The technical phase can be boring because there is little opportunity for creavivity, for art. Boredom leads to complacency and mistakes.

Dictatorships sometimes fall unexpectedly and quickly. And [Vladimir] Putin knows that for him, the loss of power doesn't mean a comfortable retirement, but something completely different.

When I was preparing for one term's work in the Botvinnik school I had to spend a lot of time on king and pawn endings. So when I came to a tricky position in my own games I knew the winning method.

I've met enough KGB colonels in my life.

Karabakh conflict has a strong influence on the political climate both in Azerbaijan and Armenia. It is obvious, too, that the Azerbaijani leadership can capitalize indefinitely on this topic to underpin its legitimacy even in a situation in which democratic institutions are virtually eliminated.

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

At the end of the day, it's all about money.