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

Some people think that if their opponent plays a beautiful game, it's okay to lose. I don't. You have to be merciless.

Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.

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

I don't look at computers as opponents. For me it is much more interesting to beat humans.

I get more upset at losing at other things than chess. I always get upset when I lose at Monopoly.

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

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

I'm not really into rap.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Right now I'm really happy with how things are going with my chess career, so I'm not thinking of doing anything else.

Unfortunately I'm still not a fashion expert.

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 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.