A grandmaster needs to retain thousands of games in his head, for games are to him what the words of their mother tongue are to ordinary people, or notes or scores to musicians.

Besides problems of traditional societies, the Caucasus has to cope with quite a few unsettled territorial conflicts that also nurture authoritarian governmental structures.

Nowadays games immediately appear on the Internet and thus the life of novelties is measured in hours. Modern professionals do not have the right to be forgetful - it is 'life threatening'.

It didn't take long to recognise the shortcomings of the Soviet regime and to see the values of the free world.

We know that the governments in most of the successor states formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union are replaced through a process of regular elections.

It's quite difficult for me to imagine my life without chess.

All that now seems to stand between Nigel and the prospect of the world crown is the unfortunate fact that fate brought him into this world only two years after Kasparov.