Tal Quotes & Sayings

I'm sorry," muttered Locke. "I was so keen to come to Tal fucking Verrar." "It's not your fault. We were both eager to hop in bed with the wench; it's just shit luck she turned out to have the clap. — Scott Lynch

You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one — Mikhail Tal

Play the move that forces the win in the simplest way. Leave the brilliancies to Alekhine, Keres and Tal. — Irving Chernev

Nos-tal-gic,' Akira said, as though it were a word he had been struggling to find. Then he said a word in Japanese, perhaps the Japanese for 'nostalgic.' 'Nos-tal-gic. It is good to be nos-tal-gic. Very important.'

'Really, old fellow?'

'Important. Very important. Nostalgic. When we nostalgic, we remember. A world better than this world we discover when we grow. We remember and wish good world come back again. So very important. Just now, I had dream. I was boy. Mother, Father, close to me. in our house.'

He fell silent and continued to gaze across the rubble.

'Akira,' I said, sensing that the longer this talk went on, the greater was some danger I did not wish fully to articulate. 'We should move on. We have much to do. — Kazuo Ishiguro

Naturally, the psychological susceptibility of a match participant is significantly higher than a participant in a tournament, since each game substantially changes the over-all position. — Mikhail Tal

If Tal sacrifices a piece, take it. If Petrosian sacrifices a piece, don't take it. — Mikhail Botvinnik

Nick stands up and offers his hand to me. I have no idea what he wants, but what the hell, I take his hand anyway, and he pulls me up on my feet then presses against me for a slow dance and it's like we're in a dream where he's Christopher Plummer and I'm Julie Andrews and we're dancing on the marble floor of an Austrian terrace garden. Somehow my head presses Nick's t-shirt and in this moment I am forgetting about time and Tal because maybe my life isn't over. Maybe it's only beginning. — Rachel Cohn

I started playing jazz by slowing down Tal Farlow records and analyzing his runs — Lenny Breau

The result was the same as tuning down the strings by a semitone and using a capo at the first fret. With less tension in the strings, the sound was more mellow and softer; it also allowed me to cover a larger span of the fingerboard. I used this for quite a few years, but eventually I went back to the standard fingerboard. — Tal Farlow

My closest friends from Israel make fun of me for becoming an American, and my American friends make fun of how Israeli I am ... I can't win. — Alona Tal

Many introver- ted kids grow up to have excellent so- cial skills, although they tend to join groups in their own way - waiting a while before they plunge in, or particip- ating only for short periods. That's OK. Your child needs to acquire social skills and make friends, not turn into the most gregarious student in school. This doesn't mean that popularity isn't a lot of fun. You'll probably wish it for him, just as you might wish that he have good looks, a quick wit, or athletic tal- ent. But make sure you're not imposing your own longings, and remember that there are many paths to a satisfying life. — Susan Cain

I prefer to make my annotations 'hot on the heels', as it were, when the fortunes of battle, the worries, hopes and disappointments are still sufficiently fresh in my mind. Much as I would like to, I cannot say this about these few games which will be given below. In fact, if the annotator should begin to use phrases of the type: 'in reply to...I had worked out the following variation...', the reader will rightly say 'Grandmaster, you are showing off', since the 'oldest' of these games is now more than 25 years old, and even the 'newest' more than 20. Therefore, I would ask you not to regard the following 'stylised' annotations too severely. — Mikhail Tal

I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind. — Mikhail Tal

Gods, I love this place," Locke said, drumming his fingers against his thighs. "Sometimes I think this whole city was put here simply because the gods must adore crime. Pickpockets rob the common folk, merchants rob anyone they can dupe, Capa Barsavi robs the robbers and the common folk, the lesser nobles rob nearly everyone, and Duke Nicovante occasionally runs off with his army and robs the shit out of Tal Verarr or Jerem, not to mention what he does to his own nobles and his common folk. — Scott Lynch

There are some people who always feel happy. They're called psychopaths — Tal Ben-Shahar

I would urge a young player to listen to Charlie Christians' sense of time ... I'll never forget listening to my father (Bucky Pizzarelli) and Tal Farlow playing Christians' 'Solo Flight' backstage at a gig ... that's when it hit me how big of an effect Christian had on jazz guitar. 'Solo Flight' was like the gospel ... — John Pizzarelli

There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones and mine — Mikhail Tal

For inspiration I look to those great players who consistently found original ways to shock their opponents. None did this better than the eighth world champion, Mikhail Tal. The "Magician of Riga" rose to become champion in 1960 at age twenty-three and became famous for his aggressive, volatile play. — Garry Kasparov

Tal's combinations often exert a sort of paralysing influence on the opponent's play. It would seem that the element of surprise plays a big part in this. — Mark Taimanov

Gods," Locke muttered. "We should be back in our beds, sleeping the day away. Have we ever been less in control of our lives than we are at this moment? We can't run away from the archon and his poison, which means we can't just disengage from the Sinspire game. Gods know we can't even see the Bondsmagi lurking, and we've suddenly got assassins coming out of our assholes. Know something? I'd lay even odds that between the people following us and the people hunting us, we've become this city's principal means of employment. Tal Verrar's entire economy is now based on fucking with us." It — Scott Lynch

Tal doesn't move the pieces by hand; he uses a magic wand. — Viacheslav Ragozin

Our behavior toward others is often a reflection of our treatment of ourselves. — Tal Ben-Shahar

I'm not a real blond ... Shocking. — Alona Tal

The local music community here was dying for a place to record, so we started doing acoustic, folk and bluegrass and then did rock projects for other bands, as well as for my son Tal and my own work. — Randy Bachman

I had a career at home, and I just knew that it'd be okay if nothing happened in Los Angeles. — Alona Tal

What I think I do is to relate any new material to how similar it is to something else. The closest that I can come up with something that's already in my experience, the easier it becomes. All I have to do then is remember where it differs, like relating a chord sequence that comes from some other tune, or several different tunes, or maybe parts of them and then work it from there. — Tal Farlow

According to such great attacking players as Bronstein and Tal, most combinations are inspired by the player's memories of earlier games. — Pal Benko

Because," Mischa whispered, not taking her eyes off him. "After Tal found me, I couldn't let him go. I didn't want to be lost anymore. — Stylo Fantome

Even if nothing awaits you in the dark, Tal wondered, what if your line is baited, and you keep pulling in things you do not intend? — Matt Holgate

I see my own style as being a symbiosis of the styles of Alekhine, Tal and Fischer. — Garry Kasparov

When I was about six, I saw my elder siblings play chess and pestered my mother into teaching me. Very soon, I was beating everyone at home, and they thought it would be good to join a club. So my sister would take me to the Tal chess club on Thursdays and weekends. — Viswanathan Anand

Fischer is Fischer, but a knight is a knight! — Mikhail Tal

By then I was getting a little work, doing some playing and getting paid for it, not very much, but enough for me to feel justified in buying a real instrument. I bought a Gretsch with a De-Armond pickup on it and a second-hand Gibson amplifier; it looked like the one Charlie Christian used. I guess it was the same, although there were several models coming out at that time - this would be in I939. — Tal Farlow

Tal accepted absolutely all the world champion's conditions with a smile, taking away a very important psychological trump card from him - the harsh, prickly relations with his opponent that were characteristic of all Botvinnik's matches. — Gennadi Sosonko

I believe most definitely that one must not only grapple with the problems on the board, one must also make every effort to combat the thoughts and will of the opponent. — Mikhail Tal

I tended to lean towards the guys who both sang and played, such as Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Steve Wariner ... And at the other end of the spectrum, I had Eric Clapton in a rock and blues sense, jazz guys such as Tal Farlow and Les Paul ... Then Chet Atkins-type stuff. — Brad Paisley

If (Black) is going for victory, he is practically forced to allow his opponent to get some kind of well-known positional advantage. — Mikhail Tal

Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak. — Tal Ben-Shahar

I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn. I don't think that there is anything bad in such a feeling; no artist or musician is indifferent to the reactions of the public. — Mikhail Tal

Incremental change is better than ambitious failure ... Success feeds on itself. — Tal Ben-Shahar

Know something? I'd lay even odds that between the people following us and the people hunting us, we've become this city's principle means of employment. Tal Verrar's entire economy is now based on fucking with us. — Scott Lynch

In my games I have sometimes found a combination intuitively simply feeling that it must be there. Yet I was not able to translate my thought processes into normal human language. — Mikhail Tal

Only once did I perceive a human being, and that was at the intersection of our crossroad with the wide, white turnpike which cuts each cultivated district longitudinally at its exact center. The fellow must have been sleeping beside the road, for, as I came abreast of him, he raised upon one elbow and after a single glance at the approaching caravan leaped shrieking to his feet and fled madly down the road, scaling a nearby wall with the agility of a scared cat. The Tharks paid him not the slightest attention; they were not out upon the warpath, and the only sign that I had that they had seen him was a quickening of the pace of the caravan as we hastened toward the bordering desert which marked our entrance into the realm of Tal Hajus. — Edgar Rice Burroughs

Many Chess players were surprised when after the game, Fischer quietly explained: 'I had already analyzed this possibility' in a position which I thought was not possible to foresee from the opening — Mikhail Tal

Without pushing an agenda (okay, maybe I've pushed a bit), I've spread a little veganism wherever I've gone. I've become friends with chefs at the meatiest restaurants you can imagine, and shown them a few things that opened their minds (and their menus) to vegan options. It's easy to be convincing when the food is delicious. It doesn't feel like a sacrifice
it feels like a step up. — Tal Ronnen

If Tal would learn to program himself properly, then it would become quite impossible to play against him. — Mikhail Botvinnik

Later, I began to succeed in decisive games. Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my opponent — Mikhail Tal

Without technique it is impossible to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to borrow from Capablanca his wonderful, subtle technique. — Mikhail Tal

I turned my attention back to the tal, handsome footman who was waiting patiently for me to take his hand and descend out of the plush carriage. Colin looked at me blandly. I knew perfectly well that he was remembering last spring when I stumbled out of a hired hack and sprawled, rather spectacularly, into a muddy puddle. — Alyxandra Harvey

Tal told me he loved me, and told me and told me, but you don't tell someone that and then tell them they're not experienced enough in bed and should read a book or something to learn, or they should try wearing deep-red lipstick and tight skirts to look hot like their best friend once in a while. If Tal hadn't lied to me when he said he loved me, I might not be without a future right now, a sucker who was so chickenshit she allowed herself to believe a false dream from a false god. I'm not sure I ever even liked Tal, much less loved him. — Rachel Cohn

I always had a weird thing with being the last person somewhere ... like a movie theater or a classroom. I get a weird sense of anxiety. — Alona Tal

Failure is an inescapable part of life and a critically important part of any successful life. We learn to walk by falling, to talk by babbling, to shoot a basket by missing, and to color the inside of a square by scribbling outside the box. Those who intensely fear failing end up falling short of their potential. We either learn to fail or we fail to learn. — Tal Ben-Shahar

When you appreciate the good, the good appreciates. — Tal Ben-Shahar

Tal was looking at Hank when he said, "Just a moment. I want to hear it one more time."
As they watched, Bernice found her way to Hank and Mary. She began to week openly, and spoke some quiet but impassioned words to them. Hank and Mary listened, as did the others nearby, and as they listened, they began to smile. They put their arms around her, they told her about Jesus, and then they began to weep as well. Finally, as the saints were gathered and Bernice was surrounded with loving arms, Hank said the words, "Let's pray ... — Frank E. Peretti

The cherished dream of every chessplayer is to play a match with the World Champion. But here is the paradox: the closer you come to the realization of this goal, the less you think about it. — Mikhail Tal

Que busca? Tal vez busca su destino. Tal vez su destino es buscar.
... what is he searching for? Perhaps he searches for his destiny. Perhaps his destiny is to search. — Octavio Paz

Quiet moves often make a stronger impression than a wild combination with heavy sacrifices. — Mikhail Tal

Learn to fail or fail to learn — Tal Ben-Shahar

I have always thought it a matter of honour for every chess player to deserve the smile of fortune. — Mikhail Tal

...That is my biography from the first day of my chess life to the present.

JOURNALIST. And your plans.
PLAYER. To play! — Mikhail Tal

I can go through life as a victim, blaming others for my misfortunes, and experiencing frustration over my condition. Or I can choose to be an active agent and do what I can do to bring about a positive change in my life. — Tal Ben-Shahar

Duiri Tal, a small lake, lies cradled on the hill above Okhimath, at a height of 8,000 feet. It was a favourite spot of one of Garhwal's earliest British Commissioners, J.H. Batten, whose administration continued for twenty years (1836-56). He wrote: The day I reached there, it was snowing and young trees were laid prostrate under the weight of snow; the lake was frozen over to a depth of about two inches. There was no human habitation, and the place looked a veritable wilderness. The next morning when the sun appeared, the Chaukhamba and many other peaks extending as far as Kedarnath seemed covered with a new quilt of snow, as if close at hand. The whole scene was so exquisite that one could not tire of gazing at it for hours. I think a person who has a subdued settled despair in his mind would all of a sudden feel a kind of bounding and exalting cheerfulness which will be imparted to his frame by the atmosphere of Duiri Tal. This — Ruskin Bond

Of course, errors are not good for a chess game, but errors are unavoidable and in any case, a game without ant errors, or as they say 'flawless game' is colorless. — Mikhail Tal

It's funny, but many people don't understand why I draw so many games nowadays. They think my style must have changed but this is not the case at all. The answer to this drawing disease is that my favorite squares are e6, f7, g7 and h7 and everyone now knows this. They protect these squares not once but four times! — Mikhail Tal

If I could, I want to take a page from the George Clooney-like actors of the world. They do things that are relevant, things that don't necessarily have huge box office appeal, but they matter. — Alona Tal

My style is somewhere between that of Tal and Petrosian — Samuel Reshevsky

To play for a draw (at any rate with White) is to some degree a crime against chess. — Mikhail Tal

Fischer is the greatest genius to descend from the chess heavens. — Mikhail Tal

Another guitar player who had a tremendous influence on my life was Howard Roberts ... I'd listened to a lot of Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith and Kenny Burrell, and I was certainly into those guys, but I was awestruck at the intensity and fire in Howards' guitar playing ... for me, it became a roadmap ... — Jeff Baxter

If you wait for luck to turn up, life becomes very boring. — Mikhail Tal

First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop, then knight, then pawns. — Mikhail Tal

A man makes choices," Tal said.

"True, but what choices a man makes depends on what choices he is offered. — Raymond E. Feist

I go over many games collections and pick up something from the style of each player. — Mikhail Tal

A diplomatic passport for a Tal Zahavi, with a current photo of Yael-1. The same birth date as in the other passport. The interior must have had fifty entry stamps for European and South American countries, plus the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. The woman traveled a lot. — John Sandford

Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine — Mikhail Tal

As long as my opponent has not yet castled, on each move I seek a pretext for an offensive. Even when I realize that the king is not in danger. — Mikhail Tal

I know who I am, and I know who you are, and nothing else matters. it's how we live our life. — Tal McThenia

For pleasure you can read the games collections of Andersson and Chigorin, but for benefit you should study Tarrasch, Keres and Bronstein. — Mikhail Tal

Xaphen swore an oath never to fail his primarch.

Argal Tal did not. He spoke in a voice soft enough to break hearts, "We are heretics, father. — Aaron Dembski-Bowden

I'm not sure I ever even liked Tal, much less loved him, and by the way, Tal, I believe the Palestinians should have their own state. — Rachel Cohn

Young man, consider that the train has left, and all you can do is loudly slam the door in farewell. — Mikhail Tal

I had family and friends back home. Just because I could potentially feel alone in Los Angeles, that didn't mean I was alone. — Alona Tal

When I asked Fischer why he had not played a certain move in our game, he replied: 'Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!' — Mikhail Tal

TAL HAD TO laugh. Hardly presentable! Wasn't it strange, the way humans looked at themselves with eyes of flesh and not of the Spirit? Certainly that dear woman had been through mire and filth of every degree; she was scarred, exhausted, ragged, and dirty. But to the angels, she appeared as God Himself saw her, just as any other redeemed saint of the living God: pure, shining, clean, dressed in garments as white as snow. — Frank E. Peretti

Happiness is the overall experience of pleasure and meaning — Tal Ben-Shahar

It is difficult to play against Einstein's theory -on his first loss to Fischer — Mikhail Tal

Turns out the problem is the picture. The problem isn't the 16,000 murders each year [ ... ]. That's not the problem. The photo is the thing. — Teodoro Petkoff

Botvinnik's right! When he says such things, then he's right. Usually, I prefer not to study chess but to play it. For me chess is more an art than a science. It's been said that Alekhine and I played similar chess, except that he studied more. Yes, perhaps, but I have to say that he played, too. — Mikhail Tal

Both the Glory and the destroyer We are Proud to Honor Clan Sub-Leader Rash-au-Tal Vergent who Inspires us Every Day had gathered vital intelligence about Ruhar defense tactics and capabilities. — Craig Alanson

Remember, never rely on one plan, Tal. Always have two or more in place when you undertake something perilous. If the first one fails, go to the second plan. If the second plan fails, go to the third." "If the third plan fails, Your Grace?" Kaspar laughed. "Then run like hell if you're still alive. — Raymond E. Feist

Just as one's imagination is stirred by a girl's smile, so is one's imagination stirred by the possibilities of chess. — Mikhail Tal

We can only learn to deal with failure by actually experiencing failure, by living through it. The earlier we face difficulties and drawbacks, the better prepared we are to deal with the inevitable obstacles along our path. — Tal Ben-Shahar