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.

One of the things that first attracted me to chess is that it brings you into contact with intelligent, civilized people - men of the stature of Garry Kasparov, the former world champion, who was my part-time coach.

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

I started by just sitting by the chessboard exploring things. I didn't even have books at first, and I just played by myself. I learnt a lot from that, and I feel that it is a big reason why I now have a good intuitive understanding of chess.

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

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.

When you have fun then you're more interested in learning.