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The Norwegian Championship was played from 4. to 11. Juli in Oslo as part of the "Landsturneringen", in which 671 chessplayers started in various groups. The "Elite Group" played for the title of Norwegian Champion. It was no big surprise that Norway's number one, World Champion Magnus Carlsen, did not play, but Jon Ludvig Hammer and Simen Agdestein, Norway's number two and three, were also missing. A good opportunity for the teenagers to take over.
Aryan Tari (right, with Black).
The 16-year old Aryan Tari won ahead of 18-year old Johan Salomon, and 17-year old Kristian Stuvik Holm. With this success Aryan Tari became the third youngest Norwegian Champion of all time. Simen Agdestein and Magnus Carlsen were 15 when winning the title. But in the final round things could have taken a different turn. In the last round Tari decided to play it safe and agreed to a quick draw with Holm, which gave Johan Salomon a big opportunity:
The new champion
With a last-round-win Salomon would have won the title and secured a GM norm.
45.Ra6! would have sealed the deal for Salomon but he failed to find this move and in the end came only second.
| Pl | Navn | Kl | n-Elo | i-Elo | Klubb | Poeng | Med.Buchh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
IM Aryan Tari | Eli | Vålerenga |
7,0
|
35,5
|
||
|
2
|
IM Johan Salomon | Eli | Nordstrand |
6,5
|
37,0
|
||
|
3
|
IM Kristian Stuvik Holm | Eli | Vålerenga |
6,0
|
35,0
|
||
|
4
|
IM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal | Eli | 1911 |
5,5
|
38,0
|
||
|
5
|
IM Frode Elsness | Eli | 1911 |
5,5
|
37,0
|
||
|
6
|
GM Berge Østenstad | Eli | Asker |
5,5
|
33,0
|
||
|
7
|
FM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen | Eli | Vålerenga |
5,5
|
32,0
|
||
|
8
|
GM Rune Djurhuus | Eli | Nordstrand |
5,0
|
37,0
|
||
|
9
|
GM Einar J Gausel | Eli | OSS |
5,0
|
37,0
|
||
|
10
|
IM Nicolai Getz | Eli | OSS |
5,0
|
29,0
|
||
|
11
|
Erlend Mikalsen | Eli | Alta |
4,5
|
34,0
|
||
|
12
|
FM Ørnulf Stubberud | Eli | OSS |
4,5
|
29,0
|
||
|
13
|
FM Petter Fossan | Eli | Stavanger |
4,0
|
34,0
|
||
|
14
|
IM Øystein Hole | Mes | Akademisk |
4,0
|
31,5
|
||
|
15
|
IM Erik Fossan | Eli | Stavanger |
4,0
|
29,0
|
||
|
16
|
IM Magne Sagafos | Eli | Vålerenga |
4,0
|
28,5
|
||
|
17
|
FM Joachim B. Nilsen | Eli | Bergens |
4,0
|
25,5
|
||
|
18
|
IM Atle Grønn | Eli | OSS |
4,0
|
25,0
|
||
|
19
|
Eivind X Djurhuus | Eli | Nordstrand |
3,5
|
30,5
|
||
|
20
|
IM Andreas G.R. Moen | Eli | OSS |
3,5
|
26,0
|
||
|
21
|
Jon Kr. Røyset | Eli | Tromsø |
3,5
|
24,0
|
||
|
22
|
CM Inge Sandstad Skrondal | Mes | Stavanger |
3,0
|
29,5
|
||
|
23
|
Pål Røyset | Eli | Tromsø |
3,0
|
27,5
|
||
|
24
|
FM Bjørnar Byklum | Eli | SOSS |
2,0
|
27,5
|
Part of the "Landsturneringen" was the Norwegian Blitz Championship. This tournament was played in four groups, in which 415 started. In the Master Group 38 players fought for the title of Norwegian Blitz Champion. The final was won by Leif Erlend Johannessen ahead of Sebastian Mihajlov, the Norwegian Junior Champion, and Simen Agdestein.
Other events were soccer tournaments, team blitz, and „Pratelagsjakk“, an idea of Hans Olav Lahlum. This is a kind of „Team Talk Tournament“, in which each team plays on six boards with a time limit of twelve minutes per game and board. However, each team only consists of two to four players. But these players can change places and are allowed to talk with each other. A junior team that was made a bit stronger by Magnus Carlsen, won the tournament.
World Champion Magnus Carlsen in acton at „Pratelagsjakk“.
You can see Hans Olav Lahlum, the inventor of this form of chess, with
a pink jacket at the left-hand corner of the picture. (Photo: Erling Tenold)
Carlsen also took part in another side-event: The time-handicap blitz for teams of three, where a total time of ten minutes is divided between the two teams based on their relative average rating. For Carlsen's team, this meant that they had to play most games with half a minute versus nine and a half, or one minute against nine, and even though Carlsen had no particular problems with this, the rest of the team did not cope so well with the time odds, and so the team finished with a modest placing.
Suddenly you play against the World Champion...
...and he plays against you.
In team tournaments good back-up can be crucial.
Photos: Bjørn Berg Johansen
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