"Botvinnik grew up in an assimilated family, but encountered antisemitism in daily life. He displayed courage in the dark years of Stalin and after, and published warm words about Israel, Pinhas Rutenberg, and the kibbutz, defending the right of the Jews to live in their ancient homeland. In contrast to other Jewish cultural activists, he never signed letters condemning Israel."

"My relations with Korchnoi depend on whether he has slept well. If he had bad dreams, he speaks a lot of rubbish."

"People knew about 110 years of chess history. Nowadays, nobody is able to tell you the name of the world champion of 2000."

"Even a dickhead would do a better job than Ilyumzhinov. The chaos in the chess world is caused by “leaders” who are unable to do their job properly."

"Seville never had a rich chess tradition. Valencia is entirely different, it is enough to say that one of the city squares is named after me."

"If you want to become a World Champion you should avoid playing in Open tournaments."

"I study chess eight hours a day, on principle."

"It is to Petrosian's advantage that his opponents never know when he is suddenly going to play like Mikhail Tal"

"In those years, it was easier to win the Soviet Championship than a game against 'Iron Tigran'"

"They say my chess games should be more interesting. I could be more interesting - and also lose."

"Some consider that when I play I am excessively cautious, but it seems to me that the question may be a different one. I try to avoid chance. Those who rely on chance should play cards or roulette. Chess is something quite different."

"Chess is a game by its form, an art by its content and a science by the difficulty of gaining mastery in it. Chess can convey as much happiness as a good book or work of music can."

"I have a weakness for any piece in excess of my opponent's numbers - from pawn to queen."

"Fortune favors the bold, especially when they are Alekhine."

"Alekhine is a poet who creates a work of art out of something that would hardly inspire another man to send home a picture post card."

"I can comprehend Alekhine's combinations well enough; but where he gets his attacking chances from and how he infuses such life into the very opening - that is beyond me."

"Alekhine's attacks came suddenly, like destructive thunderstorms that erupted from a clear sky."

"In playing through an Alekhine game one suddenly meets a move which simply takes one's breath away."

"Capablanca was the greatest talent, but Alekhine was the greatest in his achievements."

"It was impossible to win against Capablanca; against Alekhine it was impossible to play."

"The fact that a player is very short of time is, to my mind, as little to be considered as an excuse as, for instance, the statement of the law-breaker that he was drunk at the moment he committed the crime."

"During a chess competition a chess master should be a combination of a beast of prey and a monk."

"Chess for me is not a game, but an art. Yes, and I take upon myself all those responsibilities which an art imposes on its adherents."

"Chess first of all teaches you to be objective."