Dear chess fans,

It was a great pleasure for me to help the world against Kasparov on MSN. I want to congratulate the world champion for his victory. I also congratulate Microsoft to have given his support for this idea.

During the game I have analyzed … the position without exterior help or computer and I gave my own recommendations. I was a little surprised with the high level of the game, and sometimes the position was very interesting. Unfortunately for me, [the world chose a different style, and rarely followed] my moves.

It was not always easy to give my advice during these four months. Sometimes I could not play, for example, during the French championship. Some days I had no time for deep analysis. Nearly half of the time, I received and gave moves by phone or fax. When I met Kasparov in August in France, he also had problems getting an Internet connection in his hotel.

Maybe you want to hear about my next projects. Tomorrow [October 28, 1999] I travel from Paris to Sarajevo for the final tournament of European Club Cup by teams. On November 4 and 5, I will play a rapid chess match in France with Judit Polgar. [At the] end of November, I will probably go to Georgia for European Team Championship as a member of the French team. At the end of the year, I will participate in the Club Kasparov inaugural grand prix tournament on the Internet.

My thanks and congratulations for this event to the other coaches: Elisabeth, Irina and Florin, to GM Danny King, to MSN members, to all members of world team, and especially to our opponent Garry Kasparov.

Etienne