Old Boy and chess grandmaster Nigel Short returned to Bolton School to meet some of our budding chess players who span across Bolton School’s Junior and Senior Schools.
After giving a short talk on his life, Nigel, who earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 19 and was ranked third in the world by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) from July 1988 to July 1989, accepted questions from students from the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions and Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ Schools. Nigel touched upon his career in more detail, speaking about his current role as Director for Chess Development at the FIDE.
He also spoke about his life at Bolton School when he was a student. Class of 1983, Nigel attended Bolton School due to its illustrious chess team, national winning at that time, in which he played regularly. He faced many opponents and played in several competitions; however, Nigel maintains other parts of the curriculum were equally important in his journey to where he is now. He enjoyed English, stating the use of English and being able to think clearly and express yourself effectively is priceless. These skills have certainly aided in his columnist career, writing articles for a number of publications, including The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph.
Finally, Nigel offered several pieces of advice that resonated with students, including, “learn from your mistakes or you are doomed to repeat them - you have to work hard to get better at things.”
