Fischer Bobby Quotes & Sayings

When I was eleven, I just got good. — Bobby Fischer

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

To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to that elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years.) And what's ten years? Well, it's roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness. — Malcolm Gladwell

Different people feel differently about resigning — Bobby Fischer

Chess is like war on a board — Bobby Fischer

I think it's almost definite that the game is a draw theoretically. — 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

What is chess, do you think? Those who play for fun or not at all dismiss it as a game. The ones who devote their lives to it for the most part insist that it's a science. It's neither. Bobby Fischer got underneath it like no one before and found at its center, art. — Ben Kingsley

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

I think the combination of genius and celebrity, in the case of Bobby Fischer, was a dangerous cocktail. — Liz Garbus

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

If you have seen one Alekhine game you've seen them all. — 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

I like to say that Bobby Fischer was the greatest player ever. But what made Fischer a genius was his ability to blend an American freshness and pragmatism with Russian ideas about strategy — Bruce Pandolfini

The life of a chess master is much more difficult than that of an artist - much more depressing. An artist knows that someday there'll be recognition and monetary reward, but for the chess master there is little public recognition and absolutely no hope of supporting himself by his endeavors. If Bobby Fischer came to me for advice, I certainly would not discourage him - as if anyone could - but I would try to make it positively clear that he will never have any money from chess, live a monk-like existence and know more rejection than any artist ever has, struggling to be known and accepted. — Marcel Duchamp

The Russians have fixed world chess. — 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

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

My God, Bobby Fischer plays so simply — Alexey Suetin

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 hope the Icelandic government grants me political asylum. — 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

I don't recommend trying to cram a lot of long opening-move variations into your head. The main idea behind any opening is to get a strong pawn center and give your pieces a lot of scope so that you cramp your opponent's position and can attack weaknesses in his game. — Bobby Fischer

To get squares you have to give up squares. — Bobby Fischer

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

They're lying bastards. Jews were always lying bastards throughout their history. They're a filthy, dirty, disgusting, vile, criminal people. — 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

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

Bobby Fischer started off each game with a great advantage: after the opening he had used less time than his opponent and thus had more time available later on. The major reason why he never had serious time pressure was that his rapid opening play simply left sufficient time for the middlegame. — Edmar Mednis

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

I don't want to look like a bum. — Bobby Fischer

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

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

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

Chess and me, it's hard to take them apart. It's like my alter ego. — 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

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

Bobby Fischer is the greatest Chess genius of all time! — Alexander Kotov

In my opinion, the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force. — Bobby Fischer

All my games are real — 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

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

I don't listen to weakies. — Bobby Fischer

There's no one alive I can't beat. — 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

How do you beat Bobby Fischer? You play him at any game but chess. I try to stay in games where I have an edge. — Warren Buffett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I don't like American girls. They're very conceited, you know. In Europe they're more pleasant. — 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

When I used to go to the Manhattan Chess Club back in the fifties, I met a lot of old-timers there who knew Capablanca, because he used to come around to the Manhattan club in the forties - before he died in the early forties. They spoke about Capablanca with awe. I have never seen people speak about any chess player like that, before or since. — Bobby Fischer

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

Morphy was probably the greatest genius of them all — Bobby Fischer

What I admired most about him [Bobby Fischer] was his ability to make what was in fact so difficult look easy to us. I try to emulate him. — Magnus Carlsen

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

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 would rather be free in my mind, and be locked up in a prison cell, than to be a coward and not be able to say what I want. — Bobby Fischer

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

You want to know what I want? I'll tell you what I want. I want back what Bobby Fischer took with him when he disappeared. — Ben Kingsley

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

It was clear to me that the vulnerable point of the American Grandmaster (Bobby Fischer) was in double-edged, hanging, irrational positions, where he often failed to find a win even in a won position — Efim Geller

I used to play a lot of chess and competitive chess and study chess and as you get to the grandmasters and learn their styles when you start copying their games like the way they express themselves through ... The way Kasparov or Bobby Fischer expresses themselves through a game of chess is it's astonishing. You can show a chess master one of their games and they'll say "Yeah, that is done by that player." — Rainn Wilson

I am not today, nor have I ever been a Jew, and as a matter of fact, I am uncircumcised. — 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

Sometimes girls write me. One girl in Yugoslavia sent me a whole slew of love letters. I don't know how she got my address. She was in a crowd watching me play. She says when I left there the stars fell out of the sky over Yugoslavia, or something like that. — 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

I add status to any tournament I attend. — 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

Bobby Fischer's current state of mind is indeed a tragedy. One of the worlds greatest Chess players - the pride and sorrow of American Chess — Frank Brady

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

Blitz chess kills your ideas. — 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

With or without the title, Bobby Fischer was unquestionably the greatest player of his time — Burt Hochberg

I hate ready-made suits, button-down collars, and sports shirts. — 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

The United States is evil. It has to be brought down, it has to be eliminated from the world scene. They are the ones who have made the world the hell that it is. — Bobby Fischer