I was not particularly interested; I was bad and soon stopped again.

I don’t know why I learnt all the countries of the world off by heart, including their capitals and populations. Chess was probably just another pastime.

I’m not a disciplined thinker. Organisation is not my thing; I am chaotic and tend to be lazy. My trainer recognised that and as a rule allowed me to practise whatever I felt like at the time.

When I was 13, my parents took me out of school for a year. They travelled around the world with me and my sisters, and on the way they taught us. That was fantastic, much more effective than sitting in school.