Anatoly Karpov Quotations

Chess is everything: art, science, and sport.

The priority must be the unification of the world titles to straighten things out. But we should not wait that long anymore to change the situation, because we are running out of time

To be champion requires more than simply being a strong player; one has to be a strong human being as well.

Chess is a very tough game, and psychologically a tough game. And of course, chess needs a lot of qualities, human qualities. And so you must have a very strong nervous system, and then you must be well prepared; you must be able to work a lot.

Las Vegas is a beautiful place. I like it more and more and plan to be here often. It's a great place for chess.

Putin needs strong moves to keep the country as one. There is some criticism that he is centralizing power, but in Russia, if you don't centralize power, you have the risk of losing the country.

We need strong personalities and only one world champion to attract sponsors

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.

As a personality, I'm fighter, you know. And I don't give up, and if I believe I'm correct, I'm right, then I work, and I fight. Okay, this could be over a chess board, this could be in life, and so I defend my principles.

After that, Kasparov stepped back from chess which is, and I want this to be clear, not good for chess in general at all. As a whole, the current situation in the chess world leaves a lot to be desired

I have won Russia at least 16 world championships. I have fought for my country.

To be a champion requires more than simply being a strong player; one has to be a strong human being as well.

Chess is my life, but my life is not chess.

Children can take lessons in that school via the Internet and can score extra points like e.g. in Geography or History. That sounds very promising and is a fantastic basis for future steps

I still love to play chess. So I do not even spend a minute on the possibility to step back.

Bulgaria is the first state that has been awarded for its excellent fight against iodine deficiency by UNICEF

Just make the right estimation of your own strengths and weaknesses, and also that of your opponent.

I am thinking about chess in schools in particular. In the USA more than 3200 children competed in an event

I like to do projects in which you can see statistical results. I am very happy for all these small children, who have been the biggest group of victims of iodine deficiency

No, I do not want to sacrifice four days for two games. My time is too valuable to do that

First of all, we have to go back to the classical time control

No, no, it is obvious that the ECU should act as a close alliance for the benefit of chess.

I was world champion. For me, chess is my life. It is everything.

My idea is to make moves to bring chess back to the world's map, to make it part of the world's geography again.

If, in our first match for the world champion's title, I had managed to make the score 6-0, there would have been no Kasparov as a good chess player at all.

This whole fuss did not only damage Fischer's image, but that of the USA as well. The way the Americans treated one of their most popular citizens did not make a positive impression worldwide.

Russia is a state within a state. To understand the population of Russia, you need to know the areas of the country; you need an understanding of the people and their interests.

I didn't know so well chess theory, the theory of chess openings. And so, of course I knew the theory, but not on the level of the best players, so this was my... this was always my weakness.

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.

But how difficult it can be to gain the desired full point against an opponent of inferior strength, when this is demanded by the tournament position!

My studies with Botvinnik brought me immense benefit, particularly the homework assignments which forced me to refer to chess books and to work independently.

Furman astounded me with his chess depth, a depth which he revealed easily and naturally, as if all he were doing was establishing well-known truths.

Blunders rarely travel alone.

I have found after 1.d4 there are more opportunities for richer play.

Combinations with a queen sacrifice are among the most striking and memorable.

The fact that a knight is temporarily on the edge of the board is of no great significance.

An amusing fact: as far as I can recall, when playing the Ruy Lopez I have not yet once in my life had to face the Marshall Attack!

The days when it was possible to win a serious game only by merit of sporting character or depth of chess understanding have vanished forever. Chess knowledge has become dominant, bypassing all the other factors that contribute to success.

Style? I have no style.

In Kansas I have a chess school

'Rubberneck' has nothing to do with comedy, nor does it follow comedic people.

Playing black, I put great stake in the Ruy Lopez: I liked it, feel it, and understand it; in matches with Hjartarson and Timman it served me well. - on preparing for World Championship versus Garry Kasparov

Seville never had a rich chess tradition. Valencia is entirely different, it is enough to say that one of the city squares is named after me.

You can't play chess if you're groggy from pills.

Like dogs who sniff each other when meeting, chess players have a ritual at first acquaintance: they sit down to play speed chess.

I like 1.e4 very much, but my results are better with 1.d4.

The truth is that my chess development was nothing out of the ordinary, and it proceeded probably at a pace no faster than others.

It doesn't require much for misfortune to strike in the King's Gambit - one incautious move, and Black can be on the edge of the abyss.

If you want to become a World Champion you should avoid playing in Open tournaments.

It is dangerous to maintain equality at the cost of placing the pieces passively.

The first great chess players, including the world champion, got by perfectly well without constant coaches.

Happiness should always remain a bit incomplete. After all, dreams are boundless.

I don't pretend to anything more than harmony.

Style, I've got no style.

I lost the match. I blame only myself for this. There were many opportunities to win. But I missed them, no one else.

By all means examine the games of the great chess players, but don't swallow them whole. Their games are valuable not for their separate moves, but for their vision of chess, their way of thinking.

I still remember Botvinnik's reaction to each of my games, right from the opening moves. At first he would express amazement, then annoyance, and, finally irritation.

The ideal in chess can only be a collective image, but in my opinion it is Capablanca who most closely approaches this ...

Pawns not only create the sketch for the whole painting, they are also the soil, the foundation, of any position

I like 1.e4 very much but my results with 1.d4 are better.