Basic, general sayings

@Kilbroney
Got it. Thanks! Some of my favorite chess books have few or no games in them. But then, I like chess history.

@moonbus
Those are interesting. I think it was Tartakower who said, "The winner is the person who makes the next to the last mistake."

@Jayboman1579
All the best chess quotes belong to Tartakower! If being witty was FIDE rated then he would be 500 points higher than any other chess player in history.
https://www.azquotes.com/author/23917-Savielly_Tartakower

@jayboman1579 said
@moonbus
Those are interesting. I think it was Tartakower who said, "The winner is the person who makes the next to the last mistake."

Yes, Tartakower said many clever and profound things, that among them. He also said that "chess is a struggle against one's own errors."

He won many fine games at the top level, in his day, and is considered (along with Reti) one of the founders of the Hyper-Modern school.

@sonship said
A chess game is divided into three sections.

The beginning game when you seek to get the advantage.
The middle game when you hope you have the advantage.
The end game when you know you're going to lose.

- unknown

Another of Tartakower's gems.

@jayboman1579 said
@caissad4
Ha! I never heard the rook called that before! Excellent!

Nimzovitch, I believe, said that two rooks on the 7th are like wild pigs.

@johnnybike said
Not sure that makes sense unless it is to give the weaker player more chance to beat you.

No, it's to give the weaker play a chance to weaken his position even more.

@Jayboman1579

All Rook & Pawn endgames are a Draw.

"Weak players don't use their [clock] time until they're in trouble." -Jesse Kraai

When you see a good move you're at the wrong board

@ketchuplover said
When you see a good move you're at the wrong board

During the 2011 US Open, I got up to go the restroom. When I came back, I sat down, and was bewildered for a moment until I realized that I sat at the board NEXT to my game. Everybody close by smiled a bit, then we got on with business!

Petrosian : You will need to lose a thousand game before becoming a good player....

@moonbus said
Yes, Tartakower said many clever and profound things, that among them. He also said that "chess is a struggle against one's own errors."

He won many fine games at the top level, in his day, and is considered (along with Reti) one of the founders of the Hyper-Modern school.

Someone (I don't remember who and the web isn't helpful) also once said something good about Ksawery: "He will never be world champion; he loves the game too much".

@ogb said
Petrosian : You will need to lose a thousand game before becoming a good player....

Capablanca said learned more from the games he lost than from the ones he won. Mind you, in his professional career, he lost something on the order of 30 games.

@moonbus said
A knight on the rim is dim.

I love this saying that everyone knows.

I play the Reti gambit at blitz with 3. Na3 after the gambit pawn is accepted.
My opponent now thinks I'm dim and relaxes! (It's actually a book move.)