Unconsciously, Anatoly straightened his back and smiled as he considered the board. The beginning of play with a brand new opponent was possibly his favorite stage of a chess game; the moment where there were a multitude of possible moves and everything was wide open. He did not yet know how the game would go - it was that sense of uncertainty, shunned everywhere else, that moved him. As the pieces moved through their intricate dance, he was supremely confident he could direct their play until only one path remained.

"I was five or six, I think," he answered as he moved a pawn. "Very young. My father taught me and I never stopped since."