KibBlitzing with Chess Journalist of the Year
Macauley Peterson

Current place of residence:
"Maybe I'll get around to living somewhere in 2009?"

Date of Birth: March 28, 1979
Current USCF Rating: 1919

- What is your favorite country to visit?

Switzerland.

- How many languages do you speak?

English, plus some Russian (from University), and a handful of words in Dutch, Spanish, Bulgarian, French, Italian and German -- by which I mean, I can greet people and order a coffee, but not much more.

-Who introduced you to chess journalism?

Chess Life Magazine I suppose. I've been a USCF member since the age of 6.

- If you weren't a chess journalist, what would you be?

A filmmaker, but then again, why not be both?

- Do you have any catchphrases or favorite movie quotations?

No, but there are the three Peterson Principles, from my father, which are surprisingly relevant to various situations:
1) Most things don't work.
2) The information is probably wrong.
3) It doesn't matter!

- What was the most interesting book you have ever read?

The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World, by Paul Davies (1993).

- If you could go back in time and report on any chess tournament ever held, which one would you choose and why?

Fischer vs. Spassky. It was one of the few chess events in history that captivated the general public, so much so that we're still talking about it today. I would have liked to have played a small part.

- What quality do you admire most in others?

Fairness.

- What is your favorite kind of food?

Fruit.

- Who will win the upcoming match between Kamsky and Topalov?

The more pertinent question is: will there be such a match? I haven't spoken to Gata in a couple of months, but it's certainly interesting that he decided, at the last minute, to join the U.S. Olympiad team in Dresden, given that the tournament ends just two days before the presumed start date of his match with Topalov...

- What are your best & worst character traits?

Best: Sense of humor.
Worst: Self-deception, or so I'm told, but I don't believe it.
Both: Perfectionism. ♦