Chess Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old chess quotes, chess sayings, and chess proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

Chess is the gymnasium of the mind. Blaise Pascal
Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess. Evan Esar
Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 blunders. Savielly Tartakower
Chess is the only game greater than its players. Tim Rice
The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move. David Bronstein
The pawns are the soul of chess. Philidor
Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. Tarrasch
Chess is the art of analysis. Mikhail Botvinnik
What would Chess be without silly mistakes? Kurt Richter
Chess is like war on a board. Bobby Fischer
Chess makes man wiser and clear-sighted. Vladimir Putin
Chess demands total concentration. Bobby Fischer
In Chess, just as in life, today's bliss may be tomorrow's poison. Assaic
You can only get good at Chess if you love the game. Bobby Fischer
Life is too short for chess. Byron
Chess is a good mistress, but a bad master. Gerald Abrahams
Those who say they understand Chess, understand nothing. Robert Hubner
The essence of Chess is thinking about what Chess is. David Bronstein
A bad day of Chess is better than any good day at work. unknown
The only thing chess players have in common is chess Lodewijk Prins
Chess is not for the timid. Irving Chernev
That's what Chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one. Bobby Fischer
Many have become Chess Masters, no one has become the Master of Chess. Siegbert Tarrasch
Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe. Indian Proverb
When you see a good move, look for a better one. Dominic Lawson
Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life. Edward Morgan Foster
All that matters on the chessboard is good moves. Bobby Fischer
Chess is the struggle against error. Johannes Zukertort
Chess is life and every game is like a new life. Eduard Gufeld
Chess is as much a mystery as women. Purdy
On the chess-board lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. Em. Lasker
Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic. Mikhail Botvinnik
Of chess it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not chess. William Napier
Chess, like love, is infectious at any age. Salo Flohr
It [chess] is eminently and emphatically the philosopher's game. Paul Morphy
Chess is an infinitely complex game, which one can play in infinitely numerous and varied ways. Vladimir Kramnik
When the chess game is over, the pawn and the king go back to the same box. Irish Saying
There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world. Pierre Macorlan
Excellence at Chess is one mark of a scheming mind. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Every chess master was once a beginner. Chernev
Chess is a curse upon a man. H. G. Wells
Chess is played with the mind and not with the hands! Renaud and Kahn
Chess is above all, a fight! Emanuel Lasker
In Chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated. Emanuel Lasker
Chess is a terrific way for kids to build self image and self esteem. Saudin Robovic
Chess is mental torture. Garry Kasparov)
Chess is not relaxing; it's stressful even if you win. Jennifer Shahade
You cannot play at Chess if you are kind-hearted. French Proverb
When in doubt... play Chess! Tevis
Chess can be described as the movement of pieces eating one another. Marcel Duchamp
In which the game of chess as a game of science and mathematical invention is addressed. Ruy LĂłpez
Chess is a powerful reducing agent. It can reduce a whole battlefield or city or planet down to sixty-four squares. And yet, within that simplistic frame, chess retains its active quality; like a snow globe, it shrinks things down, but retains its dynamic essence. Ruy LĂłpez
If a ruler does not understand chess, how can he rule over over a kingdom? King Khusros II
Chess games will always end up being a draw unless one side makes a mistake. Susan Polgar
Winning has little to do with brilliance; plenty of smart people play chess poorly. Susan Polgar
Triumph on the board comes from having practiced the tactical skills necessary to deal with the obstacles that opponents create. Susan Polgar
In the fields of finance or chess, regardless of how well you prepare strategy and plan your moves, if the odds don't roll in your favor, you lose. Susan Polgar
In chess, the fear of a potential loss outweighs the thrill of winning to such a degree that tournament participants often or accept a draw even if they have a superior position - just to be on the safe side. Susan Polgar
I'd rather have a pawn than a finger. Reuben Fine
The world of chess is more than simply wooden pieces and wooden problems. John C. Knudsen
The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the Universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature, the player on the other sideis hidden from us. Thomas Huxley
Not all artists may be chess players, but all chess players are artists. Marcel Duchamp
Excellence at chess is one mark of a scheming mind. Sherlock Holmes
There are two classes of men; those who are content to yield to circumstances and who play whist; and those who aim to control circumstances and who play chess. Mortimer Collins
Chess is war overboard. The object is to crush the opponent's ego. Bobby Fischer
Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. Siegbert Tarrasch
A game of chess is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third.. when you know you're going to lose. Saviely Tartakower
Those who say they understand chess, understand nothing. Robert Huebner
Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing very clever, when they are only wasting their time. George Bernard Shaw
The essence of chess is thinking about what chess is. David Bronstein
There is no remorse like the remorse of chess. H.G. Wells
Chess is an egotistical game, and all its protagonists hold conceits of some kind or other, else there would be no pint in playing. Charles Warburton
In chess, as in life, it is ironic that catastrophe strikes just at the moment when all seems secure. Irving Chernev
It takes two great men, contending with one another under the utmost personal responsibility, to produce one great game. Emanuel Lasker
There are no heroes in chess. Cory Evans
There just isn't enough televised chess. David Letterman
Remember, dear, chess is a danger to family life. Chess Fever
There was a time when chess was simply a game, a hobby for leisure hours. In our days it has become an art in which the virtuosi create real works of art, games which are then disseminated by press, radio and television to millions of fans who get aesthetic pleasure from them. In many countries the game has become one aspect of a nation's culture. Alexander Kotov
Chess is a substitute for life itself. David Spanier
For a game it is too serious, for seriousness too much of a game. Moses Mendlelssohn
The object of the game of chess is to checkmate the king. John C. Knudsen
A mastery of emotion is an essential ingredient to the mastery of chess. Charles Warburton
During a chess competition a chess master should be a combination of a beast of prey and a monk. Alexander Alekhine
When two fiercely aggressive masters clash, the struggle is unusually short and violent. Irving Chernev
The boy doesn't have a clue about chess, and there's no future at all for him in this profession. Mikhail Botvinnik
The game today for most leaders can better be compared to chess--a game in which strategy matters; a game in which individual pieces have unique abilities that drive unique contributions; a game in which heightened focus and a deeper level of thinking are required to win. Mark Miller
Chess teaches logic, patience, and planning, and it rewards those who learn to discipline their minds. Garry Kasparov
Chess is also an excellent tool for examining the consequences of one's actions and the decisions that led to them. Garry Kasparov
To play chess on a truly high level requires a constant stream of exact, informed decisions, made in real time and under pressure from you opponent. Garry Kasparov
Chess requires a synthesis of some very different virtues, all of which are necessary to good decisions: calculation, creativity, and a desire for results. Garry Kasparov