Top 39 Bobby Fischer Quotes

Les Listes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Most people never reach the level of chess grandmaster. Of those, few ever reach the level of Bobby Fischer. Needless to say, when he talks about chess, we should listen. With that in mind, check out the top 39 Bobby Fischer quotes.

#39 – 30. Bobby Fischer Quotes

39. It’s just a matter of throwing in a few sacrifices, then checkmate!

38. Don’t even mention losing to me. I can’t stand to think of it.

37. The turning point in my career came with the realization that Black should play to win instead of just steering for equality.

36. Chess is a matter of delicate judgement, knowing when to punch and how to duck.

35. White can always play differently, in which case he merely loses differently.

34. I don’t keep any close friends, I don’t keep any secrets, I don’t need friends, I just tell everybody everything, that’s all.

33. I am the best player in the world and I am here to prove it.

32. Chess is life.

31. There are tough players and nice guys, and I’m a tough player.

30. I want to be world champion. I have achieved it, now I don’t know what to do.

#29 – 20. Bobby Fischer Quotes

29. All I ever want to do is just play chess.

28. I consider myself to be a genius who happens to play chess.

27. Alekhine developed as a player much more slowly than most. In his twenties, he was an atrocious chessplayer, and didn’t mature until he was well into his thirties.

26. Psychologically, you have to have confidence in yourself and this confidence should be based on fact.

25. In my opinion, the King’s Gambit is busted. It loses by force.

24. I like to make them squirm.

23. It’s just you and your opponent at the board and you’re trying to prove something.

22. If you don’t win, it’s not a great tragedy – the worst that happens is that you lose a game.

21. I don’t listen to weakies.

20. They can’t concentrate, they don’t have stamina, and they aren’t creative. They are all fish.

#19 – 10. Bobby Fischer Quotes

19. Concentrate on material gains. Whatever your opponent gives you take, unless you see a good reason not to.

18. I want to live the rest of my house in a house built exactly like a rook.

17. Tactics flow from a superior position.

16. You can only get good at Chess if you love the game.

15. I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves.

14. Your body has to be in top condition. Your chess deteriorates as your body does. You can’t separate body from mind.

13. Genius. It’s a word. What does it really mean? If I win I’m a genius. If I don’t, I’m not.

12. That’s what chess is all about. One day you give your opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.

11. When asked if he was better than Morphy, Steinitz, and Capablanca, Fischer responded, Well, I don’t like to put things like that in print, it sounds so egotistical. But to answer your question, Yes.

10. I add status to any tournament I attend.

#9 – 1. Bobby Fischer Quotes

9. A strong memory, concentration, imagination, and a strong will.

8. I like the moment I break a man’s ego.

7. I prepare myself well. I know what I can do before I go in. I’m always confident.

6. Too many times, people don’t try their best. They don’t have the keen spirit; the winning spirit. And once you make it you’ve got to guard your reputation – every day go in like an unknown to prove yourself. That’s why I don’t clown around. I don’t believe in wasting time. My goal is to win the World Chess Championship; to beat the Russians. I take this very seriously.

5. I wanted to become world champion, and in this respect school couldn’t give me anything… It is better to be one of the strongest chess players in the world, than to be one of many thousands with a diploma.

4. All that matters on the chessboard is good moves.

3. Chess is war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.

2. I give 98 percent of my mental energy to chess. Others give only 2 percent.

1. In chess so much depends on opening theory, so the champions before the last century did not know as much as I do and other players do about opening theory. So if you just brought them back from the dead they wouldn’t do well. They’d get bad openings.

Ideas for the top 39 Bobby Fischer quotes come from the following sources.^[1]the chess world – 17 Great Chess Quotes from Bobby Fischer^[2]goodreads – Bobby Fischer^[3]wikiquotes – Bobby Fischer