Chess is NOT just a Game: Chess Quotes by Casual Players (and Marcus)
Have you ever read chess quotes from a Grandmasters and World Chess Champions, and found yourself wondering if you're the only one that doesn't truly get its grandiose meaning? The quotes might sound great, and are shared constantly, yet in the end, I couldn't say that they have ever been of any practical help to me in chess. I believe that this is because these players were speaking from a Grandmasters perspective, rather than that of a casual player.
Over time, I began to ponder how chess quotes would differ depending on the players skill level, and whether these quotes would be more helpful to a casual player. To resolve this self-made conundrum, I sought out chess quotes from casual players of every skill level, which I will share with you in this blog. I would like to thank Marcus, @SwagMuhammad, @DocSimooo, @OnyxOrca, @PokeGirl93, @VOB96 and @KevinSmithIdiot for their wonderful contributions.
Contents
- Overshared Quotes by World Chess Champions
- Chess Quotes by Casual Players (and Marcus)
- The Non-Chess Player (Marcus)
- The Beginner (@SwagMuhammad)
- The Novice (@DocSimooo)
- The Apprentice (@OnyxOrca)
- The Intermediate (@PokeGirl93)
- The Advanced (@VOB96)
- The Seasoned Veteran (@KevinSmithIdiot)
- Findings
- Final Thoughts
Overshared Quotes by World Chess Champions
Throughout my chess journey, I have read many wise quotes, written by many wise chess players. Quite often, I have borne witness to the same quotes that have been used to death in different blogs; something I am guilty of myself. Sharing these force-fed sentiments makes the poster seem more intelligent by proxy, and yet, many casual chess players cannot even grasp what they mean. To demonstrate, I will now ironically share a few quotes by World Chess Champions so that you are privy to what I mean.
Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack.
Wilhelm Steinitz
To higher level chess players, it is understood that this quote by the first World Chess Champion, was about focusing on gaining a positional advantage before launching any attack. However, to the majority of casual players, this could easily be read as "Attack first!" I say this because I use my initiative all the time in chess. However, when I analyse my moves afterwards, chess.com's game review has this running joke with me where they label my initiative as 'Blunders'.
When you see a good move, look for a better one.
Emanuel Lasker
At this point, I may have seen this quote by the second World Chess Champion more times than the squares on a chess board (fun fact: there are not only 64 squares on a chessboard. There are actually 204 squares by counting the squares within squares 🤓). While this quote has been reshared ad nauseam, it also feels like a line that a motivational speaker would say right before attempting to promote their cassettes and bumper stickers. This, by no means is a bad quote, however, most casual chess players won't be able to differentiate between a good move and a better one. It's like going to a child who has spent 12 solid minutes drawing you a picture, and telling them "I mean, you've done alright, Leni... now go draw me the Mona Lisa". The quote is also paradoxical, where even if you find a better move, Emanuel is in your ear, whispering "Maybe you should look for an even better one". When does it end, Emanuel?
I don't believe in psychology, I believe in good moves.
Bobby Fischer
This sentiment, shared by the eleventh World Chess Champion works for a Grandmaster who has already developed a strong understanding of the game and can trust their instincts. However, a casual player relies on psychology through resilience to even understand what a good move is. This quote also neglects that we learn more through our mistakes than our successes. The worst part is that the moment you believe in your good move, our old friend Emanuel is ready to tell you to look for a better one! Like mate, I'm just pleased when I complete a game without making a blunder, caused by my brilliant initiative.
Chess Quotes by Casual Players (and Marcus)
1. The Non-Chess Player (Marcus)
Marcus is a personal trainer at the gym I frequent. He has no Elo, and when I asked him about chess, he assumed I meant his chest and began pointing at his large pectoral muscles. When he realised I was talking about the game of chess, he stated that he doesn't think about it at all. However, he went on to say that he did play back when he was 8 years old. Marcus stated that this was only because he had to join a sport in primary school, and chose chess because it seemed boring to him. He wanted to pick the sport where he didn't have to do anything or socialise. His only interest in chess was when he watched The Queens Gambit.
When asked for a quote, Marcus initially struggled to come up with one, before uttering the words:
Chess is just a game.
Marcus
2. The Beginner (@SwagMuhammad)
@SwagMuhammad (Willow) has been playing chess quite sporadically on chess.com since 2020, currently holding an Elo rating of 437. Positive thoughts of chess pop into Willow's head almost every day, where he feels quite excited to play a game or two. These games are mostly against computers because he has control over what Elo rating he faces. Willow believes that this makes it easier for him to justify when he loses. Willow doesn't see himself as a great player, so losing to a player with a similar Elo to him would be like admitting that he lost to someone that isn't all that good, and someone that he could theoretically beat. However, Willow has recently been playing against people more often as he believes it is the best way for him to improve his openings.
Instead of writing a quote, Willow wrote a whimsical paragraph that began to feel less about chess, and more about addiction in itself. Yet, within this, was the poignant line:
To be the King that you know you are, sometimes you need to check yourself.
Willow
3. The Novice (@DocSimooo)
Upon speaking with DocSimooo (Simone), I learnt that he has been on chess.com since 2013, and holds an Elo rating in rapid of 884. He thinks about chess every single day that passes and hopes to pass the magic 1000 rating. Simone loves chess in itself, and while the fear of losing rating points has occasionally taken him away from a more positive mindset, it has also instilled a higher level of concentration in him. Simone has grown as a player by finding inner peace through Buddhism, believing that we all have potential. This mindset has also greatly helped him combat the fears that he has been holding onto.
Throughout my conversation with Simone, he spoke of how everyone has wonderful potential. When I asked for a quote, he was quick to reply:
Respect and honour your opponent by giving your all. This way, whether you win or lose, you will both have gained valuable experience.
Simone
4. The Apprentice (@OnyxOrca)
@OnyxOrca joined chess.com in 2022, and currently holds an Elo rating of 1284 in rapid. While chess doesn't take up every waking hour of Onyx's life, it still remains in the back of his mind every day. Onyx's favourite part of chess is going back and looking at the exciting games and moves he has made. Onyx is an artist who has begun to notice the art of chess subtly seeping its way into his writing and lyrics. This inspiration isn't so blatant as to alienate those who don't play chess, however, so don't expect a "We Will Rook You" Queen parody any time soon.
Onyx wrote about his preference for having exciting games, regardless of the end result. He followed this up by writing:
If losing at chess hurts a lot, then you either need to stop losing at chess, or stop worrying so much about winning.
Onyx
5. The Intermediate (@PokeGirl93)
@PokeGirl93 (Leticia) has been playing chess for most of her life, and currently has an Elo rating in rapid of 1950. Although Leticia thinks about chess at least once a day, she has no goals that she is striving to reach. Leticia simply plays because she finds the game fun and relaxing and states that her skills (being in the top 1% on chess.com) are less about having talent and more about the fact that she has consistently played chess for the last 20 years.
When asked for a quote, Leticia stated that chess should be about relaxing and having fun, because:
If you don't play chess for a living, there is no reason to play like your life depends on it.
Leticia
6. The Advanced (@VOB96)
@VOB96 (Vanessa) joined chess.com at the end of 2020, and recently reached the milestone of 2100 Elo rating in Blitz. Vanessa happily thinks about chess almost every day, often in relation to how chess transforms people, as well as the hidden stories found throughout chess's illustrious history. In fact, Vanessa stated that she can't imagine life without chess. She especially loves the social aspects when playing, preferring over the board games with friends and family. While this is not the quote I'll be using for Vanessa, she did express that "Online chess is like eating the same dish, alone, at home, while watching TV". This is a big reason that Vanessa gravitated towards 3-minute Blitz games, because we tend to eat dishes alone faster.
When I asked Vanessa for her chess quote, she began by paraphrasing the quote, "Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion" by Anatoli Boukreev. Afterwards, she kindly dumbed it down for me in her words by stating:
I simply play because chess is part of who I am.
Vanessa
7. The Seasoned Veteran (@KevinSmithIdiot)
@KevinSmithIdiot by name, KevinSmithBrilliant by nature. This is safe to say, based off of his Elo rating in Rapid of 2331, which is in the top 0.1% on chess.com. This is impressive, and yet still a far cry away from some players, who have reached over 2900 in rapid. Kevin has been playing chess for over half a century and cannot think of a day in-between that time where chess hadn't crossed his mind. If he is awake, there is a good chance that chess is on his mind. Kevin's mouse skills may not be where they used to be (back in his day, they didn't have computers, so he played with real mice), however, his chess knowledge, understanding and experience more than make up for it.
Over the years, Kevin's goal shifted from becoming a chess master, to writing about the game that he loves. Kevin truly appreciates how chess has progressed and has become more mainstream throughout his lifetime, and enjoys how much easier it is now to access chess databases (except when used to cheat, as Kevin isn't a fan of these 'compromised' individuals).
When asking Kevin for a quote, he instantly wrote what is below. I had no idea who Caissa was, and when I told him that ChatGPT claimed that "The God of war had the God of sports invent the game of chess, to impress Caissa, who became known as the Goddess of chess", Kevin replied that this wasn't the classical representation, however he liked AI's version. When I asked him to clarify what Caissa was to him, he went on a tangent about a formless void that inspires and binds him.
Caissa, my spellbinding, harsh mistress.
Kevin
Findings
What struck me the most was that almost everyone I asked had expressed a positive outlook on chess, which isn't always the case in competitive environments. I noticed that quite a few of their answers and quotes highlighted that chess is a part of their day, as well as part of their identity, with Vanessa literally stating that chess is part of who she is. Yet, while they have found a sense of self in chess, it isn't their whole identity.
Crucially, there were many sentiments about not worrying about wins and losses, with Simone writing "whether you win or lose, you will both have gained valuable experience", Onyx stating that we should "stop worrying so much about winning", and Leticia highlighting that "there is no reason to play like your life depends on it (winning a chess game)". Furthering this point, Willow mentioned that we should know our worth by being the Kings (or Queens) that we are.
The only quote that seemed to have a more intense relationship with chess was Kevin's beautiful "Caissa, my spellbinding, harsh mistress", which is fitting as he is the highest rated player that I asked. This only solidifies my point of view that higher rated players quotes are not designed for casual players, nor do they need to be.
Final Thoughts
I wrote this blog because I wanted to know how different a quote from a casual player would be from that of a Grandmaster. This is because the majority of people who play chess have an Elo rating of under 1000, so many chess quotes are unlikely to resonate with the average chess enthusiast. The reality is that most chess quotes were designed for more professional chess players.
Maybe I'm not that professional than Magnus.
Ding Liren
In the end, choosing which quotes to attach yourself to often comes down to your personal goal. If you are striving to improve, with the goal to be a titled player, then listening to the words of a Grandmaster will serve you better than any sentiment of "Have fun". Positivity alone won't suddenly gain you rating points, however, it will help you put into perspective why you choose to play. If you are a casual player, often playing on your phone when you have time, you don't need to hear Mikhail Tal's quote that if you play f4 on move 7 of the Binoni, you are declaring war. It would be more applicable for you to hear a relatable quote, like the ones above.
While these quotes by the casual chess players might not have been helpful in developing my chess skills, it did put into perspective what someone like me needs to hear. Chess is a fun game and there is no reason for a casual player to take it as seriously as some do, unless they have lofty goals in chess. As I wrote this blog, and learnt about others chess journeys, their feelings, personal experience and their quotes, I began to wonder what my quote would be. I ended up settling on:
Chess is constant comfort through hardship.
Andrew (me)
Oh Caissa, my spellbinding, harsh mistress, I think it is time to wrap this blog up. Thank you so much for reading. Feel free to leave your own personal chess quote in the comments section. Also, if you resonated with a quote or two from these casual chess players, I recommend that you read their blogs, as @KevinSmithIdiot @VOB96 @PokeGirl93 @DocSimooo and @OnyxOrca are also chess bloggers. Feel free to click on their names to go to their pages. I hope you all have a beautiful day.
Finally, I'll end this blog with the quote from a Grandmaster and former World Chess Champion that I relate to the most:
I didn't have ice cream here.
Ding Liren
