It's just not my nature to go around idolizing people.

People ask what my goal is. I don't have a goal.

Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.

I was lucky enough to attend schools where they were understanding about when I needed to go abroad to play chess. Of course, socially it is important to go to school and interact with people your own age.

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

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.

I don't look at computers as opponents. For me it is much more interesting to beat humans.