Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.
Nigel Short (born June 1, 1965) is a British chess player who is regarded as one of the strongest British players of the 20th century. While this may overlook Michael Adams, it's worth noting that Short was once ranked as high as number three in the world, a position Adams never reached. However, Adams did attain the rank of world number four in October 2000, with a peak rating of 2761.
Three days before his 12th birthday, in 1977, Short became the youngest ever to qualify the British Championship. Two years later, at the age of 14, he tied for first place in that championship. In 1979, he achieved the title of master. Short competed in the World Junior Championship four times, with his best result coming in 1980 when he finished second behind Garry Kasparov. In 1984, he earned the title of grandmaster, becoming the youngest in the world at the time.
Short went on to win the British Championship in 1984, 1987, and 1998, and the English Championship in 1991. He also became the Commonwealth Champion in Mumbai in 2004. Over the years, he has won or shared victory in numerous international tournaments, including the BBC Master Game (1981), the OHRA Chess Tournament in Amsterdam (1982), Baku (1983), Wijk aan Zee (1986, 1987), Reykjavik (1987), and the VSB Tournament in Amsterdam (1988, 1991, 1992, 1993). Other notable victories include Hastings (1987/88, 1988/89), Groningen (1996), Sigeman & Co. in Malmö (2002), and Gibraltar (2003, 2004).
Short's performance at the 1991 VSB Tournament is often considered his best, where he and Valeri Salov finished ahead of both Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.
Nigel Short has played a significant role in the history of the World Chess Championships. In 1985, he reached the Candidates Tournament in Montpellier, although he finished 10th with 7 out of 15 points. In the next cycle, he advanced to the Candidates Matches, defeating Gyula Sax 3½-1½, but unexpectedly lost 1½-3½ to fellow Brit Jonathan Speelman. In the following cycle, he reached the matches again, and in 1991 he drew with Speelman 4-4 but won the tiebreak 1½-½. He then defeated Boris Gelfand 5-3 in the quarterfinals and, in a major upset, beat Karpov 6-4 in 1992. In the final, he faced Jan Timman and won 7½-5½, earning the right to challenge World Champion Garry Kasparov.
However, after FIDE President Florencio Campomanes assigned the championship match to Manchester against the players' wishes, Short and Kasparov broke away from FIDE and founded their own organization, the Professional Chess Association (PCA). The PCA organized the 1993 World Championship match in London, where Short was outmatched by Kasparov, losing 7½-12½. In the 1994 PCA cycle, Short defeated Boris Gulko (4-4, 2½-1½ in the tiebreak) but was decisively beaten by Gata Kamsky (1½-5½). In 1997, he reached the semifinals of the FIDE knockout World Championship in Groningen, where he lost to Michael Adams.
The following diagram has likely been printed many times or featured in video lessons, but it's hard to resist showcasing the incredibly beautiful concept Nigel Short devised against his Dutch rival Jan Timman. White is clearly in a strong position, holding the advantage while Black has no counterplay. The crucial question remains: how should White proceed in this middlegame with all heavy pieces and one minor piece on the board? If you haven't seen it yet, can you match the brilliance of the former prodigy Nigel Short?
Master Class Vol.15 - Viktor Korchnoi
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Viktor Korchnoi. Let them show you which openings Korchnoi chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
This week’s show (for Premium Members only)
