Bobby Fischer Quotes & Sayings

There's no luck involved in chess. You just have to work at it. — Bobby Fischer

You can only get good at Chess if you love the game — Bobby Fischer

Americans like a winner. If you lose, you're nothing. I'm going to win, though. It's good for the match that Spassky has a plus score against me. We've met five times. He's won three times
and we've drawn twice. But I'm a stronger player and a long match favors me. — Bobby Fischer

Different people feel differently about resigning — Bobby Fischer

Chess is like war on a board — Bobby Fischer

Tactics flow from a superior position — Bobby Fischer

Teach people to play new chess, right away. Why do you offer them a black and white television set, when there is a set in color? — Bobby Fischer

Vacations are designed to refresh the outlook of everyone. No matter how tired they may be when they return to work, vacationers have been refreshed emotionally and intellectually. Their effectiveness in their job has probably improved, and they are, generally speaking, better employees for the time off. — Bobby Fischer

I love chess, and I didnt invent Fischerandom chess to destroy chess. I invented Fischerandom chess to keep chess going. Because I consider the old chess is dying, or really its dead. A lot of people have come up with other rules of chess-type games, with 10x8 boards, new pieces, and all kinds of things. Im really not interested in that. I want to keep the old chess flavour. I want to keep the old chess game. But just making a change so the starting positions are mixed, so its not degenerated down to memorisation and prearrangement like it is today. — Bobby Fischer

My main interest right now is to expose the Jews. This is a lot bigger than me. They're not just persecuting me. This is not just my struggle, I'm not just doing this for myself ... This is life and death for the world. These God-damn Jews have to be stopped. They're a menace to the whole world. — Bobby Fischer

Every chess game is like taking a five-hour final exam. — Bobby Fischer

Computers are our only opponents that don't always have no excuse when losing against me. — Bobby Fischer

Chess is a matter of delicate judgement, knowing when to punch and how to duck. — Bobby Fischer

Yeah, there are too many Jews in chess. They seem to have taken away the class of the game. They don't seem to dress so nicely, you know. That's what I don't like. — Bobby Fischer

You know I'm finished with the old chess because it's all just a lot of book and memorization you know. — Bobby Fischer

Now my only income is a few royalty cheques from my books. — Bobby Fischer

The old chess is too limited. Imagine playing cards, black jack for example, and every time the dealer has the same starting hand you have the same starting hand. What's the point? — Bobby Fischer

They're all weak, all women. They're stupid compared to men. They shouldn't play chess, you know. They're like beginners. They lose every single game against a man. There isn't a woman player in the world I can't give knight-odds to and still beat. — Bobby Fischer

Your body has to be in top condition. Your Chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind — Bobby Fischer

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

The Russians have held my title for ten years and they're going to be in for it when I win the Championship. They're going to have to wait and play under my conditions. — Bobby Fischer

As Olafsson showed me, White can win ... It's hard to believe. I stayed up all night analysing, finally convicing myself, and, incidentally, learning a lot about Rook and Pawn endings in the process. — Bobby Fischer

I don't believe in hero worship. — Bobby Fischer

It's the fault of the chess players themselves. I don't know what they used to be, but now they're not the most gentlemanly group. When it was a game played by the aristocrats it had more like you know dignity to it. When they used to have the clubs, like no women were allowed and everybody went in dressed in a suit, a tie, like gentlemen, you know. Now, kids come running in their sneakers. Even in the best chess club-and they got women in there. It's a social place and people are making noise, it's a madhouse. — Bobby Fischer

Its just you and your opponent at the board and you're trying to prove something — Bobby Fischer

I give 98 percent of my mental energy to Chess Others give only 2 percent — Bobby Fischer

I'm not afraid of Spassky. The world knows I'm the best. You don't need a match to prove it. — Bobby Fischer

She and I just don't see eye to eye together. She's a square. She keeps telling me that I'm too interested in chess, that I should get friends outside of chess, you can't make a living from chess, that I should finish high school and all that nonsense. She keeps in my hair and I don't like people in my hair, you know, so I had to get rid of her. — Bobby Fischer

Let's play. I'm willing to play anywhere. — Bobby Fischer

There are too many Jews in chess. They seem to have taken away the class of the game. They don't seem to dress so nicely. That's what I don't like. — Bobby Fischer

My sister bought me a set at a candy store and taught me the moves. — Bobby Fischer

I don't believe in psychology. — Bobby Fischer

I don't believe in psychology. I believe in good moves — Bobby Fischer

I don't remember one thing I learned in school. — Bobby Fischer

Don't even mention losing to me. I can't stand to think of it — Bobby Fischer

I object to being called a chess genius, because I consider myself to be an all around genius, who just happens to play chess, which is rather different. A piece of garbage like Kasparov might be called a chess genius, but he is like an idiot savant, outside of chess he knows nothing. — Bobby Fischer

I was never invited to the White House. They invited that Olympic Russian gymnast - that little Communist, Olga Korbut. — Bobby Fischer

I'd like to travel around, be an international playboy. They have all that money; they could really do it right. Look at (Errol) Flynn. — Bobby Fischer

Our mind is all we've got. Not that it won't lead us astray sometimes, but we still have to analyze things out within ourselves. — Bobby Fischer

Americans really don't know much about chess. But I think when I beat Spassky, that Americans will take a greater interest in chess. Americans like winners. — Bobby Fischer

I am the best player in the world and I am here to prove it — Bobby Fischer

The United States is an illegitimate country, just like Israel. It has no right to exist. That country belongs to the Red man, the American Indian ... It's actually a shame to be a so-called American, because everybody living there is a usurper, an invader taking part in this crime, which is to rob the land, rob the country and kill all the American Indians. — Bobby Fischer

A strong memory, concentration, imagination, and a strong will is required to become a great Chess player — Bobby Fischer

I like the moment when I break a man's ego — Bobby Fischer

It's little quirks like this that could make life difficult for a chess machine. — Bobby Fischer

Is it against the law to kill a reporter? — Bobby Fischer

Too many times, people don't try their best. They don't have the keen spirit; the winning spirit. And once you make it you've got to guard your reputation - every day go in like an unknown to prove yourself. That's why I don't clown around. I don't believe in wasting time. My goal is to win the World Chess Championship; to beat the Russians. I take this very seriously. — Bobby Fischer

I was in Japan a couple of months ago, I saw a preview for the movie Pearl Harbor. And they showed the Japanese airplanes coming in to bomb Pearl Harbor, and I applauded. Nobody else in the theater applauded. — Bobby Fischer

I have never opened with the QP - on principle. — Bobby Fischer

If I win a tournament, I win it by myself. I do the playing. Nobody helps me — Bobby Fischer

I know people who have all the will in the world, but still can't play good Chess — Bobby Fischer

Ultimately the white man should leave the United States and the black people should go back to Africa. — Bobby Fischer

I don't keep any close friends. I don't keep any secrets. I don't need friends. I just tell everybody everything, that's all. — Bobby Fischer

Well, I kind of split my life into two pieces. One was where my chess career lies. There, I kept my sanity, so to speak, and my logic. And the other was my religious life. I tried to apply what I learned in the church to my chess career too. But I still was studying chess. I wasn't just "trusting in God" to give me the moves. — Bobby Fischer

Yeah, I used to dress badly until I was about sixteen. But people just didn't seem to have enough respect for me, you know And I didn't like that, so I decided I'd have to show them they weren't any better than me, you know? They were sort of priding themselves. They would say, 'He beat us at chess, but he's still just an uncouth kid.' So I decided to dress up. — Bobby Fischer

People have been playing against me below their strength for fifteen years. — Bobby Fischer

I am boring. I am boring! — Bobby Fischer

There are tough players and nice guys, and I'm a tough player — Bobby Fischer

I studied that first Karpov-Kasparov match for a year and a half before I cracked it, what they were doing, and discovered that it was all prearranged move-by-move. There's no doubt of it in my mind. — Bobby Fischer

First of all, we have to understand what communism is. I mean, to me, real communism, the Soviet communism, is basically a mask for Bolshevism, which is a mask for Judaism. — Bobby Fischer

I read a book lately by Nietzsche and he says religion is just to dull the senses of the people. I agree. — Bobby Fischer

Most people are sheep, and they need the support of others. — Bobby Fischer

I felt that chess ... is a science in the form of a game ... I consider myself a scientist. I wanted to be treated like a scientist. — Bobby Fischer

There was open collusion between the Russian players. They agreed ahead of time to draw the games they played against each other. Every time they drew they gave each other half a point. — Bobby Fischer

Nothing is so healing as the human touch. — Bobby Fischer

Karpov, Kasparov, Korchnoi have absolutely destroyed chess by their immoral, unethical, prearranged games. These guys are really the lowest dogs around, and if people knew the truth about them, they would be held in more contempt than Ben Johnson, the runner, and they're going to know the truth when I do this book! — Bobby Fischer

I'm not as soft or as generous a person as I would be if the world hadn't changed me. — Bobby Fischer

When I win, I'll put my title on the line every year, maybe even twice. I'll give players a chance to beat me. — Bobby Fischer

The system set up by F.I.D.E ... Insures that there will always be a Russian world champion ... The Russians arranged it that way. — Bobby Fischer

Normally we'd draw the curtain here, but I just wanted to see what he'd play next. — Bobby Fischer

Patzer sees a check, gives a check. — Bobby Fischer

I add status to any tournament I attend. — Bobby Fischer

I usually never stay at the board after a game. Especially against Spassky. I made a dumb suggestion and he refuted it instantly! I know I'm going to have to play him some day and it was really stupid to look like such a jerk in front of him. — Bobby Fischer

I love the game - and I hate the Russians because they've almost ruined it. They only risk the title when they have to, every three years. They play for draws with each other but play to win against the Western masters. Draws make for dull chess, wins make for fighting chess. — Bobby Fischer

Concentrate on material gains. Whatever your opponent gives you take, unless you see a good reason not to. — Bobby Fischer

Maybe I should publish the book. The world is coming to an end anyway! — Bobby Fischer

I want to see the U.S. wiped out. Death to the U.S. — Bobby Fischer

Nothing eases suffering like human touch. — Bobby Fischer

You are never too old to play chess! — Bobby Fischer

I can remember times coming home from a chess club at four in the morning when I was half asleep and half dead and forcing myself to pray an hour and study (the Bible) an hour. You know, I
was half out of my head-stoned almost. — Bobby Fischer

I don't care! I don't have to show anybody my games just because they're a big shot! — Bobby Fischer

All that matters on the chessboard is good moves. — Bobby Fischer

It is time to finish off the U.S. once and for all. — Bobby Fischer

My opponents make good moves too. Sometimes I don't take these things into consideration — Bobby Fischer

Psychologically, you have to have confidence in yourself and this confidence should be based on fact. — Bobby Fischer

America is totally under control of the Jews, you know. I mean, look what they're doing in Yugoslavia. — Bobby Fischer

I prepare myself well. I know what I can do before I go in. I'm always confident. — Bobby Fischer

He is the so-called father of the modern school of chess; before him, the King was considered a weak piece and players set out to attack the King directly. Steinitz claimed that the King was well able to take care of itself, and ought not to be attacked until one had some other positional advantage. He understood more about the use of squares than Morphy and contributed a great deal more to chess theory. — Bobby Fischer

There's no one alive I can't beat. — Bobby Fischer

I was going to do a book about the first prearranged Karpov-Kasparov match, '84-'85. But the God-damn Jews have stolen my entire file on that. — Bobby Fischer

All my games are real — Bobby Fischer

I don't like to dwell on the past. I'm interested in Fischerandom now, I am working on a new clock, I'm trying to make chess a more exciting game today. I am not interested in sitting in my rocking chair thinking what I did 10, 20 or 30 years ago. — Bobby Fischer

I really love the dark of the night. It helps me to concentrate. — Bobby Fischer

Capablanca was among the greatest of chess players, but not because of his endgame. His trick was to keep his openings simple, and then play with such brilliance in the middlegame that the game was decided - even though his ooponent didn't always know it - before they arrived at the ending. — Bobby Fischer

All I want to do, ever, is play chess. — Bobby Fischer

But the thing that was great about Capablanca was that he really spoke his mind, he said what he believed was true, he said what he felt. He wanted to change the rules [of chess] already, back in the twenties, because he said chess was getting played out. He was right. Now chess is completely dead. It is all just memorisation and prearrangement. It's a terrible game now. Very uncreative. — Bobby Fischer

I grew up with the concept of freedom of speech. So I'm too old, it's too late for me to adjust to the new world, the new world order. — Bobby Fischer

Genius. It's a word. What does it really mean? If I win I'm a genius. If I don't, I'm not. — Bobby Fischer

Well, you know, in America everybody is interested in making the dollar fast. In Yugoslavia no matter how much you hustle you're not going to get rich, so you might as well play chess. — Bobby Fischer

I play honestly and I play to win. If I lose, I take my medicine. — Bobby Fischer