Short match

Chess Match 20 – 26 September 2009
Mukachevo (Ukraine)

Among the series of first-class matches organized by Universal Event Promotion we can now count a match between Nigel Short and Zahar Efimenko. These two world class chess players meet each other in the West-Ukrainian town for a classical format match of six games.

The 44-year-old Nigel Short belongs to the greatest of his craft. He caused a stir with numerous successes in his early years and was considered a prodigy. In the World Junior Championship 1980 he won the silver medal behind Garry Kasparov and very soon he became a chess grandmaster at the age of 19, the youngest in the world at that time. After winning several tournaments and his victory against Jan Timman in the Candidates final 1993 he got the opportunity to fight for the highest chess crown. In the match against Garry Kasparov, which took place detached from the World Chess Federation under the aegis of the Professional Chess Association (PCA) and can be considered as the climax in his career, he lost against the mighty Russian 12,5 – 7,5.

Although Short temporarily disappeared from the scene after this defeat he still plays at the highest level to this day and is always a most welcome guest especially because of his dynamic and aggressive play. His current Elo is 2706 whereby he captures the 29th rank in the world.

The 24-year-old Zahar Efimenko belongs to a group of young and talented Ukrainian players. As a youngster, his biggest success was a victory in the World Junior Chess Championship U-14 in Oropesa del Mar. In spite of some strong rivals he plays in the national team and won the Ukrainian championship in 2006. In Germany he is known for his engagement with the Bundesliga team of Werder Bremen. The young Ukrainian, like Short, is known for his constant search for the initiative and for the fact that he has no fear of big names. He is supported by the president of the Universal Event Promotion, Josef Resch, and lives in Mukachevo. His current Elo is 2654 whereby he captures the 83rd rank in the world.

The match between Short and Efimenko promises six high class and exciting games with a totally open result. You can follow the games at the official website of Universal Event Promotion. Will experience prevail against youth in this case? All the games will be covered live and commented on by the experienced Grandmasters Mikhail Golubev and Klaus Bischoff.

Media Contact: Mikhail Golubev, gmi@europe.com
(UEP Press Release 13th of September 2009)