"Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them"
About this Quote
The subtext is almost impolite in its honesty. Carlsen admits that confidence doesn’t have to be “objective” to be useful. In chess, where the culture fetishizes rationality, he’s smuggling in a messy human truth: belief can be a strategic resource even when the position doesn’t justify it. That’s not anti-intellectual; it’s a recognition that chess is played by nervous systems, not engines.
Context matters here. Carlsen’s entire brand as world champion is built on grinding, squeezing, and outlasting - winning positions that look equal, turning small advantages into inevitability. That style depends on a mindset that keeps searching for chances long after a more deferential player would settle for a draw. “Overestimate your prospects” isn’t bravado; it’s permission to keep creating problems, to play actively rather than politely. In that sense, he’s describing elite performance as a refusal to preemptively negotiate with fear.
Quote Details
| Topic | Confidence |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Carlsen, Magnus. (2026, January 15). Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/self-confidence-is-very-important-if-you-dont-172810/
Chicago Style
Carlsen, Magnus. "Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/self-confidence-is-very-important-if-you-dont-172810/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/self-confidence-is-very-important-if-you-dont-172810/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
