Mikhail Tal Quotes

To play for a draw (at any rate with White) is to some degree a crime against chess. — Mikhail Tal

Quiet moves often make a stronger impression than a wild combination with heavy sacrifices. — Mikhail Tal

Without technique it is impossible to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to borrow from Capablanca his wonderful, subtle technique. — Mikhail Tal

Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine — Mikhail Tal

If Tal sacrifices a piece, take it. If Petrosian sacrifices a piece, don't take it. — Mikhail Botvinnik

Fischer is the greatest genius to descend from the chess heavens. — Mikhail Tal

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!' — Mikhail Tal

I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind. — Mikhail Tal

For pleasure you can read the games collections of Andersson and Chigorin, but for benefit you should study Tarrasch, Keres and Bronstein. — Mikhail Tal

You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one — Mikhail Tal

Young man, consider that the train has left, and all you can do is loudly slam the door in farewell. — Mikhail Tal

As long as my opponent has not yet castled, on each move I seek a pretext for an offensive. Even when I realize that the king is not in danger. — Mikhail Tal

...That is my biography from the first day of my chess life to the present.

JOURNALIST. And your plans.
PLAYER. To play! — Mikhail Tal

I have always thought it a matter of honour for every chess player to deserve the smile of fortune. — Mikhail Tal

Fischer is Fischer, but a knight is a knight! — Mikhail Tal

There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones and mine — Mikhail Tal

If you wait for luck to turn up, life becomes very boring. — Mikhail Tal

It is difficult to play against Einstein's theory -on his first loss to Fischer — Mikhail Tal

First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop, then knight, then pawns. — Mikhail Tal

If (Black) is going for victory, he is practically forced to allow his opponent to get some kind of well-known positional advantage. — Mikhail Tal

Just as one's imagination is stirred by a girl's smile, so is one's imagination stirred by the possibilities of chess. — Mikhail Tal

If Tal would learn to program himself properly, then it would become quite impossible to play against him. — Mikhail Botvinnik

Later, I began to succeed in decisive games. Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my opponent — Mikhail Tal

I go over many games collections and pick up something from the style of each player. — Mikhail Tal