Kasparov – Short World Championship Match 1993

dates: 7 September–21 October 1993
location: Savoy Theatre, London, United Kingdom
score: 12½–7½ (Kasparov–Short)
winner: Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov in a 1993 portrait. Photo: Copyright 2007, S.M.S.I., Inc. - Owen Williams, The Kasparov Agency.

Nigel Short earned the right to challenge Garry Kasparov by winning the Candidates matches. The players then broke with FIDE and staged their 1993 championship under the Professional Chess Association. Their London match began a split in the world title: FIDE held a separate championship between Anatoly Karpov and Jan Timman.

Kasparov won games 1, 3, 4 and 7 to establish a commanding early lead. Short continued to create opportunities, but his only victory came in game 16. Kasparov reached 12½ points after twenty games and retained the classical title with six wins, thirteen draws and one loss.

Short repeatedly challenged Kasparov in sharp Sicilian positions, while the champion also tested the challenger’s queen’s-pawn defences. Study the opening losses together with Short’s later resistance rather than treating the final score as a description of every position. All twenty games are included, with separate training sessions for each player.

Garry Kasparov's Profile

Match results

Kasparov – Short World Championship Match 1993 final standings and game-by-game scores
Player	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Game 8	Game 9	Game 10	Game 11	Game 12	Game 13	Game 14	Game 15	Game 16	Game 17	Game 18	Game 19	Game 20	Points
Garry Kasparov	1	0½	1	1	0½	0½	1	0½	1	0½	0½	0½	0½	0½	1	0	0½	0½	0½	0½	12½
Nigel Short	0	0½	0	0	0½	0½	0	0½	0	0½	0½	0½	0½	0½	0	1	0½	0½	0½	0½	7½

Each game column shows the score earned by that player. 1 = win, ½ = draw, 0 = loss. Points are out of 20.

Completed 0 / 20

Game 1: Kasparov strikes in the opener

Game 1 began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6, reaching ruy lopez play (C84). Garry Kasparov won with White after 39 moves. The running score was 1–0 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1-0	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	39	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 2: Sicilian Defence: a 51-move draw

Game 2 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B67). The game was drawn after 51 moves. The running score was 1½–0½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	51	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 3: A second win for the champion

Game 3 began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6, reaching ruy lopez play (C84). Garry Kasparov won with White after 59 moves. The running score was 2½–0½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1-0	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	59	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 4: Kasparov widens the early lead

Game 4 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B97). Garry Kasparov won with Black after 40 moves. The running score was 3½–0½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 0-1	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	40	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 5: Nimzo-Indian Defence: a 18-move draw

Game 5 began 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5, reaching nimzo-indian defence play (E34). The game was drawn after 18 moves. The running score was 4–1 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	18	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 6: Sicilian Defence: a 31-move draw

Game 6 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B90). The game was drawn after 31 moves. The running score was 4½–1½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	31	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 7: The champion moves four points clear

Game 7 began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6, reaching ruy lopez play (C84). Garry Kasparov won with White after 36 moves. The running score was 5½–1½ (Kasparov–Short). Kasparov’s fourth win in the opening seven games established the lead that shaped the rest of the match.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1-0	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	36	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 8: Sicilian Defence: a 41-move draw

Game 8 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B90). The game was drawn after 41 moves. The running score was 6–2 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	41	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 9: Nimzo-Indian Defence: Kasparov wins with White

Game 9 began 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5, reaching nimzo-indian defence play (E34). Garry Kasparov won with White after 52 moves. The running score was 7–2 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1-0	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	52	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 10: Sicilian Defence: a 43-move draw

Game 10 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B90). The game was drawn after 43 moves. The running score was 7½–2½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	43	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 11: Open game: a 50-move draw

Game 11 began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5, reaching open game play (C45). The game was drawn after 50 moves. The running score was 8–3 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	50	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 12: Sicilian Defence: a 40-move draw

Game 12 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B90). The game was drawn after 40 moves. The running score was 8½–3½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	40	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 13: Slav structures: a 34-move draw

Game 13 began 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4, reaching slav structures play (D18). The game was drawn after 34 moves. The running score was 9–4 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	34	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 14: Sicilian Defence: a 39-move draw

Game 14 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B90). The game was drawn after 39 moves. The running score was 9½–4½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	39	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 15: Queen’s Gambit Declined: Kasparov wins with White

Game 15 began 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5, reaching queen’s gambit declined play (D35). Garry Kasparov won with White after 39 moves. The running score was 10½–4½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1-0	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	39	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 16: Short earns his only victory

Game 16 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B87). Nigel Short won with White after 38 moves. The running score was 10½–5½ (Kasparov–Short). This was Short’s only victory of the match. It offers a useful contrast with the earlier Sicilian encounters in which Kasparov defended the Black side successfully.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1-0	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	38	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 17: Open game: a 41-move draw

Game 17 began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5, reaching open game play (C45). The game was drawn after 41 moves. The running score was 11–6 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	41	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 18: Sicilian Defence: a 33-move draw

Game 18 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B87). The game was drawn after 33 moves. The running score was 11½–6½ (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	33	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 19: Ruy Lopez: a 26-move draw

Game 19 began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6, reaching ruy lopez play (C73). The game was drawn after 26 moves. The running score was 12–7 (Kasparov–Short).

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Garry Kasparov – Nigel Short 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	26	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 20: Kasparov reaches the winning score

Game 20 began 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6, reaching sicilian defence play (B87). The game was drawn after 36 moves. The running score was 12½–7½ (Kasparov–Short). Kasparov reached the required 12½ points, ending the scheduled twenty-four-game match after twenty games.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Nigel Short – Garry Kasparov 1/2-1/2	Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship Match	1993	36	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Sources and image credits

By IgniteChess Editorial Published 2026-10-12

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