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 TalRead
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!'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of confidence in one's decisions and the impact of others' reactions on our choices.
In this quote, Mikhail Tal recounts an interaction with chess master Bobby Fischer, where Fischer chose not to play a move due to Tal's laughter when he wrote it down. This reflects how external judgments can sway our confidence and choices, illustrating the often whimsical nature of decision-making in competitive environments like chess.
Themes
ConfidenceDecision-MakingChessJudgmentHumor
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of confidence when making decisions, especially in competitive scenarios.
More from Mikhail Tal
All quotes βOf 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 TalRead
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 TalRead
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 TalRead
For pleasure you can read the games collections of Andersson and Chigorin, but for benefit you should study Tarrasch, Keres and Bronstein.
Mikhail TalRead
To play for a draw (at any rate with White) is to some degree a crime against chess.
Mikhail TalRead
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