Nigel Short MBE, Britain’s most famous chess Grandmaster took on 25 of the best players at once at a special event in Lancaster.
Local top local chess players and rising stars of the game got the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday (June 21), when they were pitted against one of the UK's strongest ever players.
Nigel played 25 of them at once in a simultaneous chess game at The Borough in Dalton Square. The event attracted a diverse set of players from across the county ranging in age from under 12s to over 70s most of who had never had the chance to play against a Grandmaster before.
Nigel earned the title of Grandmaster when he was just 19 and was ranked third in the world just a few years later when he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Title.
Now, having just turned 60, Nigel is still a huge name in chess. Since 2022 he has been the Director for Chess Development for the World Chess Federation, FIDE, and only a couple of weeks ago played in the World Chess Teams Championships held in London.
Nigel beat 23 out of 25 players, with two draws. One draw was against Om Reddy Jayar who plays for the Lancaster Chess Club A team and is the current Lancashire Junior Chess Champion. The other one was against Richard Walsh who is Secretary of Lancaster Chess Club.
Richard Walsh said: “It was a pleasure to welcome such a famous chess player to Lancaster and all the players enjoyed their games.
‘’Many had brought copies of Nigel’s latest acclaimed chess book ‘Winning’ and Nigel signed copies for them. The event confirmed Lancaster as the top location in Lancashire for competitive chess.”
Tony Johnson, Lancaster BID Manager, added: “It’s fantastic to see such a big name in chess choosing Lancaster and for the event to be hosted by one of our independent hospitality businesses.
‘’Events such help showcase Lancaster as a city which offers something for everyone.
‘’Although Nigel now lives in Greece, he always remembers his roots in Lancashire and it was fantastic news that he agreed to do this event.’’
Lancaster Chess Club meets evert Tuesday throughout the year as well as organising a number of high-profile events which attract chess players from across the district and beyond.
The next event is the third Lancaster Standard Play Congress taking place at The Storey from August 15 to 17.
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