"I have had to work long and hard to eradicate the dangerous delusion that, in a bad position, I could always, or nearly always, conjure up some unexpected combination to extricate me from my difficulties"
About this Quote
The specific intent is corrective, almost therapeutic. He’s describing a habit of mind common to high performers: you start believing your highlight reel is a strategy. In chess terms, “conjure up some unexpected combination” isn’t just a flourish; it’s the intoxicating promise that complexity can be weaponized when you’re losing. Alekhine names that promise as a “dangerous delusion,” because it trains you to tolerate bad positions - and, worse, to choose them. Why play clean and prophylactic when you can play for fireworks?
The subtext is humility with teeth. He isn’t saying combinations are overrated; he’s saying their reliability is. Tactical resourcefulness is real, but it’s probabilistic, not magical. Betting on miracles turns skill into superstition.
Context matters: Alekhine’s era prized brilliant attacks, the kind that turn games into legend. He helped define that aesthetic, so this reads as an insider’s warning from the architect of spectacle. It’s also a broader cultural memo about talent: the most corrosive ego isn’t thinking you’re better than others, it’s thinking you’re exempt from consequences.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Alekhine, Alexander. (2026, January 15). I have had to work long and hard to eradicate the dangerous delusion that, in a bad position, I could always, or nearly always, conjure up some unexpected combination to extricate me from my difficulties. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-had-to-work-long-and-hard-to-eradicate-the-75376/
Chicago Style
Alekhine, Alexander. "I have had to work long and hard to eradicate the dangerous delusion that, in a bad position, I could always, or nearly always, conjure up some unexpected combination to extricate me from my difficulties." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-had-to-work-long-and-hard-to-eradicate-the-75376/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I have had to work long and hard to eradicate the dangerous delusion that, in a bad position, I could always, or nearly always, conjure up some unexpected combination to extricate me from my difficulties." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-have-had-to-work-long-and-hard-to-eradicate-the-75376/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
