Sigeman & Co: Nigel Short on a rampage

6/6/2009 – He promised five rounds of fighting chess, and he is in the process of delivering. In the first three (of five) rounds of the six-player classical tournament in Malmo, Sweden, British GM Nigel Short has scored three victories. The top seed is a full point ahead of his nearest rival, Ivan Sokolov. Don't even bother to calculate the performance. Pictorial report.

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This event is taking place at the Hipp Theater in central Malmo, Sweden, from June 3rd - 7th, 2009. It has a 17-year history, but this year has a new format: six players, five rounds, classical time controls. The field consists of a home team made up of Sweden's two strongest players, Tiger Hillarp-Persson and , supported by 15-year-old Swedish chess prodigy Nils Grandelius. They face former World Championship contender Nigel Short, the long-standing super grandmaster Ivan Sokolov from Bosnia & Herzegovina, and yet another tough opponent in new finish star Tomi Nybäck, who is now number three in the Nordic countries, after superstar Magnus Carlsen and Denmark's Peter Heine Nielsen.

The rating of the participants, with the exception of Grandelius, are between 2600 and 2700. Short and Sokolov are of course the two favorites, with Berg, Hillarp and Nybäck as outsiders. Grandelius will not be expected to win the tournament, but he is improving steadily and might deliver a surprise or two along the way. All six participants have an aggressive approach and are not known to play quick draws.

The organisers are thanking the city of Malmo, the Swedish Chess Federation, The Swedish Chess Academy, law firm Sigeman & Co, TT-Line, ViaEcole, Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Rafstedt ad agency, Galvano Service, Kakel & Tegel in Veberod, Formo and all others who have helped in making this tournament possible.

Standings after three (of five) rounds

Picture gallery


All the players: Emanuel Berg, Nils Grandelius, Ivan Sokolov, Tomi Nyback, Tiger Hillarp Persson and Nigel Short


Top seed and tournament leader (after three rounds): Nigel Short


That's me there, the only I-GM in the field! Sweden's top GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson


Second in Sweden, eight rating points behind Tiger: GM Emanuel Berg


15-year-old Swedish chess prodigy Nils Grandelius


Second seed Ivan Sokolov, Netherlands


The main sponsor of the event: Johan Sigeman


Nigel Short in his round two game against Tomi Nyback...


... which Nigel won very convincingly in 37 moves


Taking it with a smile: Tomi Nyback

Links

The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse the PGN games.