Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue.

The scheme of a game is played on positional lines; the decision of it, as a rule, is effected by combinations.

It is a delight to watch a young and gifted chess player. To him have come no sinister experiences; to him continual carping care is foreign. Therefore he loves the attack and the bold sacrifice; for theirin lies the shortest way to his ultimate objective.

It is a profound mistake to imagine mistake to imagine that the art of combination depends only on natural talent, and that it cannot be learned. Every player knows that all (or almost all) combinations arise from a recollection of familiar elements.

No one has ever played these endgames with such elegant ease as Capablanca.

The essential disadvantage of the isolated pawn ... lies not in the pawn itself, but in the square in front of the pawn.

In open positions the safety of the King should be the first consideration.