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

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

It's easy for me to get along with chess players. Even though we are all very different, we have chess in common.

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.

I'm definitely the first no.1 in the world since Fischer, and probably at least since Kasparov, who probably has the most potential to dominate for the foreseeable future.

I honestly don't read that much. Obviously I read chess books - in terms of favorites, Kasparov's 'My Great Predecessors' is pretty good.

My father, a fine chess player himself, has been a massive influence throughout my life.