What is your earliest memory of playing chess?

It was a few weeks ago. I was watching some other Burmese Grandmasters playing, and I said, what’s that horsey bit, and how does it move? They kindly showed me how all the bits moved, and next thing I knew, the ratings list came out and I was a Grandmaster too!

What is your most memorable game?

Well, I’ve only played seven, but the one where I got my prawny bit up to the end of the board and then made it so my opponent’s King couldn’t move was pretty fun.

Who is your all-time chess hero?

David Beckham. We get all his games on cable.

What do you consider to be your greatest weakness as a chess player?

I still can’t always remember the castling rule.

What is your greatest strength?

I can usually set the pieces up right.

Which book would you take to a desert island?

Anything with a lot of nice pictures.

How would you characterise your chess-playing style?

I usually wait until my opponent has moved, then have my turn afterwards.

Which single thing would most improve the chess scene?

The ratings system is clearly biased against Burmese players. There are a lot more Burmese waiting to become Grandmasters, but you have to do all this stuff and figure out maths sums. It’s too hard and time consuming. It would be a lot easier if you could just buy titles over the Internet from the FIDE site.

Who is your favourite dictator?

That’s a tough one. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has a charming smile, neat hair and his own country, but the Burmese Junta would shoot me if I didn’t pick them.