GM Nigel Short crushed by 18 year old WGM Nurgyul Salimova

[Frank Dixon]

Certainly this was a poor game by GM Short, but give credit to the strong young woman who defeated him here!! Nigel, now at 56, is getting up there in age, and he has long had a problem with isolated bad games, even when he was world class. His prior illness was likely a factor. I can recall GM Spraggett taking him off in a terrific miniature at Gibraltar a few years ago. I think Nigel will still win some international events in the years ahead, when everything clicks for him. He probably doesn't need the money. He's got some regrettable views; he left school for chess in his teens, and didn't experience a wider intellectual interaction with his peers at university; in this he is similar to GM Bobby Fischer, who dropped out at 16, when he was already in the world's top ten players. I had the chance to speak with GM Short at the Canadian Opens in Ottawa, in 2007 and 2013, when I was part of the organizational teams, and was impressed with his friendly personal manner, as well as with his chess.

GM Judit Polgar reached the top ten in the world at her peak, I think reaching #7 overall at one stage, and defeated in individual games most of the world's top players. She is the top female player of all time. In my view, she retired with nothing more to prove. She wanted to get married and start a family, and time was starting to run out for her to do that, with the biological clock factor, an issue male players don't face. As far as having an overall woman's world champion, defeating everyone, I don't think we will see it in the next 20 years. But beyond that I think it is possible, and if it happens, the player will probably be Chinese.

[Hans Jung]

Karpov played all the way through 2019. I dont think he should be labeled inactive because of the covid timeframe.

[Erik Malmsten]

I think Karpov is the strongest over 65.

I don't think playing a speed game on Spanish tv counts as active. This list is of players recently active in fide rated events.

[Hans Jung]

He's as strong as Canada's Bareev, but Anand tops the list of his contemporaries. And seniors Huebner, Gulko, Dorfman and Timman are still playing. And Spraggett is still in the top 10 seniors.

1. Anand, Viswanathan IND 2751 1969
2. Ivanchuk, Vasyl UKR 2678 1969
3. Gelfand, Boris ISR 2669 1968
4. Kozul, Zdenko CRO 2639 1966
5. Short, Nigel D ENG 2633 1965
6. Bareev, Evgeny CAN 2631 1966
7. Dreev, Aleksey RUS 2623 1969
8. Smirin, Ilia ISR 2614 1968
9. Illescas Cordoba, Miguel ESP 2613 1965
10. Dautov, Rustem GER 2596 1965
11. Sokolov, Ivan NED 2588 1968
12. Gurevich, Mikhail BEL 2579 1959
13. Christiansen, Larry USA 2577 1956 close to 65
14. Krasenkow, Michal POL 2576 1963
15. Huebner, Robert 2574 1948 top 65
16. Agrest, Evgenij 2568 1966
17. Georgiev, Kiril 2564 1965
18. Graf, Alexander GER 2562 1962
19. Jussupow, Artur GER 2559 1960
20. Agdestein, Simen NOR 2557 1967
21. Kaidanov, Gregory USA 2556
22. Novikov, Igor USA 2551 1962
23. Gonzalez Zamora, Juan Carlos MEX 2544 1968
24. Gulko, Boris USA 2542 1947 2nd 65
25. Nikolic, Predrag BIH 2541 1960
26. Huzman, Alexander ISR 2539 1962
27. Dorfman, Iossif FRA 2538 1953 3rd 65
28. Rozentalis, Eduardas LTU 2537 1963
29. Ibragimov, Ildar RUS 2533 1967
30. Timman, Jan H NED 2533 1951 4th 65

66. Spraggett, Kevin CAN 2487 1954 9th 65

I think Karpov is the strongest over 65.

[Hans Jung]

Peter, your humour is much better than your sarcasm.

[Pargat Perrer]

I too would like to echo Bob Bob Bob Bob ob.ob ...

Peter, now you will be accused of using circular logic!

[Peter McKillop]

I'll echo Bob's words as they are well said. Clearly he is a misogynist and he has never recanted (to my knowledge). However he is suffering from Covid and that is reflected in his chess play.
Enough said.

I too would like to echo Bob Bob Bob Bob ob.ob ...

[Hans Jung]

I'll echo Bob's words as they are well said. Clearly he is a misogynist and he has never recanted (to my knowledge). However he is suffering from Covid and that is reflected in his chess play.
Enough said.

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Mario:

Not in any way denying the misogyny of Nigel; it is his, and he should wear it. It is a fact that many, many chess players dislike him for. this.........it was dealt with adequately before me, I felt.

So I went on to other aspects of discussing Nigel; didn't see any need to be repetitive.

I don't think our posts made the earlier ones "go away".

~ Bob (T-S/P)

[Fred McKim]

I just went to the FIDE site and used the advanced rating search. Anyone turning 65 or 50 this year are considered eligible for those age categories all year.

[Erik Malmsten]

This list is a bit dated as Shirov (1972) and Adams (1971) are now #2 and #3 in 50+ ---- while Christiansen is #1 in the 65+ group.

Is a list of Seniors published somewhere? Adams turned 50 on Nov 17, 2021 but Shirov won't be 50 until July 4, 2022. You're right about Christensen, he didn't show up on my search list as I only went up to 1956.

[Erik Malmsten]

typo: I think you meant Spraggett is in the top 100 seniors?

Yes, players over 65. I searched to make a list of active players born until 1957, including Larry Christiansen, Spraggett is 11th. In the list born before 1970 (NOT 50+), he was 66th.

1. Christiansen, Larry USA 2577 1956
2. Huebner, Robert 2574 1948
3. Gulko, Boris USA 2542 1947
4. Dorfman, Iossif FRA 2538 1953
5. Timman, Jan H NED 2533 1951
6. Pinter, Jozsef HUN 2528 1953
7. Ribli, Zoltan HUN 2521 1951
8. Kurajica, Bojan CRO 2519 1947
9. Beliavsky, Alexander G SLO 2518 1953
10. Speelman, Jon S ENG 2504 1956
11. Spraggett, Kevin CAN 2487 1954

[Mario Moran-Venegas]

Interesting how Bob and Hans are diverting the issue. Yes, he was severely sick just before the tournament an yes he is aging. But do not miss the whole picture. Unless you did this intentionally ,in the same breath(sentence) it should be mentioned the misogyny of the FIDE viceprez.

I think women are men are one. Patriarchy has damaged part of this one. As when examining any dynamic ,changing system : static(photographic) accounts are useless. We have to look at the rates of change. The results are pretty good wherever we eliminate vestiges of patriarchy.

[Kerry Liles]

He's as strong as Canada's Bareev, but Anand tops the list of his contemporaries. And seniors Huebner, Gulko, Dorfman and Timman are still playing. And Spraggett is still in the top 10 seniors.

1. Anand, Viswanathan IND 2751 1969
...
...
...
66. Spraggett, Kevin CAN 2487 1954 9th 65

typo: I think you meant Spraggett is in the top 100 seniors?

[Fred McKim]

He's as strong as Canada's Bareev, but Anand tops the list of his contemporaries. And seniors Huebner, Gulko, Dorfman and Timman are still playing. And Spraggett is still in the top 10 seniors.

1. Anand, Viswanathan IND 2751 1969
2. Ivanchuk, Vasyl UKR 2678 1969
3. Gelfand, Boris ISR 2669 1968
4. Kozul, Zdenko CRO 2639 1966
5. Short, Nigel D ENG 2633 1965
6. Bareev, Evgeny CAN 2631 1966
7. Dreev, Aleksey RUS 2623 1969
8. Smirin, Ilia ISR 2614 1968
9. Illescas Cordoba, Miguel ESP 2613 1965
10. Dautov, Rustem GER 2596 1965
11. Sokolov, Ivan NED 2588 1968
12. Gurevich, Mikhail BEL 2579 1959
13. Christiansen, Larry USA 2577 1956 close to 65
14. Krasenkow, Michal POL 2576 1963
15. Huebner, Robert 2574 1948 top 65
16. Agrest, Evgenij 2568 1966
17. Georgiev, Kiril 2564 1965
18. Graf, Alexander GER 2562 1962
19. Jussupow, Artur GER 2559 1960
20. Agdestein, Simen NOR 2557 1967
21. Kaidanov, Gregory USA 2556
22. Novikov, Igor USA 2551 1962
23. Gonzalez Zamora, Juan Carlos MEX 2544 1968
24. Gulko, Boris USA 2542 1947 2nd 65
25. Nikolic, Predrag BIH 2541 1960
26. Huzman, Alexander ISR 2539 1962
27. Dorfman, Iossif FRA 2538 1953 3rd 65
28. Rozentalis, Eduardas LTU 2537 1963
29. Ibragimov, Ildar RUS 2533 1967
30. Timman, Jan H NED 2533 1951 4th 65

66. Spraggett, Kevin CAN 2487 1954 9th 65

This list is a bit dated as Shirov (1972) and Adams (1971) are now #2 and #3 in 50+ ---- while Christiansen is #1 in the 65+ group.