My most famous result was very embarrassing. Even so, I achieved quite a lot. For more than two decades I was among the world’s top twenty. A 2600 Elo rating, back when that still counted as world class. My first real chess teacher was a future world champion. When I started out, the artistic, creative side mattered more than the sporting one. In the golden age of chess, we grandmasters were still discovering new things. Several opening lines are named after me. It was said that I lacked a killer instinct. I did not take defeats too hard.
In my life, chess was only the third most important thing. Love came first. I was married four times. Music ranked second. My mother had the makings of a pianist, but then I was born, and she taught me to play the piano. My first wife and I gave concerts together and recorded records. My heroes are not Tal or Capablanca but Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov.
I never mixed my careers. On concert tours I avoided chess, and during tournaments I never practised. In both spheres I regarded myself as an amateur, and my life as one long vacation. To other musicians I was the chess player; among grandmasters I was known as the musician. My first major appearance, however, was on the screen: in a feature film I portrayed a young violinist. The experience in front of the camera later helped me when I commented on chess for television. I also wrote articles and books.
I always loved travelling. Two years during which I was not allowed to travel felt like an eternity to me. At an age when others were enjoying their retirement, I became world champion and the father of twins. Well into my eighties, I went on to found a chess academy. Music, children, chess – all of that kept me young.
So, who am I?
The solution will be revealed tomorrow — on my birthday — on ChessBase …
Get to know it
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