When I lost the title to Botvinnik, chess could be…

When I lost the title to Botvinnik, chess could be played quietly again!

Attributed

Other Mikhail Tal Quotes

“First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop, then knight, then pawns.” (on what he thinks about after his opponent moves) - View Quote Details on “First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop,…
I like to grasp the initiative and not give my opponent peace of mind. - View Quote Details on I like to grasp the initiative and not give my…
“I realized that you cannot tackle him if the pieces are mobile and active. I played closed positions in which Tal could gain no advantage. Tal had no positional understanding for closed games.” – Mikhail Botvinnik (on their ‘61 rematch) - View Quote Details on “I realized that you cannot tackle him if the pieces…
“In a world where most players have grudges against most other players - Korchnoi hates everyone, Kasparov hates Karpov, Shirov hates Kasparov, Fischer thinks everyone is out to get him, etc., etc. - Tal was the only chess personality who appeared to be loved by virtually everyone. Even Fischer adored the guy.” – Jeremy Silman - View Quote Details on “In a world where most players have grudges against most…
They compare me with Lasker, which is an exaggerated honor. Lasker made mistakes in every game and I only in every second one! - View Quote Details on They compare me with Lasker, which is an exaggerated honor…
If you wait for luck to turn up, life becomes very boring. - View Quote Details on If you wait for luck to turn up, life becomes…
“If Tal would learn to program himself properly, then it would become quite impossible to play against him.” – Mikhail Botvinnik - View Quote Details on “If Tal would learn to program himself properly, then it…
“When Spassky offers you a piece, you may just as well resign, but when Tal offers you a piece, go on playing, he may sacrifice another, and then…who knows?” – Miguel Najdorf - View Quote Details on “When Spassky offers you a piece, you may just as…
“The guy ate and breathed the game. If he wasn’t playing in a tournament he was playing blitz or talking about the latest chess news; nobody adored chess as much as Tal did!” – Jeremy Silman - View Quote Details on “The guy ate and breathed the game. If he wasn’t…
“I was surprised by his ability to figure out complex variations. Then the way he sets out the game; he was not interested in the objectivity of the position, whether it’s better or worse, he only needed room for his pieces. All you do then is figure out variations which are extremely difficult. He was tactically outplaying me and I made mistakes.” – Mikhail Botvinnik - View Quote Details on “I was surprised by his ability to figure out complex…