Short's aggression proves his downfall

NIGEL SHORT played his worst game so far in the World Chess Championship Candidates Final match in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, losing to Jan Timman in 32 moves to let the Dutch grandmaster level the match. After seven games, precisely halfway through the contest, the score is 3 1/2-3 1/2.

Short succumbed in this game to an old failing of playing too aggressively and too optimistically with the black pieces. His early career is littered with losses in which a reckless push of the black g-pawn left fatal weaknesses behind. Yesterday he thought for over half an hour before thrusting that pawn forwards at the eighth move, but he must soon have wished he had instead opted for sober development of his pieces.

With an energy that had seemed lacking in earlier games, Timman advanced his own pawns causing havoc in the Black camp. Short's queen darted around, getting out of the way of the pursuing pawns, but his 19th move, played to safeguard his king, cut off the queen's retreat. Over the next few moves, Timman patiently closed the trap, leaving Short reduced to hopeless thrashing about as the net around his queen closed. Short played on through inertia for another five moves; if he had had more time left on his clock, he might well have resigned sooner.

Here are the full moves:

----------------------------------------------------------------- White: Timman Black: Short ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 0-0 Qd6 6 Na3 Be6 7 Qe2 f6 8 Rd1 g5 9 d4 g4 10 Ne1 0-0-0 11 Be3 h5 12 d5 cxd5 13 exd5 Bf7 14 c4 Qd7 15 d6 Qc6 16 c5 Nh6 17 b4 Qa4 18 Nc4 Rd7 19 Na5 c6 20 Nd3 Nf5 21 a3 Kb8 22 Nb2 Qb5 23 Qe1 Nxe3 24 fxe3 Bh6 25 Kh1 h4 26 a4 Qxa5 27 bxa5 g3 28 h3 Bg5 29 Nd3 Ka8 30 Rab1 Re8 31 Rb6 Bd5 32 e4 1-0 -----------------------------------------------------------------