Botvinnik, Korchnoi and Kasparov had to hate the opponent to play successfully. I belong to a different type of chess players. I’m like Keres, Spassky and Portisch. On the board we fight, but in life we get along great.
Anatoly Karpov 2015
We must finish once and for all with the neutrality of chess. We must condemn once and for all the formula “chess for the sake of chess”, like the formula “art for art’s sake”. We must organize shock brigades of chess-players, and begin immediate realization of a Five-Year Plan for chess.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko
Drawing general conclusions about your main weaknesses can provide a great stimulus to further growth.
Alexander Kotov
Karpov, Kasparov, Korchnoi have absolutely destroyed chess by their immoral, unethical, prearranged games. These guys are really the lowest dogs around, and if people knew the truth about them, they would be held in more contempt than Ben Johnson, the runner, and they’re going to know the truth when I do this book!
Robert Fischer September, 1 1992
Despite the ugliness of his decline, Bobby Fischer deserves to be remembered for the great things he did for chess and for his immortal games.
Garry Kasparov 2004