Chess

MANY CONGRATULATIONS to Nigel Short, who was appointed MBE for services to chess in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He follows in the footsteps of Bob Wade, David Anderton, Ray Keene and the late Harry Golombek, OBEs all - though since he lives in Athens he appears in the overseas list.

This is a particularly propitious moment for such recognition both for Nigel himself - the British Champion again after a break of 11 years - and for chess in general, at a critical time in the campaign to get recognition as a sport.

Indeed, Nigel was last in Britain at the end of March for the reception in the House of Commons for "serious support for a serious sport", a campaign that recently received a further boost with a written answer from the Prime Minister to a question from Charlotte Atkins (Labour, Staffordshire Moorlands) in which Mr Blair praised the "excellent record of our chess players" and, most important of all, acknowledged that "primary legislation will be required and proposals to do so will be introduced when parliamentary time allows".

The pressure still needs to be kept up, and readers who approve could help too by writing to their MP and in particular asking whether he or she has signed, or will sign, Charlotte Atkins's latest Early Day Motion (EDM) No 507 in support of the move.

This impressive miniature against one of the world's top players shows Short at his bellicose best. 11 ...d4! was a new move and 12 Nb5?! misguided. At the end, Black is winning a whole rook.

White: Alexei Dreev

Black: Nigel Short

Queen's Gambit Declined

1 d4 Nf6

2 c4 e6

3 Nf3 d5

4 Nc3 Be7

5 Bf4 0-0

6 e3 c5

7 dxc5 Bxc5

8 a3 Nc6

9 Rc1 a6

10 cxd5 exd5

11 Bg5 d4!N

12 Nb5?! dxe3!

13 Qxd8 exf2+

14 Ke2 Rxd8

15 Bxf6 Re8+

16 Kd1 gxf6

17 Rxc5 Bg4!

18 Nc3 Nd4

19 Bc4 Nxf3

20 Kc2 Bf5+

21 Kb3 Be6!

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