I didn't have any special talents. I don't know – I have been hanging out in the street and playing soccer. I was born near Sochi, and all we did was play soccer and snooker. How did I study – well, I guess I wouldn't call myself a great student. I think that in business, especially in the one I am in, logic is extremely important. If you develop this quality – logical thinking – this by itself will become a serious foundation for your future activities. Other qualities are also required – you must really love what you are doing, stay extremely focused. To motivate yourself every day... when you can't eat two breakfasts, but have earned enough... you need to find a way to motivate yourself. However, I believe that logic is the core.
Why am I talking about this? In grades 7-8 [he was about 14-15 years old at that time], when I was done with my soccer career, I have started studying – occasionally – chess. By the way, I did rather well. In two years I became a candidate master [this corresponds to about 2200 FIDE], champion of Sochi and so on – and I realized that I had started thinking differently. I suddenly felt that the school courses are of no use. Logic is a must-have not only for businessmen, but it was a very important foundation for my future. Modern education – I have a lot of concerns about it. It is basically based on pure cramming, which is a stupid thing to do in the twenty-first century. We are studying great amounts of information that can be found within two minutes on the Internet. Is this rational? Of course, basic knowledge in all areas is required. But courses that help people in the real life should also be introduced. I think that logic is something needed by everyone. Chess, by the way, is a very good game model of logic. It seems to me that logic became a stepping stone for all my future activities.
