I lost the match. I blame only myself for this. There were many opportunities to win. But I missed them, no one else.
Anatoly KarpovRead
If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Winning isn't as fulfilling when the competition is too fierce or lacks adherence to strategic norms.
In this quote, Anatoly Karpov reflects on the nature of competition and satisfaction in chess. He suggests that while he respects skilled opponents who play with intensity, he finds greater fulfillment in a match where strategy and the rules are upheld, implying that the integrity and structure of the game enhance the joy of winning.
Themes
ChessCompetitionStrategySatisfactionWinning
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about competitive sports, you might say this quote to emphasize the importance of fairness.
More from Anatoly Karpov
All quotes →I didn't picture myself as even a grandmaster, to say nothing of aspiring to the chess crown. This was not because I was timid - I wasn't - but because I simply lived in one world, and the grandmasters existed in a completely different one. People like that were not really even people, but like gods or mythical heroes.
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Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position
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Chess is everything: art, science, and sport.
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The ideal in chess can only be a collective image, but in my opinion it is Capablanca who most closely approaches this.
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