Great chess quotes

[Larry Castle]

Great Chess Quotes

May 25, 2021

Olimpiu G. Urcan (tweet) - Watching a bit of the #FTXCryptoCup, I wish I could time-travel to the 1920s just to tell those players that the future will involve moving chess pieces they can't really touch, to the delight of thousands of spectators they can't really see, for money they can't really hold.

That is priceless !!!

[Wayne Komer]

Great Chess Quotes

May 25, 2021

Olimpiu G. Urcan (tweet) - Watching a bit of the #FTXCryptoCup, I wish I could time-travel to the 1920s just to tell those players that the future will involve moving chess pieces they can't really touch, to the delight of thousands of spectators they can't really see, for money they can't really hold.

[Hans Jung]

In New in Chess Jorden Van Foreest: Do you want to know the real secret of my success? Cold showers. Its great for your heart, for your stress levels, for your blood vessels. I started with half a minute, then built it up to one minute. I did it every day. Then he won Tata Steel (Wijk aan Zee 2021)

[Hans Jung]

Keep promoting it and it may happen Wayne!
I saw the Yoko Ono peace set (not piece set) in St Louis at the World Chess Museum. I enjoyed it and it fit in well with all the other exhibiting sets. I would recommend the visit to any chess lover.

[Wayne Komer]

Great Chess Quotes

May 13, 2021

Yoko Ono’s White Chess Set

Since it was originally exhibited in Ono’s solo presentation at London’s Indica Gallery in November 1966, White Chess Set has been displayed in various configurations at venues across the world (including multiple boards set up on a long table, and a large-scale outdoor version, among others). In its elemental form, the work consists of an all-white board with all-white pieces on both sides, rendering both player’s pieces visibly indistinguishable from the other’s. As a result, players must take care to remember where they place their pieces as the game unfolds across the board, but it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate sides as the pieces come into closer proximity; ultimately, players lose track of which pieces are theirs and which belong to their opponent.

At this point, outside of Ono’s instruction to discontinue play, players can choose whether to continue attempting to follow the standard rules of chess or create a new way to play together. This process of decision making creates opportunities for conversation, collaboration, and creativity in developing a novel strategy. This aspect of the work suggests Ono’s anti-war stance—an ideology that permeates much of her oeuvre. The artist’s subtle modifications to the game of chess—traditionally considered a war game—fundamentally alter the goals of playing; instead of working against one another as if in battle, players must work together to effect conditions of peace.

https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_...ite-chess-set/
___________

I would pay good money to see Carlsen and Svidler (say) play a game on the all-white set!

[Peter McKillop]

Pete, dont you find it interesting that Botvinnik said that during Soviet times. Thats quite the statement. I guess he was beyond repercussions.

Yes, I agree re "beyond repercussions.". It would be interesting to know if Botvinnik was always that sharp-tongued in his assessments of some players. In the same interview he had uncomplimentary things to say about Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Polugaevsky, and Portisch. In the cases of Smyslov, Korchnoi, Kasparov, Bondarevsky, Boleslavsky, Furman, Fine, and Beliavsky his comments were generally positive. At that time (1984) he considered Kasparov and Korchnoi to be the world's strongest players.

[Brad Thomson]

Pete, dont you find it interesting that Botvinnik said that during Soviet times. Thats quite the statement. I guess he was beyond repercussions.

Yes, this was my first reaction too. But I guess it is as you say, he was basically immortal as far as chess went. Still, the bravado and gall are wonderful, and he must have ruffled quite a few feathers in the process.

[Hans Jung]

Pete, dont you find it interesting that Botvinnik said that during Soviet times. Thats quite the statement. I guess he was beyond repercussions.

[Peter McKillop]

The following Botvinnik quote comes from an interview B. gave to a Russian emigrant magazine called 'Seven Days'. Don't know if that mag still exists but the interview was re-printed in the trial run of New in Chess Magazine published as issue no. zero in March, 1984, and that's where I obtained this quote.

Q: What do you think of the present world-champion?

A: ..... When a master became known for his ideas about a certain opening he was brought to Moscow and was instructed to do some more research on that opening for Karpov, and to put his findings on paper, of course in the utmost secrecy. In short, we can see Karpov as an exploiter of other people's ideas. His ability to use these ideas is not at issue, but he himself is about as fertile as a woman who has been sterilized.

[Wayne Komer]

Great Chess Quotes

April 29, 2021

A statement in ChessBomb today by ArcticStones during the Aronian-Carlsen match game of the New in Chess Classic Knockouts (Game 4):

Ivanchuk is in a class by himself – the world’s foremost expert on the ceilings of chess venues!

[Hugh Brodie]

Jeremy Silman reported in the May 1978 issue of "Chess Life & Review" that Tigran Petrosian had recently given a simul against 30 juniors in London. He scored +10 =11 -9. Petrosian commented: "In the USSR, such players do not play in simultaneous exhibitions - they play in international tournaments!".

In the same report, SIlman mentions: "One of England's brightest hopes is 13-year old Nigel Short."

[Hans Jung]

From the editor of American Chess Magazine regarding the popularity of the Queens Gambit: "we had incredible feedback from our last issue (#19) that even surpassed readers interest in our bestseller #12 with its "Fischer Magic". Finally outdone! Truly amazing!

[Wayne Komer]

Great Chess Quotes

March 21, 2021

Would you buy water-damaged chess books to pay a low price?

This from eBay today:

12 Water damaged or stained chess books

Starting bid US $20

Description: 12 Water damaged chess books. Condition is "Acceptable". Shipped with USPS Media Mail.

These books all have water damage, warping, and/or stains. Otherwise, they are in very good condition and readable.

How to Reassess your chess by Silman has stains on the page edges. Otherwise very good.
Chess Computer book has water stains in the top right, otherwise very good.
How Good is your chess has a little piece of the paper spine missing, otherwise very good.
ICON Sicilian Alapin has stains on the cover. Otherwise very good.
Inside Chess Openings has stains on the cover that go to the first 3 pages, otherwise very good.
Winning with the Slav has water damage and stains on the right side, otherwise very good.
Anti-Meran Botvinnik variation has warping and water damage, otherwise very good.
Planning has warping and water stains, otherwise very good condition
Danger in Chess has warping and water stains, otherwise very good condition.
Leningrad Dutch has warping and water stains, otherwise very good condition
Game of Chess has stains on the outside page edges, otherwise very good condition.
Test Your Chess IQ has stains and warping, otherwise very good condition.

[Dilip Panjwani]

A movie called 'A Bullet for Joey'. George Raft is talking to an ex-girlfriend about another guy and says, with a sneer in his voice, " You wouldn't go for him. He's a chess player."

Ohh the injustice!

That is it! Finally, an explanation for why so few of the fair sex enter chess tournaments?

[Peter McKillop]

A movie called 'A Bullet for Joey'. George Raft is talking to an ex-girlfriend about another guy and says, with a sneer in his voice, " You wouldn't go for him. He's a chess player."

Ohh the injustice!