Initially I was very drawn to the Tao Te Ching, the Taoist philosophy. It was helping me deal with the balance of these external and internal issues with my chess life. Tai chi is the martial embodiment of Taoist philosophy. Initially, I had no intention of competing in the martial arts; it was just the meditation.

In America, people focus on the end result; they focus on the star.

I tend not to dwell on the parallels between chess and business, chess and the martial arts, or any two things for that matter, because the truth is that all pursuits are connected if we gain an eye for the thematic links.

Of course the sad truth is that if we are not present to the moment, our true love could come and go and we wouldn't even notice.

It is rarely a mysterious technique that drives us to the top, but rather a profound mastery of what may well be a basic skill set.

The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety.

Our minds are all different and I believe cultivating a keen introspective sensitivity is absolutely essential in discovering our potential.