The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess is the title of a book written by Andrew Soltis.  If you enjoy chess quotes and maxims you'll find this book interesting.  There are 288 if them and Soltis has something to say about each of them plus a diagram for each.  Here is one example: "One should never prevent one's opponent from making weak moves."  Soltis says it is an echo of Napolen's "Never interfer with your enemy when hs is detroying himself."  Soltis uses the game between Morozevich - Topalov - FIDE World Championship, 2005 for his illustration and comment. 

Are you saying you win more games lately because you have been searching for ways to lose pawns?  

I must be doubly brilliant, because I can lose pawns without even looking for ways to do it.

According to Andrew Soltis in his book, The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess, Philidor said that the pawns were the “life of the game,”  not “the soul of the game.”  Soltis also wrote  what Rudolt Spielmann said - “The pawns are the steel structure of every position and ordinarily dictate the course of events.”  

No, the qoute is "Pawns are the soul of chess"

He just changed it a little bit, maby so its easier to understand. If you look anywhere else, people say soul and not life.

I really do not know which is correct, but it seems many times when a quote is misquoted it stays that way forever. I will check some more of my quote books and online.  

I cannot find anywhere, other than in the book by Soltis, that "the sole of chess" is not the correct quote.  I think it would have been good if Soltis would have enlightened us as to where he found his information.  

I first read Phitidor's quote years ago, and that begin my study of pawns, of which i am still learning.  That is one thing intrigues me about chess - the learning of it never ends. 

The Wisest Things Ever Said About Chess is a book of the capablanca's game.

it was very effective in my view of chess. the position game who done was attractive for me.

I'm pretty sure he didn't say soul or life... he said it in French.  You'd have to find his french phrase and then ideally get a native speaker to translate it accurately.  I'm sure Soltis believed his translation was more correct if he used it for his book.

ITT: Americans think the whole world speaks English.

Naah, waffllemaster you ruined it :(

Oops!