Full Breakdown
Nigel Short to Play Chess Tournament at the South Pole Amid Climate Concerns
By Drooid · · How we work
Event Overview
Former world-title challenger Nigel Short, now 61, will travel to Antarctica to compete in a tournament that would make him the first chess player to win events on all seven continents. The competition is organized by FIDE, where Short serves as director for chess development, and is financed by private anonymous sponsors. Opponents will represent the other five inhabited continents, including three women and several FIDE officials.
Historical Context and the Seven-Continent Goal
Short joins a small group of grandmasters who have achieved notable results well beyond the typical peak age. Emanuel Lasker won major events in his mid-60s at Moscow in 1935-36, Viktor Korchnoi remained competitive into his seventies, and Vasily Smyslov reached the 1984 Candidates final at 63. Short’s ambition to add Antarctica to his résumé follows this tradition of senior players defying age-related expectations.
Participants and Logistics
All competitors will fly from Cape Town, South Africa, to the interior of Antarctica—a journey of more than 2,500 miles across the Southern Ocean. From there they will transfer to a small aircraft designed for remote polar operations for an additional seven-hour flight to the South Pole. The event’s format will require each player to face opponents from the other continents in a standard tournament setting, rather than a simultaneous exhibition.
Ratings and Recent Performance
Short’s FIDE rating has stabilized near 2,600 after a 100-point drop in 2020; the current September list places him at 2,594, just four points behind Michael Adams and Luke McShane, and 52 points ahead of Daniel Fernandez, his 30-year-younger British rival. Despite limited recent activity, Short contributed to England’s open team at the Samarkand Olympiad, where the side recorded a 4-0 opening win against Monaco.
Environmental Criticism
Detractors have highlighted the tournament’s carbon footprint, arguing that the extensive travel required for a single event is environmentally irresponsible. Some critics also suggest the competition may be “too easy” for Short, proposing that a simultaneous display could achieve a comparable result with far lower emissions. The organizers have not publicly responded to these concerns in the source material.