Chess Training

(Note: there is no specific credit to this article online, so the 'I' in the story is left to the imagination. If you know for certain who 'I' is, please post a comment!) On Feb. 23, 1993, FIDE President Florencio Campomanes announced Manchester, England, as the venue for the world championship match between Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov. That day Short was unavailable, crossing on a ferry from Italy to Greece. Instead of Manchester, the English grandmaster preferred two bids from London. By not consulting Short, Campomanes broke FIDE rules. Suddenly, Short had a reason to pursue the bids from London even at the cost of breaking up with FIDE -- provided Kasparov agreed. When Short contemplated how to reach Kasparov, I pointed to the phone in my kitchen and said: "Call Kasparov in Linares directly." Kasparov answered Short's call in Spain shortly after midnight on March 3. In a 13-minute conversation they discussed for the first time playing their match ou...

Well, this has reached my inbox somehow. Here is a conversation between Gata Kamsky and Nigel Short , witnessed by thousands as it was played out on the Playchess Server : "Gentleman, Let's have a clean fight, Break when I tell you to. Good luck!" Nigel Short: Gata, in our 1994 match you delivered a written protest to the arbiter accusing me of visiting the bathroom too often. Was that done to disturb me, or because you thought I had a desktop hidden in the cubicle? Gata Kamsky: ask me something i can remember nigel Nigel Short: I remember it well, Gata. Gata Kamsky: all i remember is that you started talking to me during the game Nigel Short: Yes, and the arbiter had overheard a conversation between your father and yourself immediately after the game. He told you to complain. You said that there was nothing to complain about. And yet within the hour there was yet another written protest about me cheating during this match. Nigel Short: I guess Daddy had his way Ga...

Rest Day at the WCC Since we have a rest day, let's throw up a puzzle: Kramnik,V (2730) - Short,N (2645) Dortmund Dortmund (5), 1995 [Notes by Bangiev,A] 22.Bxe6! Strong! [ 22.Nf4! Rxd4 23.Nxg6! Qe8 ( 23...fxg6 24.Bxe6+ Kh8 25.Qxg6+-) 24.Bxe6 fxe6 25.Nf4+-; 22.Nxe6? Qxh4] 22...fxe6 [ 22...Nxe5 23.de5, 23.Ba2 23.dxe5 Rxd1 24.Bxf7+ Qxf7 25.Nxf7+-] 23.Qxg6+- Nxe5 [ 23...Nf6 24.exf6 24.exf6 Qxf6 25.Qh7+ Kf8 26.Nf4!+-] 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Nf4! [ 25.Nf4 Ke8 26.dxe5 Rxd1 27.Qg6+ Kf8 28.Nfxe6++-] 1-0