Without error there can be no brilliancy

Chess is neither a science nor an art. It is what human nature most delights in--a fight.

Chess is, above all, a fight.

By some ardent enthusiasts Chess has been elevated into a science or an art. It is neither; but its principal characteristic seems to be - what human nature mostly delights in - a fight.

He who has a slight disadvantage plays more attentively, inventively and more boldly than his antagonist who either takes it easy or aspires after too much. Thus a slight disadvantage is very frequently seen to convert into a good, solid advantage.

In mathematics, if I find a new approach to a problem, another mathematician might claim that he has a better, more elegant solution. In chess, if anybody claims he is better than I, I can checkmate him.

The intelligent perusal of fine games cannot fail to make the reader a better player and a better judge of the play of others.