Daniel Naroditsky

“I think death is the aesthetic part of chess, seeing your opponent's army fall. Producing a sacrifice in order to mate is the aesthetic part of it. It's a beautiful, bloodless war.”

“It might sound a little weird that, you know, chess streaming has a community, but really it does.”

“Sometimes, I believe I actually see the wheels in my brain turning.”

“When your opponent is tied up, always be patient and search for the simplest option.”

“I think there's a misconception that chess players are all total nerds. Well, I guess they are.”

“The comparative strength of each piece depends entirely on circumstance; their movements are so different that it is essentially impossible to effectively compare them on anything other than a case-by-case basis.”

“It's not 64 squares. It's a battlefield. There's no luck, there's no dice. It's just you and your opponent.”

“Some kids think I'm some kind of weirdo. I probably am weirder than most people.”

“When you're calculating variations - especially long ones - it really helps to visualize the board.”

“The point system certainly governs a Grandmaster's decisions, but it can be outweighed in any given position by more important factors.”

“Most beginners who have learned the point system will only consider a sacrifice if it leads directly to checkmate or if the material can be won back by force. A Grandmaster, though, will frequently sacrifice for less tangible compensation, such as a lead in development or a superior pawn structure.”

“The great thing about chess is it's a game for oneself. You don't work on what you can't control, you just work on yourself. And I think if more people did that, we'd all be a lot better off.”

“I think of myself as playing against the board, and not against my opponent.”

“With chess it was almost this palpable electricity that I felt. You're totally in control of your own fate. There's no luck factor. It's you and the pieces.”

“You can't worry about intimidating me and playing the game at the same time.”

“Time and again, players lose because they make rash decisions. Therefore, you always have to remind yourself - don't hurry. Embarking on a risky combination that cannot be calculated to the end is certainly not the right thing to do.”

“The game is a war, and in a war you fight. My opponent is just the director of the opponent's army.”

“After every move, ask yourself what does my opponent want to do to me, and how can I prevent it?”