A significant event in the sports life of Turkmenistan was the recent visit of the 59-year-old legendary grandmaster Nigel Short, who is rightly considered one of the greatest British chess players of all time.

Short was a chess prodigy, earning the title of International Master at 14 and Grandmaster at 19. Throughout his career, he won numerous tournaments and represented England in several Chess Olympiads. His greatest international fame came in 1993 when he played a World Chess Championship match against Garry Kasparov, becoming the first Englishman to challenge the world chess crown holder. Although Short lost to Kasparov, his participation in this match remains a significant milestone in chess history. He is known for his aggressive playing style and straightforward personality, making him a prominent figure in the chess world both on and off the board.

In addition to his playing career, Nigel Short has also been active as a chess commentator, coach and administrator. In 2018, he ran for the presidency of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), although he did not win.

Currently, Nigel Short holds the position of FIDE Director for Chess Development. He arrived in the Turkmen capital at the invitation of the British Embassy and the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports to participate in an international exhibition and scientific conference dedicated to the development of sports in Turkmenistan.

Additionally, the renowned grandmaster, with a FIDE blitz rating of 2571, participated in the Turkmenistan Chess Federation Cup (TCF) blitz tournament, contested by over 300 participants. As expected, Nigel Short emerged as the winner. In nine games, he scored 7.5 points and surpassed International Grandmaster Maksat Atabayev (FIDE blitz rating – 2377) and Candidate Master Amanmukhammet Hommadov (2316) based on additional criteria. Notably, Atabayev drew with the 1993 world crown contender, while Hommadov even managed to defeat the legendary grandmaster but lost points in games against other opponents.

At the closing ceremony of the competition, British Ambassador to Turkmenistan Stephen Conlon was present to personally award his compatriot with a well-deserved gold medal.

Among girls, sisters Shokhradova – Lala and Leila (both from Lebap) – demonstrated their superiority over others in lightning chess. Ogulsuray Bayrambaeva from Ashgabat completed the top three.

In the rapid tournament, despite losing in the first round, Amanmukhammet Hommadov won all his remaining ten games and took first place. Ahmet Gubatayev (Ashgabat) trailed him by 1.5 points. Nedir Sylyev, a multiple former champion in age categories and a student at Turkmenistan's State Energy Institute, and woman FIDE master Lala Shokhradova, multiple champion of Turkmenistan in age categories, both scored eight points. The bronze medal went to Nedir based on additional coefficients.

Lala Shokhradova achieved the best result among the girls. The second place went to the current Turkmenistan champion, woman FIDE Candidate Master Meryem Agajanova, and third place to schoolgirl Enesh Arazmedova from Ashgabat.

Prizes were awarded to 45 winners of the Turkmenistan Chess Federation Cup in various categories, including classical chess, rapid, and blitz, as well as age categories. They received cups, medals, certificates, cash prizes from TCF, and gifts and gift certificates from sponsors such as Regus, Intertek, Erem, ImdatBot, and Ýigit.

The esteemed foreign guests were also presented with gifts and dressed in traditional Turkmen costumes – don and telpek. The British ambassador and the English grandmaster visited a small chess museum located in the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School and observed the educational process in the primary classes. The guests were particularly interested in a large chessboard with pieces in the school foyer, where they played a game with the "English Opening."

During his stay in Turkmenistan, Nigel Short also conducted a simultaneous exhibition with 10 young chess players, lasting over two hours and resulting in victories for the chess star in all games. The young athletes gained valuable experience playing against a grandmaster and had many positive emotions.

At the request of coaches and leading chess players of the country, N. Short held a separate meeting with them to discuss issues related to the development of chess players' skills, coaching activities, and creating conditions for the fast-paced and sustainable chess development in the country.

According to the British Embassy, during his visit, the FIDE Director for Chess Development also held a productive meeting at the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, where both sides exchanged views on developing chess in Turkmenistan. Grandmaster Nigel Short welcomed the Turkmenistan Government's plans to introduce chess into the school curriculum starting from the 2025-2026 academic year. Promoting this intellectual game among youth is one of the priorities of the FIDE Director for Chess Development. Mr. Short expressed hope that the beautiful Turkmen capital could host international chess tournaments in the future.

"The decor and beauty of Ashgabat, along with a decent chess infrastructure and the talent and drive of young Turkmen chess players for development and victory, make Turkmenistan ready to host international chess tournaments of the highest level. The successful performance of both national teams of Turkmenistan at the 45th World Chess Olympiad should give new impetus and confidence to elevate Turkmenistan's level of play alongside countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan," emphasized the legendary grandmaster who participated in 16 Olympiads during his career.