“The importance of opening theory is grossly overestimated. Obviously, the knowledge of opening moves comes in handy when setting up a chess game, but this knowledge alone does not bring universal happiness. After this, you still have to play chess, and for that, other things will crop up.” ~ Herman Grooten (Dutch trainer of, among [...]

“Alas, there are very few chessplayers who train. The majority of them merely process information.” ~ Mark Dvoretsky

the source
“…Many players think they could play a good game ‘if they only knew the openings.’ This idea is really crazy. You can improve your opening play at any stage of your career. Make the most of your early years by using them to improve your intrinsic chess skill, rather than memorizing moves, which has [...]

“…certain people do improve their chess. In the main though these people are smaller than grown-ups. Children seem to have no problem improving their chess and I do not believe that this is due to a greater capacity for hard work. The key is that adults become stubborn. They refuse to keep their minds open [...]

“Don’t look at chess this way because it is romantic. It is, but look at chess this way because it is the way to win. Contrary to the general notion, a positional advantage — that is, a better disposition of your forces generally — is always easier to exploit than an equivalent advantage in material, [...]

[Speaking of players who grab a pawn and head for the endgame]“Here we see the tyranny of the pawn in its vilest and most nauseating form. But there are degrees, and even in master play we find weak moves being made through an insufficient contempt for pawns.” ~ C. J. S. Purdy

“Chess players may be divided into three classes: those who don’t know the principles, and are therefore very weak; those who know the principles and are less weak; and those who know how weak the principles are, and are strong.” ~C. J. S. Purdy

We read in Checkmate (v1 #10, 1901) of a challenge issued by C S Howell to Franklin K Young. The reporter quoted Young’s rather acidic response as, “As to the matter of stakes, you can put your money in your pocket. When I play for money, I play poker.”(Howell had suggested a modest stake to [...]