Tartakower Chess Quotes & Sayings

She hears the word bell, or orchard, or swallow, and she experiences a strange surprise, like the feel of a coin in the soil. These words make her wistful; they overwhelm her with longing. Not for her orchard, nor the bell in her church, nor the swallows that nest in the eaves of her house. For something else altogether, something she would have forgotten completely.
She wonders: Why should these words pierce me, if they are not the remains of a currency I once knew how to spend? — Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

Drawn games are sometimes more scintillating than any conclusive contest. — Savielly Tartakower

What excites the media is that someone has a great idea or vision and makes millions as a result. The reality is that rarely happens. It is competency that unlocks a person's potential.
Tim Clark excerpt from DO! the pursuit of xceptional execution — Kevin Kelly

A draw can be obtained not only by repeating moves, but also by one weak move. — Savielly Tartakower

What it means is that some of Charles' press secretaries have been better than others as some of the Queen's press secretaries have been better than others. — Anthony Holden

In chess, there is only one mistake: over-estimation of your opponent. All else is either bad luck or weakness. — Savielly Tartakower

Seize the outpost K5 with your knight, and you can go to sleep. Checkmate will come by itself. — Savielly Tartakower

The mistakes are there, waiting to be made — Savielly Tartakower

It is said that an ounce of common sense can outweigh a ton of 'variations'. — Savielly Tartakower

The winner is the one who makes the next-to-last mistake. — Savielly Tartakower

To avoid losing a piece, many a person has lost the game — Savielly Tartakower

A Queen's sacrifice, even when fairly obvious, always rejoices the heart of the chess-lover. — Savielly Tartakower

My point is, if you want to achieve anything in life, it is not enough to merely wish for it. You must develop that kind of 4:30 AM discipline that distinguishes you from others. — Armstrong Williams

It is well-known that chess and music go well together, and many are those who have achieved unusual proficiency in both. — Savielly Tartakower

Shall we ever live to see the following wise prohibition - the audience is forbidden to smoke and the masters are forbidden to 'smoke out' the audience by playing exchanging variations? — Savielly Tartakower

I can fairly be called an amateur because I do what I do, in the original sense of the word - for love, because I love it. On the other hand, I think that those of us who make our living writing history can also be called true professionals. — David McCullough

Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 blunders. — Savielly Tartakower

It's always better to sacrifice your opponent's men — Savielly Tartakower

The move is there, but you must see it. — Savielly Tartakower

Lasker thought that his rationalism rendered him immune from the surprises of chess theory. — Savielly Tartakower

The first essential for an attack is the will to attack. — Savielly Tartakower

All Chess players should have a hobby — Savielly Tartakower

Whenever Black succeeds in assuming the initiative in maintaining it to a successful conclusion, the sporting spirit of the chess lover feels gratified, because it shows that the resources of the game are far from being exhausted. — Savielly Tartakower

Decide the effect you want to produce in your reader. — Robert Collier

The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing; the strategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing — Savielly Tartakower

No one ever won a game by resigning. — Savielly Tartakower

A Chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third ... when you know you're going to lose! — Savielly Tartakower

A game is always won through a mistake. — Savielly Tartakower