The fighters

Two quotes:

Victor Korchnoi, 79. Last year speaking to “The Independent”:

“Sometimes I felt I had to stop”, he admits. “They say: ‘You have done so much in this life. You can relax’. Then I play a game, and I lose to somebody. And I look at him. I look at who he is, as a chess player. And I look at who he is, in general. And when I do this, I know why I will never stop.”

These two words “in general” are troubling, aren’t they? No mercy to the weak ones? That’s correct, once they decide to enter the game.

Another quote comes from Andrzej Kostenko, a close collaborator of Roman Polanski, age 77, one of my favorite directors:

“Even when a director has talent, but lacks the tenacity - he lets things slip. But he (Polanski) does not allow things go (contrary to his vision).”

The same principle, isn’t it?

Both in chess and film one has to first fight one’s own weakness.

Only then comes victory.