Successive English first prize winners

Nigel Short wins Sigeman contest
Leonard Barden
The Guardian, Saturday 13 June 2009 00.01 BST

Two successive columns reporting an English first prize winner! Following Stuart Conquest’s victory in Sardinia, Nigel Short scored in impressive style last weekend at the annual Sigeman contest in Malmo. He conceded only one draw in five games, clocking a performance rating above 2900 and finishing 1.5 points clear of Sweden’s Nils Grandelius.

Short declared at the opening ceremony that if he halved any games without a fight he would refund his appearance fee. This novel act of self-motivation seemed to do the trick.

In the opening, Short dodged main line Najdorf Sicilians with the rare 6 Qf3, and was rewarded at move 15 when Black made the strategic mistake of castling into White’s advance. Instead 15…Rb8 keeps the game in the balance. Later 20…White’s 18 Nf5! launched a powerful assault, though 20 e5 was a more precise follow-up since as played 20…Nh7 is a tougher defence.

UK chess fans will hope Short can maintain his form streak into the two big 2009 events in London, the Staunton Memorial at Simpsons in the Strand from 7-17 August and then the London Chess Classic, which runs from 7-15 December.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jun/13/chess