Winning by Nigel Short

“I wish I’d had a book like this when I was a promising young player… I enjoyed this book greatly. There are inevitably a few places where you raise your eyebrows and think ‘Nigel, did this really need to be included…?’ However, the opportunity to hear the thoughts of a great player on how to win across 8 tournaments is something quite unique and worthy of 5 stars!”

GM Matthew Sadler, New in Chess

“The heart of the book lies in the vivid annotations and the colourful vignettes of the tournaments and their protagonists. The end result is intensely readable, and Short’s book was highly commended in the 2021 ECF book of the year award.”

GM Luke McShane, The Spectator (full review)

“An important, no holds barred book, which heralds Nigel Short’s entry into the field of chess literature… The games are thoroughly annotated and show the drama, the good play, the practical play and sometimes survival play required to win tournaments.”

GM Raymond Keene, The Article (full review)

“Nigel Short gives an open and honest account on what it really means to be one of the top chess professionals in the world. Do not miss the secrets of his success and the anecdotes of a world traveller!”

GM Karsten Müller

“The best three chess books: Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, all the volumes of Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, and Winning by Nigel Short.”

IM Irina Bulmaga, CHESS magazine

“Winning is easy to read, with anecdotes about the events, players, and the ‘chess life’. Short’s thoughtful annotations emphasize conceptual descriptions over analytical detail, although there is enough of the latter to satisfy the studious reader. This is one of the most enjoyable game collections in recent years, and I can recommend it to players of all strengths.”

IM John Watson, Chess Life

“Rather than produce a typical best games collection Short has written something which might be unique in chess literature – he has annotated all of his games from eight tournaments he won… Short’s idea, in writing this book, was to present an unvarnished account of what it took to win these tournaments, not just present his very best moments. In doing so he has made this book all the more instructive.

‘Winning’ offers first rate instruction and entertainment. One hopes Short will write follow-up volumes on how to win matches and Swiss tournaments.”

IM John Donaldson

“I have loved reading this book and I know I will be returning to it again and again. It is an instant classic and easily one of the best books of 2021. I hope that Nigel Short will return with more volumes about winning chess. 5/5 Stars”

Carsten Hansen, American Chess Magazine

“Like Nigel Short the chess commentator, Nigel Short the chess writer is educational and entertaining… Short seems to enjoy writing and the reader is carried along with his enthusiasm. I read every page of Winning. I learned more about some openings that I already play, like the Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation; the French Defense, Rubenstein Variation; and the Dutch Defense, Stonewall Variation. He doesn’t recommend the latter two. There were also many games with the Sicilian Defense, usually with Short playing the White side. Short’s annotations show the value of preparing good openings for specific opponents.”

“I also enjoyed Short’s opinions. Especially when they happened to agree with mine!”

WIM Alexey Root, SparkChess (full review)

“Each tournament receives its own chapter; each one uses a song title as its title, including ‘Happy’ and ‘China Girl’. The time scale runs from Wijk aan Zee 1987 up to Anzali 2016. The tournament crosstables serve to remind us just how successful Nigel was when he was on top form.”

Sean Marsh, CHESS magazine

English GM Nigel Short was one of the most successful chess players of the 1980s and 1990s and was still in the top 100 well into his 50s. The peak of his career came in 1993, when he challenged for the World Championship in a match against Garry Kasparov.