Never Before And Never Since Have I

For Success I Consider Three Factors Are Necessary: Firstly, An Awareness Of My Own Strengths And Weaknesses; Secondly, An Accurate Understanding Of My Opponent's Strengths And Weaknesses; Thirdly, A Higher Aim Than Momentary Satisfaction. I See This Aim As Being Scientific And Artistic Achievements, Which Place The Game Of Chess On A Par With Other Arts.

The Purpose Of Human Life And The Sense Of Happiness Is To Give The Maximum What The Man Is Able To Give.

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.

Oh! This Opponent, This Collaborator Against His Will, Whose Notion Of Beauty Always Differs From Yours And Whose Means (strength, Imagination, Technique) Are Often Too Limited To Help You Effectively! What Torment, To Have Your Thinking And Your Phantasy Tied Down By Another Person!

I Do Not Play Chess – I Fight At Chess. Therefore, I Willingly Combine The Tactical With The Strategic, The Fantastic With The Scientific, The Combinative With The Positional, And I Aim To Respond To The Demands Of Each Given Position.