From 3rd to 7th of July, 2008 British Grandmaster Nigel Short, former World Championship challenger, and Sergey Karyakin, who at twelve became the youngest grandmaster in history, are playing a ten-game rapid chess match in Kiev (Kyiv). The venue is the Kyiv Academic Puppet Theatre, Grushevskogo Str., 1a, Kyiv. It is the oldest puppet theatre in Ukraine, established in 1927, and today pays host to puppet theatres from all over the world.

Second day report

In the first game, desperate to break his opponent's clean 2-0 score, Nigel Short with the black pices decided to play – Alekhine's Defence! He hung on for 35 moves but then was battered into submission by his young opponent.

Karjakin,Sergey (2727) - Short,N (2655) [B05]
Rapid Match Kiev UKR (3), 04.05.2008
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 c6 6.0-0 Bxf3 7.Bxf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.Nd2 Nd7 10.Re1 h6 11.a4 a5 12.g3 Qc7 13.Nc4 N7b6 14.Qd4 Nxc4 15.Qxc4 Rd8 16.c3 Nb6 17.Qe4 Nd7 18.b4 Be7 19.Rb1 h5 20.Qe2 g6 21.bxa5 Ra8 22.Qb2 Ra7 23.a6 b6 24.Be2 0-0 25.Be3 Rb8 26.a5 Bc5 27.Bxc5 bxc5 28.Qd2 Qxe5 29.Rxb8+ Qxb8 30.Rd1 Qc7 31.Qd6 Qxa5 32.Qxc6 Nf6 33.Qc8+ Kg7 34.Qb8 Re7 35.Rb1

35...Nd5? 36.Rb7 Qxc3 37.a7 Rxb7 38.Qxb7 Qe1+ and Black simultaneously resigned. 1-0. [Click to replay]

Things were looking very bleak – 0:3, that bleak – for Nigel Short. But then Bessel Kok (see report below) arrived, with his wife Martina. The two are great friends with Nigel and gave him a pep talk that cheered him up. This was the result:

Short,N (2655) - Karjakin,Sergey (2727) [B23]
Rapid Match Kiev UKR (4), 04.05.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.f4 e5 5.d3 Nc6 6.Ng3 Be7 7.Be2 Nd4 8.0-0 exf4 9.Bxf4 0-0 10.Kh1 d5 11.Bf3 Nxf3 12.gxf3 Be6 13.Rg1 Re8 14.Qe2 g6 15.Rae1 Rc8 16.Qf2 Qb6 17.Be5 dxe4 18.Ncxe4 Nd7 19.Bc3 c4 20.Bd4 Qa6 21.dxc4 Qxc4 22.c3 Qxa2

Queen takes pawn on a2 – wasn't that the knockout blow delivered by Jan Gustafsson to Loek van Wely, almost exactly at the same time in Dortmund, Germany? Yes, but Nigel has an attack prepared: 23.Nh5 Qa5 24.Ng7 (how often do you see a knight do this?) 24...Rf8? (24...Red8 or even sacrificing the exchange was better) 25.Qd2 Rc4 26.Qh6 Rxd4 27.Nxe6 fxe6 28.Rxg6+ Kf7 (28...hxg6 29.Qxg6+ Kh8 30.Rg1 leads to mate) 29.Rg7+ Ke8 30.Qxe6 Kd8 31.Qxe7+ Kc7 32.Qxf8 1-0. [Click to replay]

Current standing

Links

• Official web site
• Download all games in PGN

Impressions from Kiev

By WGM Anastasiya Karlovich

Kiev – also spelled Kyiv, Ukrainian: Київ, Russian: Ки́ев or Kiyev – is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, with over three million inhabitants. It was the birthplace of Kievan Rus, the Russian mother-state of a thousand years ago. It is an administrative, economic, scientific, cultural and educational center.

A view of Independence Square in the center of the city

The match between Nigel Short and Sergey Karjakin was planned two years ago, as a six-games classical chess match. At that time there was a rating difference of around 100 points – in favour of Short! Then the plan was changed and it became rapid chess, which is more spectacular, and also a novelty for the organizers.

The organiser LIFE – actually life:) – is a GSM operator set up by the Astelit company in Ukraine in January 2005.. By the 31st of March 2008 the number of life subscribers had reached 9.4 million. It is not a accident that life:) became the sponsor of the match, since the chairman of the Supervisory Board is none other than Bessel Kok.

Responsible for this event: telecommunications tycoon Bessel Kok

Bessel is a Dutch businessman and chess organiser who many years ago set up the Belgian-based Banking communications company SWIFT and then went on to set up the telecommunications systems in Belgium and the Czech Republic. Now he is doing the same in Ukraine – and with the usual degree of success.

Independence Square near the main street Kreschatik in the center of Kiev

In the hot summer weather people enjoy walking on the "water steps"

The Kiev Academic Puppet Theatre has become the center of chess activity in Ukraine for five days

Pinocchio invites visitors to the chess match

Sergey Karjakin with his girlfriend, WIM Katerina Dolzhikova

Former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov with his sister Ludmilla, who wants to become a professional violinist

The girls from a Ukrainian pop band

Remember Tina Karol from our last report? Well, here are two videos with her:

Here Tina is a contestant of Eurovision 2007

Nochenka has been watched 280,000 times on YouTube

Tansu Yegen, General Manager of "life:)", Nigel Short, Sergey Karjakin and Katerina Dolzhikova

"Pono", as he does not like to be called, with his sister in the audience. The headphones are for infra-red commentary by GM Vladimir Tukamkov and GM Gennadi Sosonko.

Chess on the stage of the Puppet Theatre

The official names: Naidjel Short from Belikobritania and Sergij Karjakin from Ukraine

Ukrainian GM Alexandr Areshenko who has come to support his friend Sergey Karjakin

Your reporter Anastasiya in the Puppet Theater