Editing Nigel Short (section)

== Prodigy to Grandmaster ==
[[File:Nigel Short (1976).jpg|thumb|Nigel Short (1976)]]
Short learned chess at age five from his father.<ref>Forbes, 1993, p.3-4</ref> A [[chess prodigy]], Short first attracted significant media attention as a 10-year-old by defeating [[Viktor Korchnoi]], then ranked No. 2 in the world, in a [[simultaneous exhibition]] in London over 31 boards, where Short was the only victor. He was virtually self-taught. In 1977, he became the youngest-ever participant in the [[British Chess Championship]] by qualifying through the North West Zonal three days before his 12th birthday. In the event itself, he defeated ten-time British champion [[Jonathan Penrose]], and finished with 5/11, an excellent showing for a debutant.<ref>Forbes, 1993, p.8 and pp.31-32</ref> 

Short dominated British youth chess during this period, and earned a Master rating with his showing in the 1977 British finals. In 1978 he won his first adult national title when he won the British Lightning Championship aged 13 years 5 months 11 days, a title which he won again in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/shortn-viewer.html |first=John |last=Saunders |title=Nigel Short's Collected Games |work=BritBase.info}}</ref> 

In 1979, in the British Championship at [[Chester]], Short tied for first place with [[John Nunn]] and [[Robert Bellin]], earning his first [[International Master]] norm; Bellin won the title on tiebreak. Later in 1979, Short tied for first place in the World Championship for players under age 16, the World Cadet Championship, at [[Belfort]], France, but lost to Argentinian Marcello Tempone on tiebreak.<ref>Forbes, 1993, p.11</ref> He became (at the time) the youngest [[International Master]] in chess history by scoring 8/15 in the [[Hastings International Chess Congress|Hastings Premier]] in 1979/80, breaking Bobby Fischer's record from 1958.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter65.html#6429._International_Master_title_C.N.s |first=Edward |last=Winter |title=6429. International Master title |work=Chess Notes}}</ref> 

Participating in four [[World Junior Chess Championship|World Junior Championships]] (1980–83), Short achieved his best result during his first attempt, when he placed second to [[Garry Kasparov]] in 1980 at [[Dortmund]]. Short represented England in international team play for the first time at the 1983 European Team finals in [[Plovdiv]]. He was awarded the [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] title in 1984, aged 19—becoming the youngest grandmaster in the world at the time,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/nigel-short-turns-forty |title=Nigel Short turns forty |last=Friedel |first=Frederic |date=1 June 2005 |website=ChessBase |access-date=8 November 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108162930/https://en.chessbase.com/post/nigel-short-turns-forty |archive-date=8 November 2014}}</ref> being [[List of chess grandmasters|later supplanted]] by [[Simen Agdestein]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}