A chess legend, FIDE Director for Chess Development, Nigel Short, was the center of attention of Turkmenistan's chess and sports community last week. The 59-year-old grandmaster from England, famous for challenging World Champion Garry Kasparov in a title match back in 1993, participated in a number of events in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, during his visit to the country from October 9-12.
The most memorable of them for the guest was the Federation Cup blitz tournament on October 10, which Nigel Short won, scoring 7.5 out of 9. GM Maksat Atabayev (FIDE blitz rating - 2377) Ashgabat and CM Amanmuhammet Khommadov (2316) tied for first position with the winner but took 2nd and 3rd places, respectively, on a tie-break. Atabayev drew his game against the 1993 world crown contender, while Hommadov notched up a memorable victory over the famous grandmaster but lost points in games with other opponents.
The competition's closing ceremony was attended by the British Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Stephen Conlon, who personally presented his fellow countryman with the well-deserved gold medal. Forty-five top finishers of the tournament in various categories, including standard, rapid and blitz, as well as in age categories, were also awarded cups, medals, certificates, cash prizes from the Turkmenistan Chess Federation, as well as presents and gift certificates from sponsors, including Regus, Intertek, Erem, ImdatBot and Ýigit. In total, more than 300 chess players took part in the Federation Cup tournament series.
The distinguished foreign guests were also given gifts, namely the national Turkmen costume – don (gown) and telpek (fur hat). The British Ambassador and the English grandmaster also visited a small chess museum located in the Ashgabat Chess and Checkers School and observed the educational process in the elementary grades of the school. A giant chessboard in the school's foyer aroused a particular interest among the distinguished guests. They used it to play a thematic game, which started with the English Opening.
Nigel Short, FIDE Director for Chess Development, arrived in the Turkmen capital at the invitation of the British Embassy and the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports to participate in an exhibition and conference dedicated to the development of sports in Turkmenistan.
During his stay, he also gave a simultaneous exhibition to ten young players, which lasted more than two hours and ended with Nigel Short winning all the games. The youngsters gained valuable experience playing with the famous grandmaster and got a lot of positive emotions.
At the request of the country's coaches and leading chess players, GM Short held a separate meeting with them to discuss issues related to the development of chess players' skills, coaching activities and creating an environment for the fast-paced and sustainable development of chess in the country.
According to Mr Short, "the beauty of Ashgabat, the presence of a suitable chess infrastructure, as well as the talent and drive of young Turkmen chess players to develop and win make Turkmenistan ready to host international chess tournaments of the highest level."
"The successful performance of both national teams of Turkmenistan at the 45th World Chess Olympiad should give a new impetus and confidence to bring the level of play in Turkmenistan on par with such countries as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan," added the legendary grandmaster, who took part in seventeen Chess Olympiads over his illustrious career.
Nigel Short is an English GM, widely regarded as one of the greatest British chess players ever. Born on June 1, 1965, in Leigh, Lancashire, he gained international fame in 1993 when he played a World Chess Championship match against Garry Kasparov, becoming the first Englishman to contend for the world title. Although he lost to Kasparov, participating in that match remains a milestone in chess history. Nigel Short has also been active as a chess commentator, coach, and administrator.
Text and photos: Turkmenistan Chess Federation
