Most chess players can only dream about sitting at the board with a former World Champion challenger and learning the secrets of chess. The Guardian's Stephen Moss has been doing just that with the publication's newest chess columnist, GM Nigel Short. After beating Anatoly Karpov, himself a former World Champion, in the qualifying matches, Short faced Garry Kasparov in a memorable 1993 title match ('My opponent is Short and the match will be short', quipped Kasparov) that was more exciting than the 12.5-7.5 result would indicate.

In The grandmaster and the rookie, Moss explains, 'I have been playing chess for almost 40 years, and I am still truly hopeless. Turning me into a "strong" player will, Short admits, be his greatest challenge.' • For the subsequent columns in the series, see Improve your chess with Nigel Short. On that same page you can find an index of Short's own columns for the Guardian.

Before moving to the Guardian, Short wrote weekly columns for the Telegraph. His last column is still available at the Sunday chess column (telegraph.co.uk). Follow the Previous button at the bottom of the page for more of GM Short's Telegraph columns.

Chess grandmasters often have strong opinions and Short is no exception. See, for example, Chess ideal for digital age, says Short • 'Chess has a bright future in the digital age, says former world championship finalist Nigel Short, but he believes its governing body is failing to capitalise on grassroots enthusiasm for the ancient game.' [10 November 2005; Reuters]