Profoundly inspirational chess quotes will challenge the way you think, change the way you live and transform your whole life.
Famous Chess Quotes
Nobody ever won a chess game by resigning. – Savielly Tartakower
Chess is the gymnasium of the mind. – Blaise Pascal
The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made. – Savielly Tartakower
Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of a double check. – Aron Nimzowitsch
Combinations have always been the most intriguing aspect of Chess. The masters look for them, the public applauds them, the critics praise them. It is because combinations are possible that Chess is more than a lifeless mathematical exercise. They are the poetry of the game; they are to Chess what melody is to music. They represent the triumph of mind over matter. – Reuben Fine
One of the principal requisites of good chess is the ability to treat both middle and end game equally well. – Aron Nimzowitsch
It is my style to take my opponent and myself on to unknown grounds. A game of chess is not an examination of knowledge; it is a battle of nerves. – David Bronstein
If you see a good move, look for a better one. – Emanuel Lasker
I have come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists. – Marcel Duchamp
I’ve come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists. – Marcel Duchamp
Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess. – Evan Esar
Unlike other games in which lucre is the end and aim, [chess] recommends itself to the wise by the fact that its mimic battles are fought for no prize but honor. It is eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game. – Paul Morphy
I’m convinced, the way one plays chess always reflects the player’s personality. If something defines his character, then it will also define his way of playing. – Vladimir Kramnik
Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 blunders. – Savielly Tartakower
The beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender, and socioeconomic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over the chess board. – Simon Williams
Chess is the only game greater than its players. – Tim Rice
Chess is the struggle against the error. – Johannes Zukertort
Unlike other games in which lucre is the end and aim, [chess] recommends itself to the wise by the fact that its mimic battles are fought for no prize but honor. It’s eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game. – Paul Morphy
The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move. – David Bronstein
Every chess master was once a beginner. – Irving Chernev
Chess, it’s the struggle against error. – Johannes Zukertort
The pawns are the soul of chess. – Philidor
Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. – Ralph Charell
The game of chess is not just an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it… Life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often pointed to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with. – Benjamin Franklin
Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. – Tarrasch
Chess makes men wiser and clear-sighted. – Vladimir Putin
Chess is the art of analysis. – Mikhail Botvinnik
Short Chess Quotes
Chess holds its master in its own hand, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer. – Einstein
What would Chess be without silly mistakes? – – Kurt Richter
Chess holds its master in its own bonds, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer. – Albert Einstein
The pen is mightier than the sword. – Fred Reinfield
Chess is like war on a board. – Bobby Fischer
Chess is a war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind. – Bobby Fischer
Chess makes man wiser and clear-sighted. – Vladimir Putin
I am convinced, the way one plays chess always reflects the player’s personality. If something defines his character, then it will also define his way of playing. – Vladimir Kramnik
Attackers may sometimes regret bad moves, but it’s much worse to forever regret an opportunity you allowed to pass you by. – Kasparov
Chess demands total concentration. – Bobby Fischer
The beauty of a move lies not in its appearance but in the thought behind it. – Aaron Nimzowitsch
In Chess, just as in life, today’s bliss may be tomorrow’s poison. – Assaic
You can only get good at Chess if you love the game. – Bobby Fischer
Chess doesn’t drive people mad, it keeps mad people sane. – Bill Hartston
Chess is a fairy tale of 1,001 blunders. – Savielly Tartakower
Life is too short for chess. – Byron
In life, as in chess, one’s own pawns block one’s way. A man’s very wealthy, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him to win, more often checkmate him. – Charles Buxton
The pawns are the soul of chess. – Francois Andre
Chess is a good mistress, but a bad master. – Gerald Abrahams
Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles. – Garry Kasparov
Those who say they understand Chess, understand nothing. – Robert Hubner
Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. – Siegbert Tarrasch
The winner of the game is the player who makes the next to last mistake. –SaviellyTartakower
The essence of Chess is thinking about what Chess is. – David Bronstein
For in the idea of chess and the development of the chess mind we have a picture of the intellectual struggle of mankind. – Richard Réti
The hardest game to win is a won game. – Emanuel Lasker
A bad day of Chess is better than any good day at work. – Unknown
I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves. – Bobby Fischer
Many has become chess masters, no one has become the master of chess. – Siegbert Tarrasch
The only thing chess players have in common is chess Lodewijk Prins
Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine. – Rudolph Spielmann
A sacrifice is best refuted by accepting it. – Wilhelm Steinitz
Chess is not for the timid. – Irving Chernev
I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew. Now I attack because I know it works best. – Garry Kasparov
Inspirational Chess Quotes
Enormous self-belief, intuition, the ability to take a risk at a critical moment and go in for a very dangerous play with counter-chances for the opponent it’s precisely these qualities that distinguish great players – Garry Kasparov
That’s what Chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one. – Bobby Fischer
The game of chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it… Life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with. – Benjamin Franklin
As proved by evidence, [chess is] more lasting in its being and presence than all books and achievements; the only game that belongs to all people and all ages; of which none knows the divinity that bestowed it on the world, to slay boredom, to sharpen the senses, to exhilarate the spirit. – Stefan Zweig
Too many times, people do not try their best. They do not have the keen spirit, the winning spirit. And once you make it you have got to guard your reputation – every day go in like an unknown to prove yourself. That is why I don’t clown around. I do not believe in wasting time. My goal is to win the World Chess Championship; to beat the Russians. I take this very seriously. – Bobby Fischer
Chess is rarely a game of ideal moves. Almost always, a player faces a series of difficult consequences whichever move he makes. – David Shenk
The single most important thing in life is to believe in yourself regardless of what everyone else says. – Hikaru Nakamura
Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink, and an elephant may bathe. – Indian Proverb
If you’re going to make your mark among masters, you’ve to work far harder and more intensively, or, to put it more exactly, the work is far more complex than that needed to gain the title of Master. – Mikhail Botvinnik
After a bad opening, there is hope for the middle game. After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame. But once you are in the endgame, the moment of truth has arrived. – Edmar Mednis
The ability to work hard for days on end without losing focus is a talent. The ability to keep absorbing new information after many hours of study is a talent. – Garry Kasparov
Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life. – Edward Morgan Foster
Give me a difficult positional game, I will play it. But totally won positions, I cannot stand them. – Hein Donner
Boxing is like a chess. You encourage your opponent to make mistakes so you can capitalize on it. People think you get in the ring and see the red mist, but it is not about aggression. Avoiding knockout is tactical. – Nicola Adams
All that matters on the chessboard is good moves. – Bobby Fischer
There is no remorse like the remorse of chess. – H. G. Wells
Drawing is rather like playing chess. Your mind races ahead of time that you eventually make. – David Hockney
Chess is the struggle against error. – Johannes Zukertort
Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half. – Jan Timman
In life, as in chess, one’s own pawns block one’s way. A man’s very wealth, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him to win, more often checkmate him. – Charles Buxton
Chess is life and every game is like a new life. – Eduard Gufeld
Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all. – Mikhail Chigorin
Chess is as much a mystery as women. – Purdy
Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do; strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do. – Savielly Tartakower
Chess does not drive people mad, it keeps mad people sane. – Bill Hartston
Chess Quotes About Life
On the chess-board lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. – Em. Lasker
In life, as in chess, forethought wins. – Charles Buxton
Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic. – Mikhail Botvinnik
You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player. – José Raúl Capablanca
Of chess it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess. – William Napier
Pawns are the soul of the game. – François-André Danican Philidor
Chess, like love, is infectious at any age. – Salo Flohr
The passed pawn is a criminal, who should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient. – Aron Nimzowitsch
It [chess] is eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game. – Paul Morphy
Modern chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structure. Forget it, checkmate ends the game. – Nigel Short
Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous and varied ways. – Vladimir Kramnik
Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf. – Cecil Purdy
When the chess game is over, the pawn and the king go back to the same box. – Irish Saying
You can only get good at chess if you love the game. – Bobby Fischer
Excellence at Chess is one mark of a scheming mind. – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
One doesn’t have to play well, it’s enough to play better than your opponent. – Siegbert Tarrasch
Up to this point, White has been following well-known analysis. But now he makes a fatal error: he begins to use his own head. – Siegbert Tarrasch
Chess isn’t for the timid. – Irving Chernev
Chess is a curse upon a man. – H. G. Wells
Of chess, it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess. – William Napier
Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe. – Proverb
Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands! – Renaud and Kahn
Chess is beautiful enough to waste your life for. – Hans Ree
Chess is above all, a fight! – Emanuel Lasker
A chess game in progress is… a cosmos unto itself, fully insulated from an infant’s cry, an erotic invitation, or war. – David Shenk
It’s an eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game. – Paul Morphy
In Chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated. – Emanuel Lasker
It will be cheering to know that many people are skillful chess players, though in many instances their brains, in a general way, compare unfavorably with the cognitive faculties of a rabbit. – James Mortimer
Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self image and self esteem. – Saudin Robovic
Chess is mental torture. – Garry Kasparov
The only thing chess players have in common is chess. – Lodewijk Prins
Chess is not relaxing; it’s stressful even if you win. – Jennifer Shahade
Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem. – SaudinRobovic
The pin is mightier than the sword. – Fred Reinfeld
Sometimes it’s better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing. – Tony Blair
No one has ever won a game of chess by taking only forward moves. Sometimes you have to move backwards in order to be able to take better steps forward. That is life. – Anonymous
When you’re lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play Chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war. – Aristotle
You cannot play at Chess if you are kind-hearted. – French Proverb
One bad move nullifies forty good ones. – Bernhard Horwitz
In life, unlike chess the game continues after checkmate. – Isaac Asimov
There are no heroes in chess. – Cory Evans
Life is like a chess. If you lose your queen, you will probably lose the game. – Being Caballero
When in doubt… play Chess! – Tevis
If your opponent offers you a draw, try to work out why he thinks he’s worse off. – Nigel Short
Chess isn’t always about winning. Sometimes, it is simply about learning and so is life. – Anonymous
There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world. – Pierre Mac Orlan
Chess is a sport. The main object in the game of chess remains the achievement of victory. – Max Euwe
Chess can be described as the movement of pieces eating one another. – Marcel Duchamp
When your house is on fire, you cannot be bothered with the neighbors. Or, as we say in chess, if your King is under attack, do not worry about losing a pawn on the queenside. – Garry Kasparov
Learn to play many roles, to be whatever the moment requires. Adapt your mask to the situation. – Robert Greene
The highest part of the chess player lies in not allowing your opponent to show you what he can do. – Garry Kasparov
