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I spend hours playing chess because I find it so much fun. The day it stops being fun is the day I give up.
Magnus Carlsen
Once you're a chess player, you spend a lot of time thinking about the game and you can't get it completely out of your head.
It's just not my nature to go around idolizing people.
Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.
I'm not really into rap.
Unfortunately I'm still not a fashion expert.
I don't look at computers as opponents. For me it is much more interesting to beat humans.
Maybe if I didn't have the talent in chess I'd find the talent in something else. The only thing I know is that I have talent in chess, and I'm satisfied with that.
I got the travel bug when I was quite young. My parents took me and my sisters out of school and we travelled all over Europe. It was an eye-opening experience and, although I love Norway, I also enjoy visiting new countries. I don't get homesick.
I've never been much of a computer guy at least in terms of playing with computers. Actually until I was about 11 I didn't use a computer for preparing for games at all. I was playing a bit online, was using the chess club mainly. Now, obviously, the computer is an important tool for me preparing for my games.
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.
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.
My father, a fine chess player himself, has been a massive influence throughout my life.
Chess only appeals to quite a small minority. It does not have the cachet of a mainstream popular sport.
Right now I'm really happy with how things are going with my chess career, so I'm not thinking of doing anything else.
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 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.
It's nice to be financially secure. Apart from that, I really don't care too much about money.
My former coach, Simen Agdestein, used to be the best player in Norway.
I honestly don't read that much. Obviously I read chess books - in terms of favorites, Kasparov's 'My Great Predecessors' is pretty good.
People ask what my goal is. I don't have a goal.
If you want to get to the top, there's always the risk that it will isolate you from other people.
It's easy for me to get along with chess players. Even though we are all very different, we have chess in common.
Some people think that if their opponent plays a beautiful game, it's okay to lose. I don't. You have to be merciless.
I get more upset at losing at other things than chess. I always get upset when I lose at Monopoly.
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