 And we are back and we are delighted to be joined by the Honourable Sir Joe Bossano, former Chief Minister of Gibraltar, also Minister for Economic Development here in Gibraltar. Welcome. Thank you. It's an absolute pleasure. We just saw you on camera, doing the opening move upstairs in the playing hall. First things first, what did you think of the playing hall, seeing all these players from so many countries? This has taken off in a way that really, like many things in life, people start doing something which is an idea that they get and it starts in a small way and then eventually it acquires a life of its own. You know, it's almost like a living organism, growing every year. And you have been here since the start, the tournament has been running since 2003. So what did you make of the development and what did it mean for Gibraltar? I think it's very important in Gibraltar because I think chess is very important for mankind, you know. Human beings engage in lots of things. But I think chess is a particular activity which engages the brain and there aren't many of those. I mean, most of the competitions that we have were still competing to demonstrate are muscular power as primates, you know. The chess is in a class of its own. I mean, I don't understand it, you know. It mystifies me, but I'm a great admirer of the people that have the ability to do it. I was going to ask you, actually, do you know the rules that you have never played yourself? Not at all. Not at all. So it must be fascinating to watch all the players that we have some players that are as young as 11, 12 years old from all over the world. And let me ask you, so you are the Minister for Economic Development in your field. What has this meant for Gibraltar? Well, we are supporting it financially because we think it's important because the exposure that it gives us, you know. I mean, people have heard of Gibraltar mainly as a place where there is a dispute that is 314 years old. It's important to let people know that there are other things about Gibraltar other than the dispute, which is what everybody knows. So it brings people from many parts of the world. Many of them are exposed to the kind of place that we are, you know. I mean, Gibraltar has got a lot of good things about it in terms of the world in which we live today. It's a very safe place. It's not 100% safe, but it's safer than practically anywhere else. It's a place which has, if you like, changed less in Europe than other places. I think we're still more old-fashioned than they are today in the UK, and being old-fashioned sometimes is a good thing instead of a bad thing, you know. Maybe it's something that you change your mind as you get older. I'm 81 this year, so you know. I was actually just going to ask you, I was very impressed. I heard when we were fair, you came into the room, you're the longest-serving politician, not just for Gibraltar, but the whole of the Commonwealth. We have some players here who are playing, who are in their 70s. They keep your passion for chess. How do you keep your passion for politics and for what you do? Well, it's not work. It's fun. As far as I'm concerned, it's what I'm doing with my life, and I decided clearly at a very early age, you know, that a political philosophy and trying to give a sense of direction to your community and trying to do things to improve, I mean, I've been responsible for most of the economic changes that have happened in the last 28 years, 48 years, sorry, not 28, 48. So look, we all have a finite lifetime, and I get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping people and from knowing that many of the things that make Gibraltar a better place were things that I thought of first, and the help of other people I was able to deliver. I was a trade union leader for many years before I became a full-time politician, and socialist, you know. I believe in those values, and therefore, even though we've only got a comparatively small population that are places smaller than us, but we are now about 33,000 people living on three or four square miles, I think there's a quality of life here that is the envy of many places, and it's important to be able to say that and that other people should know it. It is, things are improving, you've talked about some of the achievements, it's fantastic to see not just where the chess tournament is going, but also Gibraltar. What future, what do you see in the coming years, not just for the chess tournament, but also for the government and for Gibraltar? Well, there's one thing that everybody in Europe and everybody in the UK knows, and that is Brexit, and that means that on the 1st of February, we will no longer be citizens of the European Union. Gibraltar will no longer be a part of the European Union, we will, I think I'm probably the only one that was involved in 1972 in the negotiations to join, and I've been involved in the negotiations to leave, but Gibraltar has reinvented itself several times, you know, we were a place that was almost totally dependent on a military base, which was very big, and that started shrinking, and when I came into government I had the difficult task of reorienting our economy and creating a powerful enough private sector to replace the rundown of the military establishment, and we did it and survived. So Gibraltar will prosper, I am responsible for drafting and delivering the national economic plan. Big responsibility. And I'm confident that we'll do well. I am confident, I'm sure everyone is in good hands with you. Final question, so I just wanted to say I have been travelling the world, going to chess tournaments, and what has been done in Gibraltar I think is unique, we are in our 18th year here, and I think the tournament couldn't take place with the help of the government and your support, so I wanted to say on behalf of all the participants and all the team, first of all, thank you very much and I sure hope it will continue for many more years. It's a privilege to have the opportunity to support it. Thank you, thank you very much. Sir Joe Bossano, thank you very much for joining me in the studio, it's been an absolute pleasure and once again thank you very much also for your time. We will go on a short break and be back with David in a minute.