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I remember as a kid (and a serious chess enthusiast) how exciting it was to read the games collections of the great players.  Books by Fischer, Larsen, Botvinnik, Geller, and Smyslov come immediately to mind.  Fantastic works of chess literature.

Is it only me then or have we experienced a significant drop in quality of writing over the past couple of generations?  New In Chess bores me to tears - it's all the same!  The games of Anand, Kramnik, Leko, Adams, even Shirov ..... they don't excite me in the same way.  Maybe the quality of chess is higher but the games seem dry; there is little humanity in them.  The computer reveals itself in the moves. Yawn.

There are notable exceptions.

Kasparov is a giant all on his own - his books are marvelous.  And I have to admit more than a sneaking regard for the work of Nigel Short, whose interesting style of play we will feature here.

Of course Short was in the news recently for his comments about Tony Miles, about whom he was very candid.  It was rather ill-judged to remark on mental illness, rivalry and screwing the other guy's girl in an obituary, but hey, that's Nigel!  I suppose if you must indulge in a bit of points-scoring, it's better to do this when your rival is dead.  At least then he can't come round and crush your spectacles into your scrawny little face.

Seen in this light, the piece was particularly well-timed.  Luckily for us, Short carries over this original energy into his chess playing- he is different to the rest.

1.e4 c5 2.b3!?

The Snyder Variation, which certainly packs a punch for the unwary.  I think I am going to recommend it to you.

It would really be wonderful if White could get the Bishop working against the Black kingside the whole game through.  That must be the main idea.

2...Nc6 3.Bb2 e5

So I guess this is Black's most critical response.  If Black can shut the Bb2 out of the game then he has chances himself with a well-timed ...f7-f5 or ...d6-d5!

4.Bc4

Both 4 Bb5 and 4 f4!? blend in with the main theme but I like Short's move, which is very harmonious.  Black shuts down one diagonal but leaves another open.  f2-f4 has not been ignored, just delayed.

4...Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Nc3 Be7

Black could try to neutralise White's other Bishop but as we will see the capture on c4 is very scary.  In fact it helps White to keep a clamp on the centre.

6...Be6 7.Nge2! Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4!  That's the way.  9...exf4 10.Nxf4 Bxc4 11.bxc4 Nd7 12.Ncd5

12...Nde5 13.Nh5 I think Nigel may have got his idea from this game.  White has a definite edge here and attacking chances! 13...Re8 14.Qe1 Bh4 15.Qe2 Re6 16.Nhf4 Rh6 17.Ne3 Bg5 18.g3 Rf6 19.Nf5 Qd7  (If 19...Bxf4 20.gxf4! Rg6+ 21.Kh1 Nd7 22.Rg1 with initiative.  I think what I like is that the ideas are simple to understand and very effective.  Black is being denied his traditional Sicilian counterplay and forced to engage in a protracted defence of his King.)  20.Qh5 Bh6 21.Nd5  Crushing Knights!

21...Re6 22.Nxh6+ Rxh6 23.Qxh6 gxh6 24.Nf6+ Kf8 25.Nxd7+ Nxd7 26.Rf5 Rd8 27.Rh5 Nb4 28.Rxh6 Nxc2 29.Rf1 Ne3 30.Rf3 Ng4 31.Rxd6 Ke7 32.Rd5 1-0  Bellini,F-Ronchetti,N/46th It, Reggio Emilia ITA 2003.  A very strong and convincing performance by White. Note that once Black took on c4, he bared the d5 and f5 squares of which White made capital use.

7.Nge2 0-0 8.0-0 a6 9.a4

Continuing to clamp down on Black's freeing pawn breaks.  Meanwhile, f2-f4 looms.

9...Nd4 10.h3

It seems that 10.f4 might have been played immediately.  Perhaps Short was afraid of 10...Bg4 with some compensation for Black after a sequence such as 11.h3 Bxe2 12.Nxe2 d5 13.fxe5 Nxe4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 15.dxe4 dxc4 16.Bxd4 Rc8

but 17 c3! should give White a large advantage.

The text, 10 h3 is typical Nigel. He wants to completely dominate the game.

10...Be6 11.f4 Nd7 12.f5! Bxc4 13.dxc4 Bg5 14.Nd5 Nf6

14...Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 Nf6 16.Rad1 is pretty horrible for Black.

15.Nec3 Kh8 16.Nxf6 Qxf6 17.Nd5 Qh6 18.Kh2

White's advantage is big for many reasons:

1. he has a better bishop;

2. the pawn f5 gives him kingside space and considerable chances of attack;

3. the knight on d5 cannot be ejected, whereas Black's knight can be sent packing with the simple c2-c3.

Nigel is in his element - Black must grovel.

18...g6 19.c3 Nc6 20.f6

Now it really is bad.  The pawn on d6 is a goner long-term and Black just has no flexibility.  The next stage of the game sees Nigel increasing control.

20...Qh5 21.Rf3 Rae8 22.g3 Re6 23.Kg2 Rc8 24.a5! Nb8 25.Qd3 Nd7

No matter how many times he attacks the pawn, White can defend.

26.Raf1 Bh6 27.b4 Bg5 28.Ba3 Bh6 29.R3f2 Bg5 30.bxc5 Nxc5 31.Bxc5 dxc5

31...Rxc5 32.Qb1! allows the white queen to decisively enter the game. 32...Re8 ( 32...Rxc4 33.Qxb7 Re8 34.Qxf7 Rg8 35.Ne7+-) 33.Qxb7 Rf8 34.Qxa6+-

32.h4

Prepared by 23 Kg2

32...Bh6 33.Qe2!

Very good!  Compare the pieces and you can see that the queen exchange is a very bad deal for Prasad.  In the endgame the incarceration of the Black King is the most notable feature.

33...Qxe2 34.Rxe2 g5 35.Kh3 gxh4 36.Kxh4 Rg8 37.Rf5 Rd8 38.Rb2 Rd7 39.Rf1 Re8 40.Rfb1

Child's play.

40...Rb8 41.Rb6 1-0

Two points stand out :

1)  Nigel Short is a very original, highly skilled player.  His games are much more interesting and experimental than virtually anyone else on the planet.

2)  The 2.b3 variation is a very dangerous way to combat the Sicilian.  It's not overly complex and puts Black under serious pressure.  I am quite sure that 99% of Sicilian players will not have anything meaningful prepared at all.
 

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