“The system set up by F.I.D.E. … Insures that there will always be a Russian world champion… The Russians arranged it that way.”

Genius. It’s a word. What does it really mean? If I win I’m a genius. If I don’t, I’m not.

A piece of garbage like Kasparov might be called a chess genius, but he’s like an idiot savant. Outside of chess he knows nothing.

I want to see the U.S. wiped out. Death to the U.S.

Psychologically, you have to have confidence in yourself and this confidence should be based on fact.

You are never too old to play chess!

The Russians have held my title for ten years and they’re going to be in for it when I win the Championship. They’re going to have to wait and play under my conditions.

I don’t keep any close friends. I don’t keep any secrets. I don’t need friends. I just tell everybody everything, that’s all.

I’d like to travel around, be an international playboy. They have all that money; they could really do it right. Look at (Errol) Flynn.

I don’t remember one thing I learned in school.

I don’t believe in wasting time. My goal is to win the World Chess Championship; to beat the Russians. I take this very seriously.

I usually never stay at the board after a game. Especially against Spassky. I made a dumb suggestion and he refuted it instantly! I know I’m going to have to play him some day and it was really stupid to look like such a jerk in front of him.

Too many times, people don’t try their best. They don’t have the keen spirit; the winning spirit. And once you make it you’ve got to guard your reputation – every day go in like an unknown to prove yourself. That’s why I don’t clown around.

The main idea behind any opening is to get a strong pawn center and give your pieces a lot of scope so that you cramp your opponent’s position and can attack weaknesses in his game.

Computers are our only opponents that don’t always have no excuse when losing against me.

Karpov, Kasparov, Korchnoi have absolutely destroyed chess by their immoral, unethical, prearranged games.

I play honestly and I play to win. If I lose, I take my medicine.

I like to make them squirm.

All I ever want to do is just play chess.

It’s little quirks like this that could make life difficult for a chess machine.

I like the moment when I break a man’s ego.

I add status to any tournament I attend.

If I win a tournament, I win it by myself. I do the playing. Nobody helps me

I felt that chess… is a science in the form of a game… I consider myself a scientist. I wanted to be treated like a scientist.

There’s no luck involved in chess. You just have to work at it.