Becoming a chess grandmaster is the dream of every chess player. Several tips and tricks can genuinely guide you in your journey of becoming a chess grandmaster. In this article, we are going to list down the top famous chess quotes from Grandmaster Max Illingworth. Let’s have a look at them.
Famous Chess Quotes from GM Max Illingworth
Famous Chess Quotes#1
“You are not perfect; you are going to make mistakes. It is never the first mistake that costs you, so learn from it and keep looking for good moves”.
In one of the endgames of IM Waitzkin, he made a mistake and instead of correcting his mistake he continued the game with his flawed and bad idea and made more and more mistakes and ultimately lost the game. His mistake was that he was moving his king along the edges of the chessboard instead of centralizing his king.
This showed that it is not compulsory that you can lose your game because of one mistake. But if you have not realized your blunder and pursue your game by making more and more mistakes, you will lose it.
If you are playing natural and good moves, there are more chances that your opponent will make more mistakes and you can easily win the game.
Famous Chess Quotes#2
“The goal of a chess coach is not to make chess improvement easy but rather to make it simple”.
Many chess players think that enrolling in new chess courses or having a new chess coach will sort out all of their problems and they will become a chess grandmasters. Always keep in mind that chess coaches are not there to make you a chess master unless you are working hard to improve your game by learning chess tactics and skills.
Famous Chess Quotes#3
“It’s remarkable how quickly you see advanced players improve when you help them shift from ‘System 1’ to ‘System 2’ thinking”.
This chess quote came from recent experiences of chess players who have a rating of 2000-3000 FIDE. They have a strategy of analyzing chess positions in a very superficial way.
First of all, clarify system 1 and system 2 thinking that came from Daniel Kahnemann. System 1 thinking means that this thinking is intuitive and automatic which is like our decisions in bullet games. While on the other hand system 2 thinking means that this thinking is more analytical, methodological, and deliberative. It can be done very quickly as compared to system 1 thinking.
Famous Chess Quotes#4
“Understanding the ideas of every move you play (from move 1) is an underrated way to improve your results in your openings”.
In one of the blog posts GM Matthew, shared that the habit of thinking 20-30 seconds before making any move helped him a lot to focus on the game and get deeper thinking of system 2 for the game. This habit also helped him better understand chess openings and other chess moves.
Before making any move, make sure that what would be the consequences of this chess move and calculate its variations to avoid blunders.
Famous Chess Quotes#5
“We often don’t have all the answers…
Focus on the next step and let the rest sort itself out as you go”.
Among the famous chess quotes, this quote explain the idea that you do not need to know about all the next steps of the game, you just need to know about the very next step and make a move according to it.
This is also called “just-in-time learning” which is very powerful for making more and more decisions. Additionally, you can also find great fun and joy by improving in the game just by letting go of the need for certainty or control.
Famous Chess Quotes#6
“The worst-case calculation method helped me reach a 2100+ rating (after being stuck at 1800 for two years)”.
The worst-case method is a calculation technique in which instead of spending a lot of time in the calculation of relevant moves just calculate irrelevant move variations play the move and be safe. This can also help you to improve your worst lines that are advantageous for your game.
Famous Chess Quotes#7
“If the forcing moves (checks/captures/threats) aren’t working, look for ways to improve your position more steadily”.
Some chess players spend a lot of their time solving chess puzzles and they think that playing chess in this way will make them chess experts. But chess is not limited to one point or tactic. It has more dimensions to play. In case the forcing moves are not working to bring the required results then what is the need of banging your head against a brick wall?
Be patient and look for other ways to improve your chess positions and you’ll have ideas that will be effective for you. You can also take ideas from your opponent; look at what he is trying to do and play according to it.
Famous Chess Quotes#8
“Before you reach a higher chess rating, you must believe you are worthy of it”.
Chess is a game of hard work and dedication. If you are losing your game it does not mean that you don’t have the potential to play chess. Don’t lose hope and always remember that nothing is difficult to crack with continuity and struggle.
Famous Chess Quotes#9
“Satisfying your desires won’t automatically make you happy…but realizing that from experience will make you wiser”.
If you are on the journey of becoming a chess expert, failures may cause stress and disappointment but don’t forget that failure is part of the game. If you don’t fail to lose the game, you will never feel the joy of victory. So, focus on the basics and don’t lose hope.
Famous Chess Quotes#10
‘Something that helped me to get better at chess was focusing on the things that decided most of my games.’
Self-improvement is key to success. As we have already discussed in one of the previous Chess Quotes chess coaches will not make you a chess master magically if you have no dedication to achieve this title. Focus on your weak points, evaluate your games, and find out what are the reasons that are causing you to lose the games.
Conclusion
We hope that all these chess quotes will be valuable for you to improve your chess journey. Just follow them and you will see magic. What is your favorite quote among all these? Let us know by leaving a comment in the comment section.