We Are Living In A World Where

Chess Is One Of The Few Arts Where Composition Takes Place Simultaneously With Performance

Vladimir Putin Is The Wealthiest Man On The Planet, For Sure. But This Is Different To The Wealth Of A Bill Gates Or A Warren Buffett, A Carlos Slim Or A Sergey Brin. They Stay Wealthy Whether It Is Barack Obama Or Donald Trump In Power. Putin's Wealth Depends On Him Staying In Power. It Is All About Controlling The Budget, The Hard Currency Reserves And Keeping Under His Thumb The Oligarchs Who Cannot Move Their Money Without His Permission. It Is Something Close To A Trillion Dollars That He Can Control And Move.

There's The Blazing Russian Caucasus, With An Ongoing War All Against All, Which Is Not To Be Neglected.

In Chess The Rules Are Fixed And The Outcome Is Unpredictable, Whereas In Putin's Russia The Rules Are Unpredictable And The Outcome Is Fixed.

The Ability To Work Hard For Days On End Without Losing Focus Is A Talent. The Ability To Keep Absorbing New Information After Many Hours Of Study Is A Talent.