Typical Nigel Short reply :-) Nigel was giving an interview for the Chess Chronicle magazine. Here are few important questions.
Q: I noticed that in your match with Kasparov when playing with White you were on several occasions within the reach of an easy win, but each time you were unable to bring your advantage home.
A: I cannot speak about the quality of my games with Kasparov. That is for others to judge.
I can say, however, that beating Garry Kimovich is not an easy task. What outside observers fails to realize is the amount of resistance that really great
players put up.
One is forced to walk a tightrope, move after move, in order to bring home the victory. The “easy” wins that you refer to normally occurred after I had been obliged to play fifteen or twenty very accurate moves to get to that point, by which time the clock and the concomitant bad nerves were beginning to take their toll. It is all very simple for you, sitting in the comfort of your home with no tension or stress to hold up your hands in mock horror and say, “Oh what a terrible mistake!”
We are all great experts when we are relaxed. It is not so easy when you are in the thick of things.
Q: What is your contribution, if any, in decreasing the alleged number of increasing pre-arranged games ?
A: It is my experience that most short draws are not pre-arranged. They are usually agreed out of mutual fear of because the tournament situation dictates. I think that organizers bear much of the responsibility at the highest level for inviting boring players. If they are so obsessed about Elo ratings, without caring for fighting spirit (everyone knows who the biggest culprits are), they should not complain about what they get.
Q: What happened to the Prague agreement? Was that another failure of FIDE?
A: I believe Bessel Kok – the architect of the Prague Agreement- made tremendous efforts to re-unite the chess world. He should be applauded for that. There is no doubt that he is the man best equipped to become the next FIDE President. He has both
integrity and business skills – qualities in short supply with the current administration
Q: Any comment on Kramnik' performance?
A: He is a great player and a nice guy. However, his title only has if it is recognized by the general public. I would say that its stock, which has sunk sharply since 2000, is dwindling every day. Kramnik needs to play Topalov. Topalov does not
need to play Kramnik.
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