Garry Kasparov

Garry Kimovich Kasparov (Armenian:Գարրի Գասպարով; Russian:Га́рри Ки́мович Каспа́ров, pronounced with stress falling on the second syllable: kas-PA-rov) (born April 13, 1963) is a chess grandmaster and one of the strongest chess players in history.

Sourced

• My nature is that I have to excite myself with a big challenge.
  • Guardian interview, Stephen Moss Monday March 14, 2005

• In conclusion, if you want to unravel the multitude of secrets of chess then don't begrudge the time.
  • Learn Chess with Gary Kasparov

How Life Imitates Chess (2007)

• Having spent a lifetime analyzing the game of chess and comparing the capacity of computers to the capacity of the human brain, I've often wondered, where does our success come from? The answer is synthesis, the ability to combine creativity and calculation, art and science, into a whole that is much greater then the sum of its parts.
  • Opening Gambit, Why Chess?, p. 4

• It's not enough to be talented. It's not enough to work hard and to study late into the night. You must also become intimately aware of the methods you use to reach your decisions.
  • Part I, Chapter 1, The Lesson, p. 14

• With each success the ability to change is reduced. My longtime friend and coach Grandmaster Yuri Dokhoian, aptly compared it to being dipped in bronze. Each victory added another coat.
  • Part I, Chapter 2, Strategy, p. 34

• This obligation to move can be a burden to a player without strategic vision.
  • Part I, Chapter 3, Strategy And Tactics At Work, p. 36

• You must also have a sense of when to stop.
  • Part I, Chapter 4, Calculation, p. 51

• For inspiration I look to those great players who consistently found original ways to shock their opponents. None did this better than the eighth world champion, Mikhail Tal. The "Magician of Riga" rose to become champion in 1960 at age twenty-three and became famous for his aggressive, volatile play.
  • Part I, Chapter 5, Talent, p. 60-61

• Everyone, at any age, has talents that aren't fully developed-even those who reach the top of their profession.
  • Part I, Chapter 6, Preparation, p. 69

• We think about time as something not to waste, not as something to invest.
  • Part II, Chapter 7, MTQ: Material, Time, Quality, p. 93

• In chess, bigamy is acceptable but monarchy is absolute.
  • Part II, Chapter 8, Exchanges And Imbalances, p. 102

• I like to say that the attacker always has the advantage.
  • Part II, Chapter 10, The Attacker's Advantage, p. 122

• If you're already in a fight, you want the first blow to be the last and you had better be the one to throw it.
  • Part II, Chapter 10, The Attacker's Advantage, p. 130

• Question the status quo at all times, especially when things are going well.
  • Part III, Chapter 11, Question Success, p. 135

• Solving new problems is what keeps us moving forward as individuals and as a society, so don't back down.
  • Part III, Chapter 13, Man Vs. Machine, p. 170

• Caissa, the goddess of chess, had punished me for my conservative play, for betraying my nature.
  • Part III, Chapter 15, Crisis Point, p. 188

• Millions like me in Russia want a free press, the rule of law, social justice, and free and fair elections. My new job is to fight for those people and to fight for these fundamental rights.
  • Part III, Endgame, p. 195

• We have to always look ahead enough moves to be well prepared, even for victory!
  • Part III, Epilogue, p. 204

Unsourced

• Chess is mental torture.
• Alekhine's attacks came suddenly, like destructive thunderstorms that erupted from a clear sky.
• The depth of Tigran's approach to chess is the direct consequence of his clear mind and his rare insight into general aspects of chess, into subtleties of chess tactics and strategy. Petrosian performed a special kind of art in creating harmonious positions that were full of life, where apparent absence of superficial dynamism was compensated by enormous inner energy. Every subtle change in the position was always taken into consideration in the context of a complex strategy that was not obvious to his opponents.
• What was the secret of Morphy's invincibility? I think it was a combination of a unique natural talent and brilliant erudition. His play was the next, more mature stage in the development of chess. Morphy had a well-developed feel for position, and therefore he can be confidently regarded as the first swallow - the prototype of the strong 20th century grandmaster.

On Boris Spassky

• I believe that judged by his style of play, Spassky is much closer to Alekhine and Tal than to Smyslov, Botvinnik, or Petrosian. This is probably why, when Spassky was in his best form, neither Tal nor Korchnoi could really put up much resistance against him. Spassky could read their play (especially that of Tal) like an open book.

• The universal chess style, characterized by the ability to play quite different types of chess positions, is considered by many to derive from that of Boris Spassky. But I think that the general idea that Spassky has a universal style overlooks the fact that from an early age, Spassky had a bent for sharp, attacking play and a good eye for the initiative.

• It is characteristic that Spassky has never in his life started a game with 1.Nf3. He must have considered it a 'semi-move', real moves being only those that lead to an immediate fight. All of those notorious opening peculiarities (such as avoiding this, that, and the other and preventing the other that and this) seemed repulsive to him.

• Spassky was the first great chess player to use both 1.e4 and 1.d4 with equal success. He managed to employ these moves more harmoniously than any other world champion.

• He was less concerned about the position’s evaluation than about the character of the arising struggle. If he liked the character of the battle, he felt absolutely at home and, as a rule, didn’t fail to outplay his opponents.

Quotes About Kasparov

• "The future of chess lies in the hands of this young man" ~ Mikhail Botvinnik

• "He's a goddamn liar, Kasparov, he's a criminal" ~ Bobby Fischer

• "They're claiming that this criminal Jew Garry Kasparov -- his real name is Garry Weinstein -- is the World Champion. Which he's not, in any way. He's a common crook. He should be in prison. He should be in prison for his crimes. He has pre-arranged, in his life, thousands of games. Thousands of games. Every single tournament or match game he's ever played with Karpov was pre-arranged. Every goddamn game, and it was pre-arranged move by move. He is a crook on a big scale." ~ Bobby Fischer