Best Chess Quotes of All Time

Good chess quotes are easy to come by. But we’ve tried to narrow it down even further by just including the best of the best.

People are introduced to chess in a variety of ways. Perhaps a family member is looking for a game. Or, one of your friends plays. Recently, many folks have taken an interest in chess because of a popular Netflix series.

The Queen’s Gambit tells the story of an orphan girl who becomes a chess prodigy. During the Cold War era, the seven-part series featured plenty of chess competitions and seems to have renewed interest in the game.

Since chess is such a strategic game, some of the insights from chess masters provide a great perspective on chess, business, and life. We hope you enjoy these quotation selections.

Great Chess Quotes

Some of the best chess quotes speak to playing the game and moments in life.

1.) “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.”

When Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote this, it seems he was speaking of the idea of being aggressive and taking chances. Seldom does one win by staying in place or retreating. You have to be daring to win the game.

2.) “The winner is the one who makes the next-to-last mistake.”

Savielly Tartakower, of Russian descent, was an International Grandmaster and a chess journalist during the 1920s and 1930s. He realized that in chess, mistakes lead to victory. His famous quotes on the topic include, “The mistakes are there, waiting to be made,” and “Chess is a fairy tale of 1,001 blunders.” And, one more, “Chess is a struggle against one’s own errors.”

See the “Is Chess a Sport?” article.

3.) “To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game.”

This is another Tartakower quote in which he cautions players to look at the big picture. Tartakower had a way with words, as evidenced by this famous chess quote, “An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard.” Here’s another good one, “The move is there, but you must see it.”

4.) “In life, as in chess, forethought wins.”

Buxton’s message: To win at chess and any major endeavor, it helps to plan. Buxton was also quoted as saying, “In life, as in chess, one’s own pawns block one’s way. A man’s very wealth, ease, leisure, children, books, which should help him to win, more often checkmate him.” I wonder if the last quotation resulted in some difficult conversations at the dinner table.

5.) “Not all artists are chess players, but all chess players are artists.”

Chess players see the board in various ways, much like an artist paints a subject. While chess has a competitive sport aspect and a pure science component, it is also artistry. Just like a good book or movie can bring back memories, a well-played chess move can prompt one to recall one’s own experiences or memories of playing. So, the originator of this quote, Marcel Duchamp, got it right. Duchamp was a French-American painter, chess player, and writer.

6.) “Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.”

If you’re new to chess, the game is typically broken down into three phases: The opening, e.g., The Queen’s Gambit, the middle game, and the end game. The opening shifts to the middle game when players begin attacking each other’s pieces. The end game commences when most of the pieces are off the board. Rudolf Spielmann, who wrote this line, was a lawyer but never worked as one. He was a chess player who won 33 tournaments of the 120 that he played.

Best Chess Sayings

Here is some food for thought before your next game.

7.) “When you see a good move, look for a better one.”

There are more possible ways for a chess game to play out than atoms in the observable universe. Wow! Think about that. As such, a chess player is faced with many choices. You might have what you think is a powerful move. But still, there may be one or several moves that are even better.

Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player who held the World Chess Champion title for 27 years. Lasker played contract bridge, Go, and his own game, “Lasca,” a variation of checkers.

8.) “The most powerful weapon in chess is to have the next move.”

A big advantage can be gained with one move, and as such, the player with the next move is frequently in a position to advance.

David Bronstein was a Soviet chess player who passed away in 2006. His book on chess, Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953, is one of the best chess books.

9.) “An hour’s history of two minds is well told in a game of chess.”

A chess prodigy, Jose Raul Capablanca, was the world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. Born in Havana, Cuba, he beat the Cuban champion two days before he became a teenager. As you might describe chess as the ultimate thinking game, one’s mind is definitely on display in a game.

10.) “Chess is a war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.”

Many regarded Bobby Fischer as the best chess player of all time (although Magnus Carlsen fans may disagree). Born in Chicago in 1943, he passed away in 2008 in Iceland. Of Fischer, Miguel Najdorf said, “Bobby just drops the pieces, and they fall on the right squares.” Fischer thrived on the competition once, saying, “I like the moment when I break a man’s ego.”

11.) “Every chess master was once a beginner.”

Irving Chernev said this about chess, but it fits in just about any other area of interest. Everyone was a beginner at one time. You have to make mistakes, learn from mistakes, and practice to advance. Chernev was a national master-strength player and wrote 20 books on chess.

The Shortest Game Magnus Carlsen Played Video

Short Chess Quotes

12.) One bad move nullifies forty good ones.
Israel Albert Horowitz

13.) Pawns are born free, yet they are everywhere in chains.
Rick Kennedy

14.) Those who say they understand chess understand nothing.
Robert Hubner

15.) In chess, as it is played by the masters, chance is practically eliminated.
Emanuel Lasker

16.) I have always a slight feeling of pity for the man who has no knowledge of chess.
Siegbert Tarrasch

17.) When the chess game is over, the pawn and the king go back to the same box.
Irish Saying

18. I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew. Now I attack because I know it works best.
Garry Kasparov

19.) In life, as in chess, forethought wins.
Charles Buxton

20.) Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.
Rudolph Spielmann

21.) Chess is as much a mystery as women.
Purdy

Inspirational Chess Quotations

22.) You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player.
José Raúl Capablanca

23.) The pin is mightier than the sword.
Fred Reinfeld

24.) Chess holds its master in its own bonds, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom of the very strongest must suffer.
Albert Einstein

25.) I am convinced the way one plays chess always reflects the player’s personality. If something defines his character, then it will also define his way of playing.
Vladimir Kramnik

26.) Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half.
Jan Timman

27.) Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.
Blaise Pascal

28.) Chess is the art of analysis.
Mikhail Botvinnik

29.) The only thing chess players have in common is chess.
Lodewijk Prins

30.) It’s always better to sacrifice your opponent’s men.
Savielly Tartakower

31.) Of chess, it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess.
William Napier

32.) A win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror.
Wilhelm Steinitz

Motivational Quotes

33.) The pin is mightier than the sword.
Fred Reinfeld

34.) The passed pawn is a criminal who should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient.
Aron Nimzowitsch

35.) There is no remorse like the remorse of chess.
H. G. Wells

36.) Give me a difficult positional game, I will play it. But totally won positions; I cannot stand them.
Hein Donner

37.) After a bad opening, there is hope for the middle game. After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame. But once you are in the endgame, the moment of truth has arrived.
Edmar Mednis

38.) Modern Chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structure. Forget it; checkmate ends the game.
Nigel Short

39.) Chess does not drive people mad; it keeps mad people sane.
Bill Hartston

Motivating Insights

40.) The game of chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it…Life is a kind of Chess in which we have often points to gain and competitors or adversaries to contend with.
Benjamin Franklin

41.) I have come to the personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.
Marcel Duchamp

42.) The hardest game to win is a won game.
Emanuel Lasker

43.) Chess is so inspiring that I do not believe a good player is capable of having an evil thought during the game.
Wilhelm Steinitz

Strategic Quotes

43.) Becoming successful at Chess allows you to discover your own personality. That’s what I want for the kids I teach
Saudin Robovic

44.) The combination player thinks forward; he starts from the given position and tries the forceful moves in his mind
Emanuel Lasker

45.) For in the idea. of chess and the development of the chess mind, we have a picture of the intellectual struggle of mankind.
Richard Réti

46.) Checkers is for tramps.
Paul Morphy

47.) The beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender, and socioeconomic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over the chess board.
Simon Williams

48.)The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake.
Savielly Tartakover

49.) Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe.
Hindu proverb

50.) Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self-image and self-esteem.
Saudin Robovic

51.) The essence of Chess is thinking about what Chess is.
David Bronstein

52.) As proved by evidence, [chess is] more lasting in its being and presence than all books and achievements; the only game that belongs to all people and all ages; of which none knows the divinity that bestowed it on the world, to slay boredom, to sharpen the senses, to exhilarate the spirit.
Stefan Zweig

53.) Unlike other games in which lucre is the end and aim, [chess] recommends itself to the wise by the fact that its mimic battles are fought for no prize but honor. It is eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game.
Paul Morphy

Strategy and Tactics

54.) The most important feature of the Chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame and especially Endgame. The primary constraint on a piece’s activity is the Pawn structure.
Michael Stean

55.) Chess is the art of analysis.
Mikhail Botvinnik

56.) Chess, it’s the struggle against the error.
Johannes Zukertort

57.) Unlike other games in which lucre is the end and aim, [chess] recommends itself to the wise by the fact that its mimic battles are fought for no prize but honor. It is eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game.
Paul Morphy

58.) Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
Ralph Charell

59.) Chess helps you to concentrate and improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment.
Garry Kasparov

60.) Life is a kind of chess, with struggle, competition, and good and ill events.
Benjamin Franklin

Funny Chess Quotes

61.) Nobody ever won a chess game by resigning.
Savielly Tartakower

62.) I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves.
Bobby Fischer

63.) Life is too short for chess.
Henry James Byron

64.) After a bad opening, there is hope for the middle game. After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame. But once you are in the endgame, the moment of truth has arrived.
Edmar Mednis

65.) It will be cheering to know that many people are skillful chess players, though in many instances, their brains, in a general way, compare unfavorably with the cognitive faculties of a rabbit.
James Mortimer

66.) Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink, and an elephant may bathe.
Indian Proverb

67.) Amberley excelled at chess—one mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.
Arthur Conan Doyle

68.) Chess doesn’t drive people mad; it keeps mad people sane.
Bill Hartston

69.) We learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs, the habit of hoping for a favorable change, and that of persevering in the search for resources.
Benjamin Franklin

70.) Up to this point, White has been following well-known analysis. But now he makes a fatal error: he begins to use his own head.
Siegbert Tarrasch

71.) The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made.
Savielly Tartakower

Chess Quotations About Pawns

72.) Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf.
Cecil Purdy

73.) Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf.
Cecil Purdy

74.) Pawns are the soul of the game.
François-André Danican Philidor

75.) In life, as in chess, forethought wins.
Charles Buxton

76.) Those who say they understand chess understand nothing.
Robert Hübner

77.) Modern chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structure. Forget it; checkmate ends the game.
Nigel Short

78.) Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position.
Anatoly Karpov

79.) An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard.
Savielly Tartakower

80.) The passed pawn is a criminal who should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient.
Aron Nimzowitsch

Competitive Chess Quotes

81.) One bad move nullifies forty good ones.
Bernhard Horwitz

82.) Even a poor plan is better than no at all.
Mikhail Chigorin

83.) Chess is beautiful enough to waste your life for.
Hans Ree

84.) One doesn’t have to play well; it’s enough to play better than your opponent.
Siegbert Tarrasch

85.) The pin is mightier than the sword.
Fred Reinfeld

86.) It is not a move, even the best move, that you must seek, but a realizable plan.
Eugene Znosko-Borovsky

87.) Magnus (Carlsen) has many good qualities – he is very versatile, and he can play a lot of positions at a very high level. He’s also very flexible. And he has this amazing talent for grinding on, as you say. So that combination I was unable to deal with.
Viswanathan Anand, after playing Carlsen in the 2013 World Championship

88.) When you play chess, the idea is to make good moves, not quick ones!
Jeremy Silman

89.) It doesn’t matter how strong a player you are; if you fail to register some development in the opening, then you are asking for trouble.
John Emms

90.) If winning, clarify; if losing, complicate.
Bruce Pandolfini

91.) Stay flexible. Be ready to transform advantages from one type to another.
John Nunn

92.) What I admired most about him was his ability to make what was, in fact, so difficult look easy to us. I try to emulate him.
Magnus Carlsen on Bobby Fischer

Memorable Chess Quotes

93.) When you see a good move, look for a better one.
Emanuel Lasker

94.) Towering genius, riches, international fame, and a far-from-normal childhood might be too heady a mix for anyone to handle. For him, they proved fatal.
Dick Cavett on Bobby Fischer

95.) Of chess, it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess.
William Ewart Napier

96.) It’s just you and your opponent at the board, and you’re trying to prove something.
Bobby Fischer

97.) Openings teach you openings. Endgames teach you chess!
Stephan Gerzadowicz

98.) Chess is mental torture.
Garry Kasparov

99.) You have to have the fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances.
Bobby Fischer

100.) All I want to do, ever, is just play chess.
Bobby Fischer

101.) Life is like a game of chess, changing with each move.
Chinese Proverb

102.) In chess, bigamy is acceptable, but monarchy is absolute.
Garry Kasparov

FAQ Chess Quotes

Here are some frequently asked questions about chess quotes.

We hope you enjoyed these insights on the game of chess. It’s your move.

By Mike O’Halloran

Mike is the founder and editor of Sports Feel Good Stories. He learned to play chess at a young age. When a friend of his older sister, a Belgium foreign exchange student, visited his house, he chose to play Mike with his back to the board. Mike lost.

Overtime

You’re on our 101+ Best Chess Quotes of All Time page.

You might like:

Trivial Pursuit

Flipping out: Winning at Pinball

Surefire ways to win at ping-pong