Every move creates a weakness.

I had a toothache during the first game. In the second game I had a headache. In the third game it was an attack of rheumatism. In the fourth game, I wasn't feeling well. And in the fifth game? Well, must one have to win every game?

I have always a slight feeling of pity for the man who has no knowledge of chess, just as I would pity the man who has remained ignorant of love.

All lines of play which lead to the imprisonment of the bishop are on principle to be condemned.

... a lively imagination can exercise itself most fully and creatively in conjuring up magnificent combinations.

What is the object of playing a gambit opening?... To acquire a reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing a game

When you don't know what to play, wait for an idea to come into your opponent's mind. You may be sure that idea will be wrong