Thank god Kasparov has retired, but he is tops in chess: Nigel Short

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012


Hi everyone,


The ever-witty, maverick grandmaster Nigel Short was in Pakistan the other day as honourary guest at the Pakistan National Championships. (Read the report on www.chessblog.com.) We picked up some nice quotes given by the British chess player to Pakistan press. 

• I had a couple of celebratory drinks before reaching here
• I love to travel and the game has taken me to many countries. Pakistan is the 98th country that I have visited so far.
• Chess has a 1,500-year history in the subcontinent. India today is a big chess powerhouse with strong players and Viswanathan Anand as the world champion, but I was wondering about what was going on with chess in Pakistan.
• Players like Shahzad and Lodhi have given the game recognition here. Now Pakistan should look towards the younger generation to take this game to higher levels. All you need is a bit of money and a few willing people to see the talent flourish here
• (On if there was money in chess as compared to cricket or tennis) Well, I just won 25,000 pounds at the Gibraltar Masters. Chess won’t make you rich, but it’s not so bad either. Plus world championships are worth over a million dollars.
• (On most interesting opponent) Gary Kasparov - That man has tortured me more than anyone. Thank God he has retired now. But he is tops! You can’t go up and challenge a chess champion just like that. There is a meritocracy that has you going through a process in Britain. I kept playing and winning at the zonal level to come up and finally be able to face the champion.
• (On most difficult match) Against Anatoli Karpov in 1992 in Spain. “He was the champion for 10 long years from 1975 to 1985 and I defeated him.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

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