Chess's popularity could boom on net, says champ

CHESS has a bright future in the digital age but its governing body is failing to capitalise on grassroots enthusiasm for the ancient game, according to former world championship finalist Nigel Short.

The British player, whose run to the 1993 world championship final, and subsequent defeat by Garry Kasparov made him a household name, says chess and technology are a good match.

"Chess is the ultimate mind sport and the internet was made for chess," Short says.

"I see a bright future for the sport and it could become a major sport."

Ranked 30th in the world and living in Greece with his wife and two children, Short accuses the World Chess Federation (FIDE) of mismanaging the game and failing to attract sponsors.

"Next year people will be playing chess on their mobile phones, but FIDE is just not up to the job," he says.

"It does not have any business skills to promote chess and it has not managed to harness long-term sponsorship for the game.

"The FIDE leadership is not chasing the money and I am sure the money is there because there are hundreds of millions of chess players around the world."

FIDE is content to maintain the status quo rather than aggressively seek to attract funds to capitalise on the millions of chess boards out there and the potential growth from the emerging powerhouses India and China, he says.

"Chess will either continue to be run in a very amateurish fashion or there will be serious opposition in FIDE elections next year," he says.

"There is already serious opposition because dissatisfaction is great."

When he played Kasparov in 1993, he was the first non-Soviet or non-Russian player to reach the final since US citizen Bobby Fischer defeated Soviet champion Boris Spassky in 1972.

These days 40-year-old Short, who is secretary general of the Commonwealth Chess Association, enjoys his time between competitions writing about the game or coaching younger players.

He writes a chess column for the Guardian newspaper in Britain after a 10-year spell at the Daily Telegraph. "I am currently the number-one player over the age of 40 in the world," he says with a smile.

"I am certainly gradually coming to the end of my active days but I want to continue playing competitions, coaching and writing about chess."

Short, who was ranked third in the world in 1989, says today's game is faster and more physically demanding.

"Chess is physically much more demanding than you realise and during certain key moments your heart rate may double. Chess is not only a mind game, but a matter of performing under pressure, just like sitting an exam."

Reuters