If The Opponent Offers Keen Play I

Like Dogs Who Sniff Each Other When Meeting, Chess Players Have A Ritual At First Acquaintance: They Sit Down To Play Speed Chess.

But How Difficult It Can Be To Gain The Desired Full Point Against An Opponent Of Inferior Strength, When This Is Demanded By The Tournament Position!

Playing Black, I Put Great Stake In The Ruy Lopez: I Liked It, Feel It, And Understand It; In Matches With Hjartarson And Timman It Served Me Well. - On Preparing For World Championship Versus Garry Kasparov

The Fact That A Knight Is Temporarily On The Edge Of The Board Is Of No Great Significance.

I Didn't Picture Myself As Even A Grandmaster, To Say Nothing Of Aspiring To The Chess Crown. This Was Not Because I Was Timid - I Wasn't - But Because I Simply Lived In One World, And The Grandmasters Existed In A Completely Different One. People Like That Were Not Really Even People, But Like Gods Or Mythical Heroes.