Capablanca Quotes

An hour's history of two minds is well told in a game of chess. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

The ideal in chess can only be a collective image, but in my opinion it is Capablanca who most closely approaches this ... ~ Anatoly Karpov

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

You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

When you sit down to play a game you should think only about the position, but not about the opponent. Whether chess is regarded as a science, or an art, or a sport, all the same psychology bears no relation to it and only stands in the way of real chess. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

The best way to learn endings, as well as openings, is from the games of the masters. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

An exception was made with respect to me, because of my victory over Marshall. Some of the masters objected to my entry ... one of them was Dr. Bernstein. I had the good fortune to play him in the first round., and beat him in such fashion as to obtain the Rothschild prize for the most brilliant game ... a profound feeling of respect for my ability remained throughout the rest of the contest. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Chess is something more than a game. It is an intellectual diversion which has certain artistic qualities and many scientific elements. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Capablanca was among the greatest of chess players, but not because of his endgame. His trick was to keep his openings simple, and then play with such brilliance in the middlegame that the game was decided - even though his ooponent didn't always know it - before they arrived at the ending. ~ Bobby Fischer

Capablanca's play produced and still produces an irresistable artistic effect. In his games a tendency towards simplicity predominated, and in this simplicity there was a unique beauty of genuine depth. ~ Mikhail Botvinnik

Morphy gained most of his wins by playing directly and simply, and it is simple and logical method that constitutes the true brilliance of his play, if it is considered from the viewpoint of the great masters. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

The weaker the player the more terrible the Knight is to him, but as a player increases in strength the value of the Bishop becomes more evident to him, and of course there is, or should be, a corresponding decease in his estimation of the value of the Knight as compared to the bishop. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

As with Steinitz, Fischer's genius has often been concealed by controversies away from the board. Like Lasker, Fischer has raised chess to new financial heights despite frequent retreats from serious play. And, like Capablanca, Fischer is recognized by millions of non-players and has won the game many new enthusiasts. ~ Andrew Soltis

The king, which during the opening and middlegame stage is often a burden because it has to be defended, becomes in the endgame a very important and aggressive piece, and the beginner should realize this, and utilize his king as much as possible. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Capablanca's phenomenal move-searching algorithm in those early years, when he possessed a wonderful ability for calculating variations very rapidly, made him invincible. ~ Mikhail Botvinnik

Endings of one rook and pawns are about the most common sort of endings arising on the chess board. Yet though they do occur so often, few have mastered them thoroughly. They are often of a very difficult nature, and sometimes while apparently very simple they are in reality extremely intricate. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

The great World Champions Morphy, Steinitz, and Lasker were past masters in the art of Pawn play; they had no superiors in their handling of endgames. The present World Champion has not the strength of the other three as an endgame player, and is therefore inferior to them. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

The winning of a pawn among good players of even strength often means the winning of the game. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

I can remember a case where Capablanca worked out an impressive combination, but then chose to make a simple move in answer to which his opponent resigned at once! ~ Alexander Kotov

No other great master has been so misunderstood by the vast majority of chess amateurs and even by many masters, as has Emanuel Lasker. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Without technique it is impossible to reach the top in chess, and therefore we all try to borrow from Capablanca his wonderful, subtle technique. ~ Mikhail Tal

A passed pawn increase in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Never before and never since have I seen - and I cannot even imagine, such an amazing rapidity of chess thinking that Capablanca possessed in 1913-14. In blitz games he gave all the St. Petersburg players odds of five minutes to one - and he won. ~ Alexander Alekhine

Your Soviet players are cheating, losing the games on purpose to my rival, Botvinnik, in order to increase his points on the score. - (to Stalin in Moscow 1936 where he finished in 1st place, 1 point ahead of Botvinnik) ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

One must attempt to increase whatever weakness there may be in the opponent's position; or, if there is none, one or more must be created. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Chess is more than a game or a mental training. It is a distinct attainment. I have always regarded the playing of chess and the accomplishment of a good game as an art, and something to be admired no less than an artist's canvas or the product of a sculptor's chisel. Chess is a mental diversion rather than a game. It is both artistic and scientific. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

To improve at chess you should in the first instance study the endgame. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Poor Capablanca! Thou wert a brilliant technician, but no philosopher. Thou wert not capable of believing that in chess, another style could be victorious than the absolutely correct one. ~ Max Euwe

But the thing that was great about Capablanca was that he really spoke his mind, he said what he believed was true, he said what he felt. He wanted to change the rules [of chess] already, back in the twenties, because he said chess was getting played out. He was right. Now chess is completely dead. It is all just memorisation and prearrangement. It's a terrible game now. Very uncreative. ~ Bobby Fischer

Chess was Capablanca's mother tongue. ~ Richard Reti

The greatest compliment one can pay a master is to compare him with Capablanca. ~ Irving Chernev

Capablanca was snatched too early from the chess world. With his death we have lost a great chess genius, the like of whom we will never see again. ~ Alexander Alekhine

When I used to go to the Manhattan Chess Club back in the fifties, I met a lot of old-timers there who knew Capablanca, because he used to come around to the Manhattan club in the forties - before he died in the early forties. They spoke about Capablanca with awe. I have never seen people speak about any chess player like that, before or since. ~ Bobby Fischer

I honestly feel very humble when I study Capablanca's games. ~ Max Euwe

Excellent! I will still be in time for the ballet! ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Sultan Khan had become champion of India at Indian chess and he learned the rules of our form of chess at a later date. The fact that even under such conditions he succeeded in becoming champion reveals a genius for chess which is nothing short of extraordinary. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

In chess, as played by a good player, logic and imagination must go hand in hand, compensating each other. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

Capablanca plays very superficially sometimes, in a way that can only be ascribed to lack of concentration. This is an integral weakness of his make-up and can only be partially compensated by his employing his time allowance to the full. ~ Max Euwe

During the course of many years I have observed that a great number of doctors, lawyers, and important businessmen make a habit of visiting a chess club during the late afternoon or evening to relax and find relief from the preoccupations of their work. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

You will already have noticed how often Capablanca repeated moves, often returning to positions which he had had before. This is not lack of deciciveness or slowness, but the employment of a basic endgame principle which is 'Do not hurry'. ~ Alexander Kotov

And the rigidity of the material with which we have to compose, is a more formidable opponent than Lasker or Capablanca. Because these lifeless opponents do not have any moments of human weakness! ~ Henri Weenink

To my way of thinking, Troitzky has no peer among endgame compsers; no one else has composed so many and such varied endings of the first rank. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca

For my victory over Capablanca I am indebted primarily to my superiority in the field of psychology. Capablanca played, relying almost exclusively on his rich intuitive talent. But for the chess struggle nowadays one needs a subtle knowledge of human nature, an understanding of the opponent's psychology. ~ Alexander Alekhine

A good player is always lucky. ~ Jose Raul Capablanca