25 Chess Quotes That Inspire Me

I love collecting chess quotes, and here are some of my favorites. Some are inspiring chess quotes, while others are just downright funny!

“You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.” — Mikhail Tal

“If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.” — Garry Kasparov

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

“Every chess master was once a beginner.” — Irving Chernev

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

“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

“The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made.” — Savielly Tartakower

“Why must I lose to this idiot?!” — Aron Nimzowitsch

“Chess is a struggle between my desire not to think and my desire not to lose.” — Jan Gustafsson

“Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.” — Rudolf Spielmann

“Help your pieces, so they can help you.” — Paul Morphy

“Chess doesn’t drive people mad; it keeps mad people sane.” — Bill Hartston

“A game to subdue the turbulent spirit or worry a tranquil mind.” — Bill Hartston

“I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves.” — Bobby Fischer

“Tactics flow from a superior position.” — Bobby Fischer

“Chess is the struggle against the error.” — Johannes Zukertort

“One bad move nullifies 40 good ones.” — Al Horowitz

“When in doubt, take a pawn!” — Wilhelm Steinitz

“Win with grace. Lose with dignity.” — Susan Polgar

“The older I grow, the more I value pawns.” — Paul Keres

“In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent.” — Vasily Smyslov

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

“You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win.” — José Raúl Capablanca

“A passed pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes.” — José Raúl Capablanca

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