Nigel Short

Nigel David Short MBE (born 1 June 1965 in Leigh, Lancashire) is an English Grandmaster, former World Chess Championship Challenger, author, and chess executive.

Early Prodigy

Short earned international fame as a child prodigy. At age 10, he defeated International Master Victor Ciocaltea. At age 12, he became the youngest-ever qualifier for the British Chess Championship. He tied for first place in the British Championship at age 14 in 1979 and earned the Grandmaster title in 1984 at age 19, then the youngest Grandmaster in the world.

The 1993 World Championship Match

Short achieved the pinnacle of his competitive career in the 1991–1993 World Championship cycle:

1. Defeated former World Champion Anatoly Karpov in the Candidates semi-finals (1992).
2. Defeated Jan Timman in the Candidates final in El Escorial (1993).

Short and World Champion Garry Kasparov subsequently split from FIDE to establish the Professional Chess Association (PCA). Their 1993 World Championship match took place at the Savoy Theatre in London, capturing worldwide media attention. Kasparov retained his title, but the match cemented Short's position at the top of world chess.

Major Accomplishments

• Peak World Ranking: Ranked World No. 3 by FIDE in 1988–1989.
• British Champion: Three-time winner (1984, 1987, 1998).
• International Titles: Won prestigious events including Hastings (1987/88, 1988/89), Wijk aan Zee (1986, 1987), Amsterdam (1991), and the Commonwealth Championship (multiple times).
• Olympiad Veteran: Represented England in every Olympiad from 1984 to 2016, claiming three team silver medals and one bronze.