Nigel Short, who challenged Garry Kasparov for the world title in 1993, has made a reputation for employing slightly offbeat openings in order to derail opponents who are unused to non-standard situations. As part of his repertoire, Short has a penchant for the ancient Chigorin Defence, and has even employed a version of this in a game against Kasparov himself.
Earlier this month Short triumphed handsomely in the Negros Open in the Philippines, taking first prize with 8 points from 9, well clear of the runners-up, Karen Grigoryan and Nguyen Duc Hoa, who finished on 7. In round one, Short wheeled out the Chigorin to great effect.
Fronda–Short: Negros Open, Bacolod 2017; Chigorin Defence
1 d4 Nc6 A cunning way of introducing the Chigorin given that the move order 1 d4 d5 2 c4 Nc6 is severely tested by 3 Nc3.
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