Short moves closer to world title challenge

NIGEL SHORT, 27, moved closer to a match for the world chess championship by defeating Jan Timman in the 10th game of the Candidates' Final match in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Short leads by six games to four, and needs 1 1/2 points from the remaining four games to gain the right to challenge Garry Kasparov for the world title.

After the wild and wonderful play of Saturday's ninth game, the match reverted yesterday to a more grandmasterly pace. Timman met Short's Ruy Lopez opening solidly, conceding White a slight advantage in the centre. In the second game, Short had achieved nothing in the same variation, but this time, manoeuvring his minor pieces with subtlety, he kept Timman's position under constant restraint.

By the time the first pawn exchange was made at move 22, Timman's position already looked uncomfortable, and as Short increased the pressure, the Dutch grandmaster thought progressively longer over his moves. As the 40-move time control approached, Timman had only eight minutes for his last 12 moves, then two minutes for his last five. On move 32, Short forced the win of a pawn and Timman hastened the end with another error at move 36. Timman resigned when about to go two pawns behind into a hopeless endgame.

In a match characterised more by nervous errors than brilliance, Short's play in this game can hardly be faulted. The 11th game will be played today.

----------------------------------------------------------------- White: Short Black: Timman ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Bb7 10 d4 Re8 11 Nbd2 Bf8 12 d5 Nb8 13 Nf1 Nbd7 14 Ng3 Nc5 15 Bc2 a5 16 Nh2 g6 17 Qf3 h5 18 Be3 Nfd7 19 Rad1 Qe7 20 Ngf1 Bg7 21 Bc1 c6 22 b4 axb4 23 cxb4 Na4 24 dxc6 Bxc6 25 Bb3 Rad8 26 Qg3 Nf8 27 Nf3 Ne6 28 Ng5 Nxg5 29 Bxg5 Bf6 30 Bxf6 Qxf6 31 Rd3 h4 32 Rf3 hxg3 33 Rxf6 gxf2+ 34 Kxf2 Re7 35 Rxg6+ Kh7 36 Rg3 d5 37 exd5 Bxd5 38 Rd3 Nb6 39 Ne3 Red7 40 Nxd5 1-0 -----------------------------------------------------------------