I spend hours playing chess because I find it so much fun. The day it stops being fun is the day I give up.

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

For me, the most important thing is to continue to play well and to be a positive figure and hopefully a role model for kids as well.

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

There wasn't any particular player I modeled my game after. I tried to learn from everyone and create my own style. I studied past players... Truth be told I never had a favorite player. It's just not my nature to go around idolizing people. I just go try to learn.

I enjoy hiking and skiing, like most Norwegians. In winter, there will be snow for months on end. In the summer, there are the long evenings to enjoy.

I don't really watch too many movies. I don't have the patience usually to watch one, one and a half or two hours in a row.