Chess Is Not Only Knowledge

I Have Had To Work Long And Hard To Eradicate The Dangerous Delusion That, In A Bad Position, I Could Always, Or Nearly Always, Conjure Up Some Unexpected Combination To Extricate Me From My Difficulties.

During A Chess Tournament A Master Must Envisage Himself As A Cross Between An Ascetic Monk And A Beast Of Prey.

For My Victory Over Capablanca I Am Indebted Primarily To My Superiority In The Field Of Psychology. Capablanca Played, Relying Almost Exclusively On His Rich Intuitive Talent. But For The Chess Struggle Nowadays One Needs A Subtle Knowledge Of Human Nature, An Understanding Of The Opponent's Psychology.

Never Before And Never Since Have I Seen - And I Cannot Even Imagine, Such An Amazing Rapidity Of Chess Thinking That Capablanca Possessed In 1913-14. In Blitz Games He Gave All The St. Petersburg Players Odds Of Five Minutes To One - And He Won.

Play On Both Sides Of The Board Is My Favourite Strategy.