Vladimir Kramnik Quotes - Page 2

I don't like to show my emotions at the board, not because they might give something away to an opponent, but because that's my style: I like to keep it to myself.

Every top player has his own style, just as every painter has his own personal signature.

It made a big difference to my match stamina. I couldn't imagine I would have been so energetic during the match - it really gave me a welcomed extra boost!

When I was a child I liked the games of Capablanca, and later I was captivated by Alekhine's play.

But with the Berlin, I was able to allow him to get near, but not quite near enough, and I knew where to draw the line with the fortresses I had set up.

Only he, who penetrates into the depth of the game, can express his personality in it.

Intellectual effort gives me enormous pleasure

When I speak of the beauty of a game of chess, then naturally this is subjective. Beauty can be found in a very technical, mathematical game for example. That is the beauty of clarity.

Even if you play perfectly, a fault of your opponent's can destroy the entire beauty of the game.

In the current FIDE World Championship, on the knock-out system, weaker players have good chances. Those, who in a long match would practically have no chance, here may creep through.

For us chess players the language of artist is something natural.

My very first book was a games collection of Anatoly Karpov. On the whole I was attracted by positonal play with some tactics, and already then I was aiming for universality.

I made a better decision in choosing my team. Sure, I had a bigger choice of players to choose from - but I couldn't have asked for a harder working group of players who did an incredible job.

In this respect, I suppose I'm the total opposite of Garry [Kasparov]. With his very emotive body language at the [chess]board he shows and displays all his emotions. I don't.

With the Berlin I was able to set up a fortress that he could come near but not breach.

Now, two years have passed and the situation is completely different: no one wants to organise this match.

Okay, when you start to fight for equality, like Anand did in 1995, you could end up losing game 10, like he did, without putting up any kind of fight.

Once he had selected the path he was going down he really had to stick with it in a 16 game match. He had to try and hit in the one direction but unfortunately for him - though fortunately for me! - he hit in the wrong direction.

The Berlin Defence suited my strategy for the match. I had a defensive strategy - Actually, I had in my pocket some other sharper stuff to fall back on - but first I wanted to try the defensive strategy with Black and it worked so well.