50 Must Read Chess Quotes

“Chess is so inspiring that I do not believe a good player is capable of having an evil thought during the game.” – Wilhelm Steinitz. Here are 50 Motivational Chess Quotes.

Chess Quotes

1. “Chess is a war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.” – Bobby Fischer

2. “Chess doesn’t drive people mad, it keeps mad people sane.” – Bill Hartston

3. “Chess makes man wiser and clear-sighted.” – Vladimir Putin

4. “In Chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated” – Emanuel Lasker

5. “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

6. “Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation” – Max Euwe

7. “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

8. “Chess is so inspiring that I do not believe a good player is capable of having an evil thought during the game.” – Wilhelm Steinitz

9. “There is no remorse like the remorse of chess.” – H. G. Wells

10. “Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.” – Ralph Charell

11. “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

12. “The passion for playing Chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world.” – H.G. Wells

Chess Quotes

13. “One bad move nullifies forty good ones.” – Horowitz

14. “Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine” – Spielmann

15. “Life is more than just chess. Though king dies, life goes on.” – Toba Beta

16. Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. – Siegbert Tarrasch

17. “Life is like a game of Chess, changing with each move.” – Chinese Proverb

18. “Chess is rarely a game of ideal moves. Almost always, a player faces a series of difficult consequences whichever move he makes.” – David Shenk

19. “When you see a good move, look for a better one” – Emanuel Lasker

20. “Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.” – Rudolph Spielmann

21. “You have to have the fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances.” – Bobby Fischer

22. “Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands!” – Renaud and Kahn

23. “Chess is the art of analysis” – Mikhail Botvinnik

24. “I have come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.” – Marcel Duchamp

Chess Quotes

25. “In life, as in chess, forethought wins.” – Charles Buxton

26. “Life is a kind of Chess, with struggle, competition, good and ill events.” – Benjamin Franklin

27. “Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles.” – Garry Kasparov

28. “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

29. “Pawns are the soul of the game.” – François-André Danican Philidor

30. “No one will regret the time dedicated to chess, as it will help in any profession.” – Tigran Petrosyan

31. “If your opponent offers you a draw, try to work out why he thinks he’s worse off.” – Nigel Short

32. “The essence of Chess is thinking about what Chess is.” – David Bronstein

33. “If you are not big enough to lose, you are not big enough to win.” – Walter Reuther

34. “Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.” – Blaise Pascal

35. “Critical thinking is the most important factor with chess. As it is in life, you need to think before you make decisions.” – Hikaru Nakamura

36. “Without error there can be no brilliancy” – Emanuel Lasker

Chess Quotes

37. “Chess is the struggle against error.” – Johannes Zukertort

38. “Many have become Chess Masters, no one has become the Master of Chess.” – Siegbert Tarrasch

39. “I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew. Now I attack because I know it works best.” – Garry Kasparov

40. “The Pin is mightier than the sword.” – Fred Reinfeld

41. “Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life.” – Edward Morgan Foster

42. “A strong memory, concentration, imagination, and a strong will is required to become a great Chess player.” – Bobby Fischer

43. “The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move.” – David Bronstein

44. “Every Pawn is a potential Queen” – James Mason

45. “Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic” – Mikhail Botvinnik

46. “Chess is 99 percent tactics” – Teichmann

47. “Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all.” – Mikhail Chigorin

48. “You must never let your opponent see your pieces and figure your strategy.” – Unknown

49. “A passed Pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes.” – Capablanca

50. “Every Chess master was once a beginner.” – Chernev