Chess Quotes: Tactics

The scheme of a game is played on positional lines; the decision of it, as a rule, is effected by combinations. ~ chess quote by Reti

In the perfect chess combination as in a first-rate short story, the whole plot and counter-plot should lead up to a striking finale, the interest not being allayed until the very last moment. ~ chess quote by Yates and Winter

The scheme of a game is played on positional lines; the decision of it, as a rule, is effected by combinations. ~ chess quote by Reti

In the perfect chess combination as in a first-rate short story, the whole plot and counter-plot should lead up to a striking finale, the interest not being allayed until the very last moment. ~ chess quote by Yates and Winter

A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost a matter of course. ~ chess quote by Tarrasch

It’s always better to sacrifice your opponent’s men. ~ chess quote by Tartakover

If the student forces himself to examine all moves that smite, however absurd they may look at first glance, he is on the way to becoming a master of tactics. ~ chess quote by Purdy

The tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do. ~ chess quote by Gerald Abrahams

Examine moves that smite! A good eye for smites is far more important than a knowledge of strategical principles. ~ chess quote by Purdy

Discovered check is the dive-bomber of the chessboard. ~ chess quote by Fine

The combination player thinks forward; he starts from the given position and tries the forceful moves in his mind. ~ chess quote by Emanuel Lasker

The pin is mightier than the sword. ~ chess quote by Reinfeld

The defensive power of a pinned piece is only imaginary. ~ chess quote by Nimzovich

Chess is 99 percent tactics. ~ chess quote by Teichmann

There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones and mine. ~ chess quote by Tal

The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake. ~ chess quote by Tartakover

No price is too great for the scalp of the enemy King. ~ chess quote by Koblentz

The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made. ~ chess quote by Tartakover

The defensive power of a pinned piece is but imaginary. ~ chess quote by Aaron Nimzowitsch

Tactics flow from a superior position. ~ chess quote by Bobby Fischer

If the student forces himself to examine all the moves that smite, however absurd they look at first glance, he is on the way to becoming a master of tactics. ~ chess quote by  Cecil Purdy

Tactics involve calculations that can tax the human brain, but when you boil them down, they are actually the simplest part of chess and are almost trivial compared to strategy. ~ chess quote by Garry Kasparov

Discovered check is the dive bomber of the chess board. ~ chess quote by Rueben Fine

We often hear the terms ‘positional’ and ‘tactical’ used as opposites. But this is as wrong as to consider a painting’s composition unrelated to its subject. Just as there is no such thing as ‘artistic’ art, so there is no such thing as ‘positional’ chess. ~ chess quote by Samuel Reshevsky

Good players develop a tactical instinct, a sense of what is possible or likely and what is not worth calculating. ~ chess quote by Samuel Reshevsky

No matter how much theory progresses, how radically styles change, chess play is inconceivable without tactics.  ~ chess quote by Samuel Reshevsky

The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing; the strategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing. ~ chess quote by Savielly Tartakower

Even the laziest king flees wildly in the face of double check. ~ chess quote by Aaron Nimzowitsch