Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them.

You have to choose the move that feels right sometimes; that's what intuition is.

There are certainly loads of players that I admire; I try to learn from all of the great masters both of the past and contemporary as well.

I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style.

I think with chess as with everything, marketing is the main issue.

If you want to get to the top, there's always the risk that it will isolate you from other people.

Chess only appeals to quite a small minority. It does not have the cachet of a mainstream popular sport.