You cannot say, 'Go! Go! Rah! Rah! Good move!' People want some emotion. Chess is an art and not a spectator sport.

Unfortunately, in Russia this "Asian mentality,"still comes to the fore. But at the same time, it is obvious that there is a certain orientation toward the West. In the end, this is a fragile balancing act between the Asian manner of governance and high living standards that are guaranteed through Western technology.

I now have Croatian citizenship, but I only accepted it because Croatia allowed me to keep my Russian passport.

At a certain point, the atmosphere in the West could change. But I don't see determined political will [for that] at the moment.

Many people think they are too refined, or too rational, to entertain a real sense of wonder in themselves or in others. This is preposterous to me, since the natural world is full of endless wonders, both on Earth and especially in space, no matter how you think it was created.

Solving new problems is what keeps us moving forward as individuals and as a society, so don't back down.

Moscow is simply unwilling to recognize the right of self-determination of nations.