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Lesson 1 The Rules of Chess
The
Rules of Chess
Starting the Game
In chess, players take turns making moves, the ultimate object of which is to
arrive at a situation where one player will checkmate the other. The Kings,
Queens, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, and Pawns all have their own rules of movement
and are able to move and capture in different ways. The game moves through three
main phases; the opening, the midgame, and the endgame.
Starting Positions
- White square in lower-right corner.
- Queens on their own color.
- White always goes first.
The opening is basically a race to grab up board space,
especially in the center of the board, as well as developing pieces and
protecting the king. The midgame is the dynamic struggle
where players contest for material and positional advantages which will
translate into either an early checkmate or a winning endgame, the
endgame is the last stage of the game when few pieces are left and
checkmates are an everpresent threat.
The Object of the Game
The object of the game is to put your opponent's king into
checkmate. This means that you have at least one piece which is
threatening capture, and that your opponent can do nothing to prevent it.
The king is never actually captured, but the fact that the king is
checkmated ends the game. Games can also end in
[draws], which can occur
for various reasons.
In this example, white's rook has the black king in checkmate. The king
is in "check" because the rook is threatening attack.
It is "checkmate" because:
- The king has no moves which will allow it to escape (because of the
white bishop),
- Black has nothing which can block the rook's attack, and
- Because black cannot capture the rook
- Checkmate
Please choose a section to continue:
Lesson 2
Basic Chess Tips
TIP 1:
Look at your opponent's move.
Every time your opponent makes a move, you should stop and think:
Why was that move chosen? Is a piece in danger? Are there any other threats I
should watch out for? What sort of plan does my opponent have in mind? Only by
defending against your opponent's threats will you be able to successfully carry
out your own strategies. Once you figure out what your opponent is attempting to
do, you can play to nip those plans in the bud.
TIP 2:
Make the best possible move.
When you're considering a move, ask yourself these questions:
a. Will the piece I'm moving go to a better square than the one it's on now?
b. Can I improve my position even more by increasing the effectiveness of a
different piece?
c. Does this move help to defend against my opponent's threats?
d. Will the piece I move be safe on its new square?
- i. If it's a Pawn, consider: Can I keep it protected from
attack?
- ii. If it's another piece, consider: Can the enemy drive
it away, thus making me lose valuable time?
Even if your intended move has good points, it may not be the best move at that
moment. Emanuel Lasker, a former world champion, said: "When you see a good
move, wait - look for a better one!" Following this advice is bound to improve
your chess.
TIP 3:
Have a plan.
If you threaten something here in one move, something over there
in the next move, and so forth, your opponent will have an easy time defending.
Your pieces have to work together to be effective. Just imagine each instrument
in an orchestra playing a different tune! When you develop a plan, your men can
work in harmony. For example, you might plan to attack your opponent's King; one
piece alone probably wouldn't be able to do much, but the combined strength of
several pieces makes a powerful attacking force. Another plan could be taking
control of all the squares in a particular area of the board. The chess men are
your "team"; to be a good "coach," you have to use all of their strengths
together.
TIP 4:
Know what the pieces are worth.
When you are considering giving up some of your pieces for some
of your opponent's, you should think about the values of the men, and not just
how many each player possesses. The player whose men add up to a greater value
will usually have the advantage. So a crucial step in making decisions is to add
up the material, or value, of each player's men. The Pawn is the least valuable
piece, so it is a convenient unit of measure. It moves slowly, and can never go
backward. Knights and Bishops are approximately equal, worth about three Pawns
each. The Knight is the only piece that can jump over other men. The Bishops are
speedier, but each one can reach only half the squares. A Rook moves quickly and
can reach every square; its value is five Pawns. A combination of two minor
pieces (Knights and Bishops) can often subdue a Rook. A Queen is worth nine
Pawns, almost as much as two Rooks. It can move to the greatest number of
squares in most positions. The King can be a valuable fighter too, but we do not
evaluate its strength because it cannot be traded.
TIP 5:
Develop quickly and well.
Time is a very important element of chess. The player whose men
are ready for action sooner will be able to control the course of the game. If
you want to be that player, you have to develop your men efficiently to powerful
posts. Many inexperienced players like to move a lot of Pawns at the beginning
of the game to control space on the chessboard. But you can't win with Pawns
alone! Since Knights, Bishops, Rooks, and Queens can move farther than Pawns and
threaten more distant targets, it's a good idea to bring them out soon, after
you've moved enough Pawns to guarantee that your stronger pieces won't be chased
back by your opponent's Pawns. After all the other pieces are developed, it's
easier to see what Pawns you should move to fit in with your plans. It's
tempting to bring the Queen out very early, because it's the most powerful
piece. But your opponent can chase your Queen back by threatening it with less
valuable pieces. Look at Example A: after 1...Nf6, Black threatens to drive the
white Queen away with either 2...Nd4 or 2....d6 and 3...Bg4. Instead of just
moving pieces out, try to determine the best square for each piece and bring it
there in as few moves as possible. This may save you from wasting moves later in
the game.
TIP 6:
Control the center.
In many cases, the person who controls the four squares at the
center of the board will have the better game. There are simple reasons for
this. First, a piece in the center controls more of the board than one that is
somewhere else. As an example, place one Knight on a center square and another
in one of the corners of the board. The Knight in the center can move to eight
different squares, while the "cornered" one only has two possible moves! Second,
control of the center provides an avenue for your pieces to travel from one side
of the board to the other. To move a piece across the board, you will often have
to take it through the center. If your pieces can get to the other side faster
than your opponent's pieces, you will often be able to mount a successful attack
there before he can bring over enough pieces to defend.
TIP 7:
Keep your King safe.
Everyone knows that the object of the game is to checkmate the
opponent's King. But sometimes a player thinks about his own plans so much that
he forgets that his opponent is also King hunting! It's generally a good idea to
place your King in a safe place by castling early in the game. Once you've
castled, you should be very careful about advancing the Pawns near your King.
They are like bodyguards; the farther away they go, the easier it is for your
opponent's pieces to get close to your King. (For this reason, it's often good
to try to force your opponent to move the Pawns near his King.)
TIP 8:
The best time to trade.
The best time to trade men is when you can capture men worth more
than the ones you will be giving up, which is called "winning material" (see Tip
4, Know what the men are worth). But the opportunity to do this may not arise if
your opponent is very careful. Since you will probably have many chances to
exchange men on an "even" basis, it's useful to know when you should or
shouldn't do this. There are several important considerations. As a general
rule, if you have the initiative (your pieces are better developed, and you're
controlling the game), try not to exchange men unless it increases your
advantage in some clear way. The fewer men each player has, the weaker the
attacking player's threats become, and the easier it is for the defending side
to meet these threats. Another time not to trade pieces is when your opponent
has a cramped position with little space for the pieces to maneuver. It's tough
to move a lot of pieces around in a cramped position, but easier to move just a
few. One way to gain an advantage is to trade peices to weaken your opponent's
Pawn structure. If, for example, you can capture with a piece that your opponent
can only recapture in a way that will give him "doubled Pawns". it will often be
to your advantage to make that trade. The player who is ahead in material will
usually benefit from trades. It's sort of like basketball or soccer; five
players will sometimes have trouble scoring against four opposing players, but
take away three from each side and the stronger team will find it easier to
score with two players against one. So, to summarize: It's usually good to trade
pieces if your opponent has the initiative, if you have a cramped position, if
you can weaken your opponent's Pawn structure, or if you are ahead in material.
There are exceptions, of course, but following these rules should bring you
considerable success.
TIP 9:
Think about the endgame.
From the time the game begins, you should remember that every
move you make may affect your chances in the endgame. For instance, in the
earlier parts of the game, a Knight and a Bishop are about equally powerful.
Toward the end of the game, though, when there are fewer men in the way, the
Bishop can exert its influence in all parts of the board at once, while the
Knight still takes a long time to get anywhere. So before you trade a Bishop for
a Knight, think not just about the next few moves but also about the endgame.
Pawn structure is crucial in the endgame. When you capture one of your
opponent's men with a Pawn, you'll often create an open file that will help your
Rooks and Queen to reach your opponent's side of the board, but you may also get
doubled Pawns. Since doubled Pawns cannot defend each other, they are liability
in the endgame. If your opponent survives the middlegame, you may have an uphill
fight later. Concentrate on your immediate plans, as well as your opponent's -
but always keep the endgame in mind!
TIP 10:
Always be alert.
There is a tendency for people to relax once they have reached a
good position or to give up hope if their position is very bad when they play
chess. These attitudes are natural, but both lead to bad results. Many players -
even chess world champions - have achieved winning positions, only to lose
because they relaxed too soon. Even the best position won't win by itself; you
have to give it some help! In almost any position, the "losing" player will
still be able to make threats. The "winning" player has to be alert enough to
prevent these positions. Advice: If you have a better position, watch out! One
careless move could throw away your hard-won advantage. Even as you're carrying
out your winning plans, you must watch out for your opponent's threats.
Conversely, if you have a worse position, don't give up! Keep making strong
moves, and try to complicate the position as much as possible. If your opponent
slips, you may get the chance to make a comeback. Remember: Where there's life,
there's hope. So be alert all the time, no matter what the position is like. A
little bit of extra care can pay off in a big way.
Lesson 3
Introduction
to Chess Strategy
Do you play poker? There are similarities in strategies between
chess and
Texas holdem and chess players are
starting to take notice. In both games, you must think a number of moves ahead
and gather as much information as you possibly can. It’s no accident that expert
poker players such as Bob Chiaffone and Howard Lederer are great at chess.
The intelligent reader may ask: "Why am I supposed to study
Chess Strategy, while I have only a very slender knowledge of the
Chess Openings?" The reply to this question is, that learning Chess is
somewhat similar to learning a language. We all know that children acquire a
certain vocabulary of their native tongue before they begin to delve into the
mysteries of grammar and syntax, and, as a matter of fact, a considerable
proportion of people of all nationalities are content to go through life without
troubling themselves to learn the laws and principles which govern their
language. In Chess, knowledge of the moves and how to play under certain given
conditions is equivalent to acquiring a vocabulary in a language, and the syntax
may be said to be the study and analysis of the
Openings, which we have therefore reserved for a later stage, by which time
the student will be better equipped for the task of making himself conversant
with the subtleties and beauties of the many and complex variations in the
different Chess Openings.
Some Opening Principles and Chess Strategies
Quick List of Chess Strategies:
* Avoid Moving a Chess Piece Twice During the Opening is a good chess
strategy.
* It is Better Chess Strategy to Develop the Knights before Their Respective
Bishops.
* A good chess strategy is to Develop Both Knights before the Queen’s Bishop.
* A good chess strategy is Do Not Develop your Chess Pieces Exclusively on One
Side.
* A good chess strategy is as a Rule Do Not Play a Piece beyond Your Own Side
of the Board in the Opening.
* A good chess strategy is if You Have Castled Do Not Permit the Opponent to
Open a File on Your King.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Pinning the Opponent’s King’s Knight before
He has Castled, Especially When You Have Yourself Castled on the King’s Side.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Making Exchanges which Develop Another
Piece for the Opponent.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Exchanging Bishops for Knights Early in the
Game.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Premature Attacks.
* A good chess strategy is Seeking a Weak Spot in Opponent’s Position.
For the purpose of study and analysis, a game of Chess is divided into three
phases – the Chess Opening, the Middle Game, and the End Game.
The Chess Opening consists of the first six or eight moves, when
both sides endeavor to develop their forces into the sphere of action where they
will exercise the greatest power against the opponent’s defenses. By this time
the reader will be in a position to understand the following principles with
regard to the Chess Opening – principles which experience has proved cannot be
deviated from with impunity.
* Avoid Moving a Chess Piece Twice During the
Opening is a good chess strategy.
This means that when you have developed a piece, it should not
be moved again until the other pieces have been developed. If a piece has been
attacked, it must, of course, be moved, but this is not a violation of the rule,
as the opponent in all probability has departed from principle in attacking your
piece, which will ultimately prove to be advantageous to you.
This principle does not mean that both Knights should be
developed before bringing out a Bishop, but that it is advisable to play say the
King’s Knight before the King’s Bishop, and similarly on the Queen’s side.
The following is an example of the consequences that may ensue
by violating the foregoing principles and strategies.
White Black
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 d6
3.Bc4 Bg4
Here Black has violated the strategy principle by playing the
Bishop instead of the Knight.
4.Nc3 Nc6
5.0-0 Nd4
Black has again played contrary to the principle strategy, in
moving the Knight twice during the Opening.
6.Nxe5 dxe5
Best. If at his 6th move Black plays 6...Bxd1, White gives Mate
in two moves: 7.Bf7+ Ke7 8.Nd5#, and Knight Mates.
The move in the text leaves him a pawn minus and an inferior
position.
* A good chess strategy is to Develop Both Knights
before the Queen’s Bishop.
* A good chess strategy is Do Not Develop your
Chess Pieces Exclusively on One Side.
* A good chess strategy is as a Rule Do Not Play
a Piece beyond Your Own Side of the Board in the Opening.
This last principle means that you should not play a piece
beyond its 4th square, until by development you have the other pieces ready to
back up any incursions the piece may make into enemy territory. In some forms of
Opening, however, this principle is disregarded, notably in the Ruy Lopez, but
in that case, it is attacking an important piece which the opponent is supposed
to require for his defense.
* A good chess strategy is if You Have Castled Do
Not Permit the Opponent to Open a File on Your King.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Pinning the
Opponent’s King’s Knight before He has Castled, Especially When You Have
Yourself Castled on the King’s Side.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Making
Exchanges which Develop Another Piece for the Opponent.
It might be thought that the wisdom of this last principle was
self-evident, but many beginners constantly disregard it. If, however, the piece
which is developed by the capture is the Queen, compensation for the loss of
balance in the development of the forces may be obtained by attacking the
adverse Queen, which should not, as a rule, be brought too early into action.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Exchanging
Bishops for Knights Early in the Game.
We have seen that in the early stages of a game the Bishops have
a longer range than the Knights, so it is clearly advisable to keep them in the
field as long as possible. The disparity between the two pieces gradually tapers
off as the game progresses, until in the End Game the Knight is frequently more
powerful than the Bishop because its action is not limited to one color of
square as is that of the Bishop.
* A good chess strategy is to Avoid Premature
Attacks.
It is probable that more games are lost by beginners through
disregard of this principle than from any other cause. An attack should never be
launched until there is sufficient force in the field to carry it to a
successful conclusion, and a premature attack almost inevitably recoils on the
head of the attacker. The following is a classic example of the result of
violation of some of the foregoing principles, and the position brought about
may be reached in a number of different ways.
White Black
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bc4 Nf6
4.0-0 Bc5
5.d3 d6
6.Bg5 h6
White’s 6th move clearly violates the principle of avoiding the
pin of the adverse King’s Knight before Castling, and after he himself has
Castled on the King’s side. If instead of retreating the Bishop after Black’s
6th move, he takes the Knight, it is evident that he will violate another
principle, for after 7...gxf6, Black will have a open file for his Rook, bearing
directly on White’s King.
7.Bh4 g5
8.Bg3 h5
White’s game is now as good as lost. He is threatened with the
loss of his Bishop by 9...h4, and if he plays 9.h3 to make an opening for it,
9...g4 by Black will perforce open a file for Black’s menacing and powerful
King’s Rook.
9.Nxg5 h4
With all his forces ready for an onslaught on the White King,
Black ignores the threat of 10.Nxf7, attacking his Queen.
10.Nxf7 hxg3
11.Nxd8 Bg4
12.Qd2 Nd4
Now play as he may, White cannot escape from disaster.
13.Nc3 Nf3+
14.gxf3 Bxf3
Black Mates in a move or two.
White cannot escape the consequences of his ill-advised Opening
by playing as his 13th move 13.h3, as Black’s reply will be 13...Ne2+ 14.Kh1,
then Black plays 14...Rxh3+, and after 15.gxh3 Bf3# Mates.
If, instead of moving his King, White at Move 14 in this
variation plays 14.Qxe2, then 14...Bxe2 will leave Black a piece to the good
with a winning position.
* A good chess strategy is Seeking a Weak Spot in
Opponent’s Position.
Suppose that both sides have developed their game without
disregarding any of the foregoing principles, and that the stage of the Middle
Game has been reached, sooner or later one of the players makes a doubtful move
which weakens his position, and success in Chess, in a great measure, depends
upon the ability of the opponent to detect this weakness, and then take full
advantage of it.
It is only by experience derived from assiduous practice and
observation that players acquire the knowledge which is requisite to enable them
accurately to gauge a weakness in the opponent’s position, and the only
assistance we can render is to give some examples, taken from games actually
played, and demonstrate the weak points in the positions, and how advantage was
taken of them. In order that the reader may derive the greatest possible benefit
from these examples, he should always set up the pieces from the various
diagrams, and, before consulting the text, endeavor to find out whether White or
Black has the better position, what weakness exists, and finally how to direct
the attack on that weakness. It will be practically useless merely to set up the
position and then proceed right away to play the moves that are given.
This position was reached in a game between Johner and Marshall
at the International Tournament at Pestyen, in 1912. A cursory examination might
lead to the conclusion that as White has a pawn to the good, and Black’s c-pawn
is weak and unsupported, the position is favorable to White, but White cannot
play 1.Rxc5 without losing the game.
White Black
1.Rxc5 Ne2+
2.Kh2 (best) Qf4+
3.g3 Nxg3
It is clear that White’s position is hopeless.
There is, however, a great weakness in White’s position,
inasmuch as he is defending his Bishop with his Queen, which, with all the open
files at his disposal, is a fine target for Black’s Rooks. The following moves
indicate how swiftly and inexorably Black availed himself of this weakness.
White Black
1.Kh2 Rfd8
2.Qe4 Re8
3.Qd5 Re5
Resigns
White resigns, because if he plays 4.Qd7 to protect his Bishop,
Black will play 4...Re7 again attacking the Queen and the Bishop is lost.
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Lesson 4
Lesson 5 TBA
Lesson 6 TBA
Lesson 7 TBA
Lesson 8 TBA
Lesson 9
Chess Jokes
More
chess jokes
Chess Jokes
Collection so far...
"So I was having dinner with Garry Kasporov - Problem was, we had a checkered
tablecloth and it took him two hours to pass the salt!"
Q. What's the difference between a chess player and a highway construction
worker?
A. A chess player moves every now and then.
Q. Why can't Episcopailians play Chess?
A. They don't know the difference between a Bishop and a Queen...
Q. Which chess piece is the most powerful?
A. The Knight, It goes over the top.
In a park people come across a man playing chess against a dog. They are
astonished and say: "What a clever dog!" But the man protests: "No, no, he isn't
that clever. I'm leading by three games to one!"
A group of chess enthusiasts had checked into a hotel, and were standing in
the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the
manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they
asked, as they moved off.
"Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."
BERKELEY, CA - The Berkeley Board of Education voted last night to ban the
game of Chess from all of its elementary, junior high and high schools. The
board claims that Chess has a negative influence on students because of the
backwards and outdated thinking that was responsible for creating the game.
One board member, Claudia Starsniffer, compiled a list of seven grievances
against Chess. Starsniffer's list claims,
- Chess is irrelevant to our society because it was created by dead white
guys.
- Chess encourages racism by having a 'war' between a white army and a
black army.
- Chess reinforces current racist tendencies in our society by always
having the white army move first.
- Chess glorifies war.
- Chess oppressively reinforces heterosexual stereotypes. It does this by
forcing each army to have a king and a queen and by not allowing the game to
be played with either two kings or two queens.
- Chess is guilty of breaking the separation of church and state by
allowing a bishop to be a belligerent in war.
- Chess destroys self-esteem. When children play the game, one always
loses. Losing causes a child to feel dumb and inadequate.
Said Starsniffer, "There is no place in our society for a monstrous game like
Chess. Chess is dangerous. Chess is destructive. Chess teaches racial and sexual
oppression. Chess has got to go!
Lesson 10 Quotations on chess
Quotations on chess
Some Chess Related Quotations
"Chess is the only game greater than its players"
Adapted from 'Chess' the musical.
"Chess is the gymnasium of the mind."
Lenin
"If you're too busy to play chess... you're too busy."
Unknown
"Thus the Devil played at chess with me, and yielding a pawn, thought to gain
a queen of me, taking advantage of my honest endeavours."
Thomas Brown
"Well, your son is a brilliant strategist, a superb tactician, and a
workaholic, he has unbreakable concentration, excellent opening preparation, and
impeccable technique, but unfortuanatly, he has no talent whatsoever."
Adapted
"Life's too short for chess."
Henry J Byron
"A pawn is a pawn."
Unknown
"If the point of playing chess is as a battle of the intellect then most
people would say that the memorization of other peoples ideas is something that
is anathema to the spirit of chess."
Nigel Davies
"Chess is too much to be merely a game but too little to be anything more."
Unknown
"Pawns are the soul of chess."
Philidor
"I'd rather have a pawn than a finger."
Rueben Fine
"Chess is 90% tactics"
Teichmann
"The beauty of a move lies not in its' appearance but in the thought behind
it"
Unknown
"Chess is not an equation."
Unknown
"Chess is not dominows"
Kasparov (refering to the Grob [to read more about the Grob click
here]!)
"You may have the bishop pair but I have the ultimate advantage; I am the
better player!"
Adams
"Now I have the pawn and the compensation."
Unknown
"Draws make me angry."
Romanishin
"I don't want to make the wrong mistake."
Unknown
"Some part of a mistake is always correct."
Probably the same person
"Rook endgames a pawn up are drawn. Rook endgames a pawn down are lost."
Walsh
"Checkmates don't work if there's no one answering the door."
(In reference to correspondance chess.)
"A real chess game can only be experienced by two people."
Donner
"To be a professional chess player is to spend your life living out of
suitcases and fighting for control of the d5 square."
Adapted
"And the Devil bared his teeth in a grin as he pushed his c-pawn one square,
for the Caro-Kann comes from the deepest pits of Hell."
Shternshain
"Our game is just too difficult for ordinary intelligent people."
Donner
"When you absolutely don't know what to do anymore, it is time to panic."
Unknwon
"Chess is just a rhyme without a reason."
Adapted (!)
"If cunning alone were needed to excel, women would be the best chess
players".
Albin
"Women are far too sensible to play chess."
A woman
"Chess is beautiful enough to waste your life for."
Hans Ree
"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."
Beard
"Chess is thirty to forty percent psychology. You don't have this when you
play a computer. I can't confuse it. "
Judith Polgar
"Chess is a beautiful mistress."
Larsen
"All we have gained then by our unbelief is a life of doubt diversified by
faith, for one of faith diversified by doubt: we called the chess-board white, -
we call it black."
Robert Browning
"Do not be in a hurry to do something you can't undo."
Unknown
"Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all."
Mikhail Chigorin
"Weak pawns are those which require smoke signals to communicate!"
Adapted
"England has no Grandmaster weaker than Raymond Keene."
Most drunk Grandmasters
"I thought I was playing the world champion, not some 27-eyed monster who
sees everything in all positions."
Tony Miles
"You can permit yourself any liberty in the opening except the luxury of a
passive position."
Grigory Sanakoev
"I'll take my five positions per second any day, thank you"
Viswanathan Anand (comparing humans with chess computers.)
"A quiet move in the midst of an attack is the master's trademark."
Adapted
"I don't have any solution, but I certainly admire the problem."
Unknown
"A good player is always lucky."
Capablanca
"'Good Enough' is the enemy of excellence." Unknown
"A game is always won through a mistake."
Tartakower
"Pawns are born free, yet are everywhere in chains..."
Soltis
"Black is now in desparate need of a good idea. Or, to put it standard chess
notation, +-"
Dvoretsky
"You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses
to frighten you."
Some politician
"I don't know what I am going to play, so how can he know what I am going to
play!"
Bisguier
"An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard."
Unknown
"Never copy yourself, always copy someone else."
Picasso
"Nobody ever won a game by resigning."
Unknown
"Chess players have unpleasant characteristics. They are (to a degree, of
course) proud, argumentative, over-cautious and deceitful."
Alliston
"When you see a good move, sit on your hands and find a better one."
Adams
"Have you ever seen a monkey examining a watch?"
Steinitz
"Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the
endgame like a machine."
Spielmann
"Remember, half the chess players you know are below average."
Adapted (!)
"Knights are cavalry, bishops are archers, rooks are cannons and queens are
wizards."
Aagaard
"A descriptive justification can be given for almost every mistake."
Adapted from Davies
"Chess, insanity and politics have always been inextricably connected"
Hurst
"If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked
something."
Unknown pessimist
"I was still too weak to understand his chess ideas at that time but I
remember being covered in smoke."
Shirov (referring to Tal)
"Chess is a sea in which a mosquito can bathe and an elephant can drown"
Unknown
"Chess is a cure for headaches."
John Maynard Keynes
"Of chess it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is
the fault of life, not chess."
Unknown
"The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made."
Unknown
"All obvious moves look dubious in analysis after the game"
Korchnoi
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Chess
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