My Studies With Botvinnik Brought Me Immense

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.

By All Means Examine The Games Of The Great Chess Players, But Don't Swallow Them Whole. Their Games Are Valuable Not For Their Separate Moves, But For Their Vision Of Chess, Their Way Of Thinking.

Style? I Have No Style.

I Still Remember Botvinnik's Reaction To Each Of My Games, Right From The Opening Moves. At First He Would Express Amazement, Then Annoyance, And, Finally Irritation.