Chess: A Walk To Remember– Short Vs Timman

How do you store information in your mind? In words? With the aid of a story? Visually? I usually depend on images and emotions. I clearly recall the first time I saw this game, 25 years ago. I remember being stunned! It broke all the rules that are taught to us as a beginner: keep your King safe, tuck it away in a castle and bring it out only in the Endgame, use your other pieces to attack the opponent’s King. The visuals are scattered but i recall the main concept of the position. This is not a testament to my memory , but to how exceptional the idea is - that most players immediately know what you are talking about when you say, “ Oh you know , Short vs Timman “..

Let us look at this unique concept today. We will begin after Black’s 30th move.

Nigel Short vs. Jan Timman, Tilburg 1991

Position after Black’s 30th move. White to play

White's pieces are all very well placed, while Black's King looks quite unsafe on g8 thanks to the White Queen on f6 and the Rook on d7. How can he capitalise on the merits of his position? What will you play as White?

Now if we could magically make a White Bishop appear on h6, it would be Checkmate on g7 on the next move. But this is not Supply-Chess. White dearly misses his dark squared bishop which has already been exchanged earlier in the game.

Moving the White Knight to d2 or g5, with the idea to bring it to e4 next, is impossible due to the mate on g2! The Black Queen and Bishop form a battery on the a8 - h1 diagonal, so the White knight must stay put to block their way. The Rook on d4 can't leave the 'd' file either as he supports the d7 Rook.

What else can we do? An important factor that works in White’s favour here is that Black doesn’t have the option of creating any further threats on White. All his pieces are tied down, so White is free to create a plan and follow it through.

White's comes up with an ingenious plan.

31.Kh2 an innocent looking move 31...Rc8 Black doesnt suspect anything serious and makes a waiting move.

However, any other move would also be losing, as each move has a drawback. For example, if he had opted for 31…Bc8 instead (attacking the White Rook on d7), this would free up the White Knight on f3, as Black would no longer threaten Checkmate on g2. So, for 31…Bc8, White has the spectacular idea of simply ignoring the threat on his rook and continuing with 32. Ng5! With the idea, that after 32…Bd7, White continues 33.g4 !! hg 34.h5! idea h6 and Qg7 Checkmate 34…gh5 35. Qh6! idea Qh7 Checkmate on the next move, which cannot be stopped.

A variation almost as spectacular as the one we will see in the game

32.Kg3! But what is the King doing on g3? 32...Rce8 another waiting move. The Rook on f8 cannot move as the pawn on f7 will be left unguarded, leading to Checkmate by White’s Queen, so he moves the c8 Rook again.

33.Kf4! Do you see White's plan now? 33...Bc8

34.Kg5!! Bxd7 if Black had instead played 34...Kh7 (preventing White’s next move that he played in the game ) White could have continued 35.Qg6 Check! the pawn on f7 is pinned by the Rook on d7! 35...Kh8 36. Qh6+ Kg8 37.Kf6! followed by Checkmate with Qg7 coming on the next move!

35.Kh6 threatening Qg7 Checkmate on the next move. Beautiful!

A Walk to Remember

And, there is no defense. An amazing King - Walk: The King covered up for the lack of a Dark squared Bishop! Black resigned. 1–0

What makes this game unforgettable is its sheer audacity. White walked down his King right down to h6 with all the major pieces still on the board, as if it was the most natural plan in the world. This wasn’t a casual encounter either. The Tilburg tournament in 1991 was a serious battleground between elite players. Nigel Short was on his way to becoming England’s first World Championship challenger, eventually earning the right to face Garry Kasparov in 1993. Jan Timman is a Dutch Legend, who went on to play for the World championship title against Anatoly Karpov.

What worked The idea worked because Black was tied down, his pieces had no coordination, no counterplay. White’s control created an invisible safety net.

For me, the real lesson of this game is to look past automatic rules.

A walk to remember, indeed.

(Soumya Swaminathan is an International Master and Woman Grandmaster in Chess. She has been World Junior Champion and Commonwealth Gold Medalist)