Grandmaster Nigel Short MBE, one of the best chess players in history, will embark on a four-day visit to Guyana this week with plans to engage the government and the local chess community as a catalyst for the advancement of the sport.
According to a press release from the Guyana Chess Federation, GM Short will arrive in Guyana tomorrow and depart Thursday.
During his visit, he will challenge 20 of the country’s top young and emerging chess champions in a simultaneous exhibition, the release stated.
He will also engage the public in a meet and greet on Wednesday at the Amazonia Mall. Short is the FIDE Director for Chess Development; a role he was appointed to in September 2022.
He is also widely regarded as one of his generation’s greatest chess players and has made significant contributions to the development and promotion of chess both in the UK and internationally.
Short earned his International Master title at the age of 14 and his Grandmaster Title at age 19. Both feats made him the youngest in the world at the time.
Among his most notable achievements during his career as a chess player are his 1991 `magnum opus’ against Dutchman Jan Timman and his 1993 world championship title showdown with Garry Kasparov.
In the famous Timman match, known fondly to the global chess community as the “King Walk” or “King’s March”, Grandmaster Short dominated the dark squares, then manoeuvred his King up the board to create a mating net.
The 1993 title match, which drew an audience of one million across television broadcasts, was a lopsided victory for Kasparov. GM Nigel Short was the first British player to reach the final of the World Chess Championship since 1935. The match started tragically for Short, who lost on time in a superior position. The games were hard fought and thrilling with a final score of 12½ to 7½ in Kasparov’s favour.
The three-time British Champion is also a columnist, coach and commentator/analyst who was ranked third in the world by FIDE from July 1988 to July 1989.
“As someone who has been an influential figure in the development of chess, the federation is thrilled to welcome him to Guyana to reap the tremendous value of his expertise and assistance in the advancement of the sport,” the GCF release stated.
The last Grandmaster to visit Guyana was Viktor Bologan in 2018. He is a world-renowned theoretician and also a prolific chess author, having written several books on chess strategy and tactics.
