Bronstein

by Bronstein

Chess is imagination.

The most powerful weapon in chess is to have the next move.

The essence of Chess is thinking about what Chess is.

Far from all of the obvious moves that go without saying are correct.

Losing your objectivity almost always means losing the game.

You want to play the King's Gambit? Well, Black can draw after 3. Nf3. Play 3. Bc4 if you want to win !

Apparently, Morphy's style exerts an irresistable magnetic power for players of all times, and the return to a style of the highest degree is the dream of every chessplayer, not excluding even the Grandmasters.

In chess, as in life, opportunity strikes but once.

A strong player requires only a few minutes of thought to get to the heart of the conflict. You see a solution immediately, and half an hour later merely convince yourself that your intuition has not deceived you.

Sometimes at lectures I am asked: how would the champions of the last century play today? I think that, after making a hurried study of modern openings, and watching one or two tournaments, the champions of the last century, and indeed the century before that, would very quickly occupy the same place that they occupied when they were alive.

There is not a single true chess-player in the world whose heart does not beat faster at the mere sound of such long beloved and familiar words as 'gambit games'.

It is no secret that any talented player must in his soul be an artist, and what could be dearer to his heart and soul than the victory of the subtle forces of reason over crude material strength! Probably everyone has his own reason for liking the King`s Gambit, but my love for it can be seen in precisely those terms.

But whatever you might say and whatever I might say, a machine which can play chess with people is one of the most marvellous wonders of our 20th century!

Botvinnik himself is always right at the front in chess theory; what becomes known to us today, was known to him yesterday. And that means that what will only be understandable to us tomorrow, Botvinnik already knows today.

Chess is infinite, and one has to make only one ill-considered move, and one`s opponent`s wildest dreams will become reality.

It would be as naive to study the song of the nightingale, as it would be ridiculous to try and win a King's Gambit against a representative of the old chess guard.

Nowadays grandmasters no longer study their opponent's games so much, but they study his character, his behaviour and his temperament in the most thorough fashion.

All my life I have studied deeply and carefully the work of this great player and, as well as I can, I have tried to convert the best of it to my own use.  -  (on Lasker)

Independence of thought is a most valuable quality in a chess-player, both at the board and when preparing for a game.

It is annoying that the rules of chess do not allow a pawn to take either horizontally or backwards, but only forwards ... This psychological tuning is ideal for attacking purposes, but what about for defence?

I agree with the opinion expressed by many commentators that in the art of delicate strategic manoeuvring Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov have no equals.

To lose one's objective attitude to a position, nearly always means ruining your game.

If you have made a mistake or committed an inaccuracy there is no need to become annoyed and to think that everything is lost. You have to reorientate yourself quickly and find a new plan in the new situation.

Even in the heat of a middlegame battle the master still has to bear in mind the outlines of a possible future ending.

When you play against an experienced opponent who exploits all the defensive resources at his command you sometimes have to walk time and again, along the narrow path of 'the only move'.

To play a match for the World Championship is the cherished dream of every chess player.

Theory regards this opening as incorrect, but it is impossible to agree with this. Out of the five tournament games played by me with the King's Gambit, I have won all five.

Some pieces in the King's Indian appear on a 'special price' list: the darksquare bishops are at the top of that list.

If a mistake or an inaccuracy occurs, there is no need to assume 'all is lost' and mope - one must reorient oneself quickly, and find a new plan to fit the new situation.

The chief characteristics of Geller's creativity are an amazing ability to extract the very maximum from the opening and a readiness to abandon positional schemes for an open game rife with combinations, or vice-versa, at any moment.

There is no disputing that in the eyes of Schlechter, Teichmann or even Rubinstein, the backward pawn was something more substantial than lively piece play, but in our day the latter is more often preferred.

on Bronstein

After reaching the heights, Bronstein was unable to maintain his concentration and play his best chess. He committed several of the worst errors of his career during his match with Botvinnik.  -  Garry Kasparov

... In my match with Bronstein I was frequently confused - I could not immediately understand what my opponent wanted to do!  - Mikhail Botvinnik

I must admit that, although I am an ardent admirerer of Grandmaster D. Bronstein, I do not quite understand his habit of thinking about his first move from 10 minutes to half an hour.  - Mikhail Tal

His style is typical of the bold tactics adpoted by the Soviet masters, with one exceptionally original twist - his attacks come right out of the openings, which he has studied more profoundly than his collegues.  -  Rueben Fine

His fantasy was a torrent which could not be dammed. I remember our games and the analysis afterwards. I regarded with disbelief the variations which Bronstein considered during play. It was a fantastic world into which my cold reason, even had I been able, would never have entered.  -  Svetozar Gligoric

He is extremely vulnerable. A breaking of ethics puts him in a state of shock and he cannot bear rudeness.  -  Vanstein

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