A game of chess is not an examination of knowledge; it is a battle of nerves.

A game of chess is not an examination of knowledge; it is a battle of nerves.

Even in the heat of a middlegame battle the master still has to bear in mind the outlines of a possible future ending.

Chess is imagination.

What the devil possessed me to reply 1. ... e5?? I compltely forgot that Spassky, like Spielmann in the past, very much likes to play the King's Gambit.

When everything on the board is clear it can be so difficult to conceal your thoughts from your opponent.

When you play against an experienced opponent who exploits all the defensive resources at his command you sometimes have to walk time and again, along the narrow path of 'the only move'.