pain Pleasure Humour Victory Defeat Chess Unhappiness Contributors

Author:William Hartston

“If you're the type of person who has to fulfill your dreams, you've gotta be resourceful to make sure you can do it. I came out to California when I was 21, thinking my New York credentials would take me all the way. I came back home a year later all dejected and a failure.”

“Some scientist needs to explain to spectators Einstein's relativity theory. Before his explanation, he says: 'I have to suffer a lot explaining something I don't understand myself.' This relates to my game: I didn't understand anything!”

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Author:Vassily Ivanchuk

“I walked about 55 kilometers and was awake for 25 hours. Now I have to think about setting a sleeping record.”

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Author:Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami

“A chess player never has a heart attack in a good position.”

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Author:Bent Larsen