All the Wrong Moves by Sasha Chapin

Unusual book about Chapin's obsession with playing competitive chess, even when he knew he was no good. He studied with fabled teaching grandmaster Benjamin Finegold:
music as "auditory cheesecake"

Isaac, when game is falling apart: "it's mostly fine."

another instance of my manic mind urging me to adopt an unlikely persona that would be discarded as soon as my self-loathing dicated that it should be

the problem with trying to solve your own psychological problems is that you're inside the delusion you're trying to diagnose

Paul Morphy: "The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life."

In a way, it happens to everyone, with age - the volume of experience gets turned down.

hot chess grandmaster Sopika: