TOP Bolton chess star, Nigel Short, is making all the right moves to earn himself the opportunity to take on the world.

The Atherton-born player is through to the last 16 in the 5 million dollar World Championship knockout tournament.

Nigel, a former Bolton School pupil, has already earned himself 48,000 dollars in the tournament based in Groningen, Holland.

He is one of two Englishmen left in the competition, both he and Michael Adams winning through to the quarter finals.

In the next round the prize money is doubled.

Nigel beat Russian, Andrei Sokolov, in the last round and is now waiting to meet the winner between Alexander Belyavsky and Sergei Rublevsky.

Nigel's greatest moment came several years ago when he took on Garry Kasparov giving him the opportunity to become the world's top chess player.

Following that his form dipped slightly, but his father, David, told the BEN that he was currently hitting "better form".

He said: "The great thing is half a dozen of the world's top players have already been knocked out.

"His chances of getting through to the final stages are very good. He is quietly confident."

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