My former coach, Simen Agdestein, used to be the best player in Norway.

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

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

I played like a child!

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

There are so many games that I've seen that I've learned from. I never - that's also part of the same - never single out a particular player or a particular game.