The Manx Liberty Masters

I sat on the plane to the Isle of Man, leafing through a copy of Nigel Short’s new book, Winning. Since I was about to play a chess tournament, you would imagine that Short’s analysis of eight memorable tournament victories contained insights for my own campaign. Strange to say, that thought hardly crossed my mind.

I was on my way to the Manx Liberty Masters, a ten-player all-play-all tournament, held in elegant surroundings in the town hall of the capital, Douglas. Dietmar Kolbus, who also captains the Manx Liberty team in the Four Nations Chess League, took on the demanding dual role of being a player and organiser. In doing so, he continues the tradition of fine events held in the Isle of Man, which began with the Monarch Assurance Tournaments in the 1990’s, all the way up to the Fide Grand Swiss in 2019.

I was thrilled to be invited, but fearful of how deconditioned I was to the hurly-burly of tournament play. The brutal fact was that a whole year had passed since I sat opposite a physical opponent. So I approached my first round game, against Poland’s Kacper Piorun, with great enthusiasm, but even greater caution, resulting in a long but colourless draw.

My second game turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Miklos Galyas, from Hungary, exploited my listless play in the opening and put me under severe pressure. My hackles were raised just in time to halt the slide toward a truly rancid position. I salvaged a draw, but that was the warning shot that I needed.

One unusual aspect of Short’s book is its format. Most autobiographical works stick to the highlights, but Winning includes each game from each tournament. Those tournament victories are almost never a glorious procession.