"The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face. It is the most absorbing of occupations. The least satisfying of desires. A nameless excrescence upon life. It annihilates a man. You have, let us say, a promising politician, a rising artist that you wish to destroy. Dagger or bomb are archaic and unreliable - but teach him, inoculate him with chess."
H.G. Wells, Certain Personal Matters, 1898
Almost forgot my favorites...
-"It's always better to sacrifice your opponent's men"
-"All chessplayers should have a hobby."
-"Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do."
Tartakover
"When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied: 'Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!'"
Tal
Originally posted by nmdavidbHilariously funny, that interview. 😀
Interview with Siegbert Tarrasch
Q: What is the object of playing a gambit opening?
A: To gain the reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing a game.
Q: Account briefly for the popularity of the Queen Pawn Opening matches of a serious nature.
A: Laziness
Q: What is the duty of an umpire where a player willfully upsets the boar ...[text shortened]... locks during a tournament game?
A: Strangling a photographer
"Chess Review 1935"
Dave
"And the computer crashed; and the men were around it typing trying to fix it; and I looked at my mother; and I laughed and said something; and the arbiter said, "Silence! You're not allowed to talk to your people!" And I said: "Why not? They're talking to their guy all the time!"
- Garry Kasparov, during the 1997 match with Deep Blue