Short vs Efimenko - Opening Ceremony

Six games match on 20-26th September

The chess match between grandmasters Nigel Short (England) and Zahar Efimenko (Ukraine) was opened on 19 September 2009 in the Transcarpathian Regional State Theatre of Russian Drama in Mukachevo, Ukraine. The opening ceremony was led by the President of the Universal Event Promotion, Josef Resch and the Mayor of Mukachevo, Zoltan Lengyel.

Drawing of lots was conducted: Nigel Short will play with White in games 1, 3, 5 and Zahar Efimenko will play with White in games 2, 4, 6. The Arbiter of the Match is Oleg Tovchyga. Efimenko's trainer at the match is an experienced grandmaster, Alexander Beliavsky. Nigel Short does not have an assistant in Mukachevo.

A singer from Moldova, Liliya Sholomey performed at the ceremony, as well as the local instrumental duo, Viktoria Almasi & Sergei Dobos.

The match will be covered live at the Universal Event Promotion website and at the Mukachevo Chess Club website.

The drawing of lots

Nigel Short, Josef Resch and Zahar Efimenko

Short vs Efimenko match stamps, issued in Kiev

Schedule: 20.09.2009 Game 1 (Short-Efimenko) from 1:30pm
21.09.2009 Game 2 (Efimenko-Short) from 3:30pm
22.09.2009 Game 3 (Short-Efimenko) from 3:30pm
23.09.2009 Free day
24.09.2009 Game 4 (Efimenko-Short) from 3:30pm
25.09.2009 Game 5 (Short-Efimenko) from 3:30pm
26.09.2009 Game 6 (Efimenko-Short) from 3:30pm

Mukachevo local time is UTC+3

The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting with the first move.

Besides the main event, an Open tournament with 30 participants started on Saturday in the Mukachevo Chess Club. The rating favourite of the Open is Yaroslav Zherebukh, a young grandmaster from Lviv.