I was born in a little place called Zabalj on 16th December 1967. I spent my early youth there and that period of sixteen years has always aroused my most beautiful memories. Novi Sad, far from Zabalj only 30 km, was for me a distant place at that time. Since I was fairly isolated, chess appeared all of a sudden at my doorstep and cast the new light on my life like in a fairy tale. But we will talk about that a bit later...

I got excellent marks at school and I formed good work habits, which helped me in my future chess career as well as in my life.

Father, an agronomist, and mother, a schoolteacher brought me up. The marriage of the intellectuals was the rare background for growing up even for the city families. In those surroundings I was raised to take responsibilities for my behaviour and work. I have always been interested in reading books of any kind. Besides reading I was keen on the ball, actually the football one but without the right support I did not become a football or basketball player. There was the only individual sport where I could express myself in those circumstances-chess. My mother's friend Bisa bought me my first cardboard and plastics chess kit for my seventh birthday. After a while I got another engraving one from my mother.

Since I was equipped, a "great" career could start but I needed someone to reveal me the secrets of this ancient game. The first rules were explained to me by my uncle Sekula who taught me many other things in my life as well. At that time, especially during the summer, strolling the centre of Zabalj I would come across local two best chess players. They were the candidates for chess masters: Mr Glisic and Mr Jovanovic, a banker. Sitting on the blanket in the most beautiful park of Zabalj, they used to lead bitter chess battles cheered with jokes and comments of the crowd. I got an idea to challenge them because I had already been able to strike back to my father who did not have any chess title and played it rarely in his free time.

My challenge made them have a good laugh and they liked it very much. It was accepted so I got a chance but with the advantage of two castles and a queen.