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

I don't think there is a thing like overconfidence in chess. It's always better to be too confident than too reluctant.

Once you're a chess player, you spend a lot of time thinking about the game and you can't get it completely out of your head.

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.

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

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.

Not winning a tournament is not an option for me, unless it's no longer theoretically possible - then of course winning becomes impossible. But up to that point, not winning is just not an option.