I Did Not Believe I Was Superior

Chess Is A Matter Of Vanity.

In My Opinion, A Master Is Morally Obliged To Seize Every Sort Of Opportunity And To Try To Solve The Problems Of The Position Without Fear Of Some Simplifications.

I Do Not Play Chess – I Fight At Chess. Therefore, I Willingly Combine The Tactical With The Strategic, The Fantastic With The Scientific, The Combinative With The Positional, And I Aim To Respond To The Demands Of Each Given Position.

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.

The Infallible Criterion By Which To Distinguish The True From The Would-be Strategist Is The Degree Of Originality Of His Conceptions. It Makes Little Difference Whether This Originality Is Carried To Excess, As Was The Case With Steinitz And Nimzowitsch.