I believe every chess player senses beauty, when he succeeds in creating situations, which contradict the expectations and the rules, and he succeeds in mastering this situation.
Vladimir KramnikRead
Part of my preparation for the World Champion match against Kasparov was to be ready for his off-board tactics. I did not to react to them at all. Once you start thinking about these things during the game, even analysing them, you're caught.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Preparation is key in facing challenges, and remaining focused helps maintain clarity in critical situations.
In this quote, Vladimir Kramnik reflects on the importance of mental preparation and focus in the face of external pressures, particularly during competitive situations. He emphasizes that being aware of distractions or tactics from an opponent can lead to losing concentration, which highlights the need to maintain a clear mindset to perform effectively.
Themes
PreparationFocusTacticsMental ClarityCompetition
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about resilience and focus during competition.
More from Vladimir Kramnik
All quotes →I don't know whether computers are improving the style of play, I know they are changing it. Chess has become a different game, one could say that computers have changed the world of chess. That is pretty clear.
Vladimir KramnikRead
I started playing chess when I was about 4 or 5 years old. It is very good for children to learn to play chess, because it helps them to develop their mental abilities. It also helps to consolidate a person's character, because as it happens both in life and in a chess game we have to make decisions constantly. In chess there is no luck and no excuses: everything is in your hands.
Vladimir KramnikRead
Even if you play perfectly, a fault of your opponent's can destroy the entire beauty of the game.
Vladimir KramnikRead
When I speak of the beauty of a game of chess, then naturally this is subjective. Beauty can be found in a very technical, mathematical game for example. That is the beauty of clarity.
Vladimir KramnikRead
The development of beauty in chess never depends on you alone. No matter how much imagination and creativity you invest, you still do not create beauty. Your opponent must react at the same highest level.
Vladimir KramnikRead
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