Chess is changing. I hope chess is getting more popular, more spectacular.
Americans really don't know much about chess. But I think when I beat Spassky, that Americans will take a greater interest in chess. Americans like winners.
... far more people make a living as professional chess players today than ever before. Thanks partly to the availability of computer programs and online matches, there has been a mini-boom in chess interest among young people in many countries.
I am lucky, .. that the popular sport in the Soviet Union was chess and not baseball.
After that, Kasparov stepped back from chess which is, and I want this to be clear, not good for chess in general at all. As a whole, the current situation in the chess world leaves a lot to be desired.
If the media didn't know I played chess, there'd be no angle on me at all.
I see myself more as an ambassador of the game. And I hope to bring chess to a higher level in the United States. Making bigger tournaments, more interesting events. Making it a respectable profession for young people to be able to pursue in the future.
In Gujarat, we had the world record of largest number of chess games in a single venue - 20,500 - and in Tamil Nadu, I have been emphasizing on the positives of chess to the authorities.
The place of chess in the society is closely related to the attitude of young people towards our game.
It's certainly an honor to have kids who are looking up to me, but at the same time, I'm just trying to do what I can to raise the profile of chess.
There is technology where you can watch the match live online and also on TV. If people understood the game, I'm sure we would have a lot of chess fans by now.
It's very encouraging that the game of chess is growing in the U.S. and is becoming more popular.
What was great about Fischer is that when he became world champion is that chess was being covered everywhere. It was in all the major newspapers, it was on TV.
My idea is to make moves to bring chess back to the world's map, to make it part of the world's geography again.
Chess only appeals to quite a small minority. It does not have the cachet of a mainstream popular sport.
