I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style.

I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style.

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.

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

Of course, analysis can sometimes give more accurate results than intuition but usually it’s just a lot of work. I normally do what my intuition tells me to do. Most of the time spent thinking is just to double-check.

The Nanjing games are homework by Garry Kasparov and me, [...] Today's game was provided by Garry.

It's nice to be financially secure. Apart from that, I really don't care too much about money.