Once we have chosen the right formation in the centre we have created opportunities for our pieces and laid the foundation of subsequent victory.

It has always been recognized that chess is an art, and its best practitioners have been described as artists.

When you have finished analyzing all the variations and gone along all the branches of the tree of analysis you must first of all write the move down on your score sheet, before you play it.

In analysing complicated variations one must examine each branch of the tree once and once only.

In order to become a grandmaster class player whose understanding of chess is superior to the thousands of ordinary players, you have to develop within yourself a large number of qualities, the qualities of an artistic creator, a calculating practitioner, a cold calm competitor.

The study of typical plans is something that the leading grandmasters devote a great deal of time to. I would say that the most far-seeing of them devote as much time to this as to the study of openings.

Drawing general conclusions about your main weaknesses can provide a great stimulus to further growth.