The Kremlin is constantly changing the rules of the game to suit its purposes. We are not playing chess, we're playing roulette.

Tactics involve calculations that can tax the human brain, but when you boil them down, they are actually the simplest part of chess and are almost trivial compared to strategy.

I'm looking forward to the day when my country is saved - and the current winner becomes a loser.

It's true that in chess as in politics, fund-raising and glad-handing matter.

[Vladimir] Putin wants to keep [Bashar] Assad in power and expand his own military base in Syria, whatever the cost. I even believe he has an interest in more and more people fleeing the country. The flow of refugees improves his negotiating position toward the West, including the German chancellor.

Results show that just one year of chess tuition will improve a student's learning abilities, concentration, application, sense of logic, self-discipline, respect, behavior and the ability to take responsibility for his/her own actions.

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