Well, to ship away means to send something to another place, like to another country. As Frank said, it sounds like he said chip away. To chip away means to damage something with a lot of small, multiple attacks

It sounds like he said "chip" after listening again but I can't easily tell the difference, both words pronunciation are similar for me.

Are you sure he didn't say "chip away into the center." That would mean a series of small moves, taking his major pieces to the center of the board.