9/12/2023 – Holger Blauhut is a Norwegian Candidate Master who enjoys playing in tournaments himself and looks after his talented daughter Anna. In mid-August, he took part in the RTU Open in Riga with his daughter, and experienced the typical adventures of chess travellers.

11/28/2022 – With Magnus Carlsen, chess has become incredibly popular in Norway and the Norwegian Junior and Children's Championships attracted a lot of young players. Maybe one of them is the next Magnus Carlsen? Holger Blauhut reports. | Photos: Holger Blauhut and the organisers

11/5/2022 – Pia Cramling is a regular guest at the Västgöta Open, the open championship of the Swedish Västergötland Chess Federation, which was again held as a rapid chess tournament in Skara last weekend. This time, however, the Swedish chess icon had to concede the tournament victory to Erik Blomqvist. She came third. Holger Blauhut (11th place) also played and sent a report. | Next to the window, GM Erik Blomqvist plays against FM Lars-Goran Eklund, while GM Pia Cramling faces GM Petro Golubka on the next board.

9/27/2021 – The Norwegian Grandmaster Simen Agdestein coached Magnus Carlsen, and at a chess school in the Norwegian town of Bærum he still coaches some of the most promising Norwegian talents. Agdestein regularly travels with his pupils to tournaments, and from the 3rd to the 5th of September, Agdestein and his students took part in the Grand Prix Tournament in Kragerø, which Agdestein won with 6.0/6. | Photo: The last round game between 12-year-old Martin Holten Fiskaaen and Agdestein. FM Ward Altarbosh in the background. | Photos: Tanja Cecilie Kveim

9/19/2020 – The Norwegian holiday resort Kragerø is a popular venue for Norwegian Grand Prix tournaments. Recently, another one of these tournaments was played, though this year under special conditions. Holger Blauhut reports about a live tournament in times of corona.| Photos: Tanja Cecilie Kveim (TCK), Holger Blauhut (HB)

7/6/2019 – The Nordic Championship, a tournament in which players from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland crown their champion, is played every two years. This year Norway hosted the event and Frode Urkedal, with a rating of 2566 currently number 4 in Norway, won the event and now has the right to start in the World Cup. Holger Blauhut reports about the tournament and muses about the mentality of the Norwegians. | Photos: Bjørn Berg Johansen

3/5/2019 – The Swedish town of Skara enjoys a good reputation among chess players. The European Team Championship 1980 took place in Skara, and in this tournament English Grandmaster Tony Miles defeated World Champion Anatoly Karpov with 1...a6. Skara's chess tratition is still alive, though on a smaller scale. | Photo: Lars OA Hedlund

2/18/2019 – Tournaments for children have a certain tradition in Norway. In 1999, Carsten Opseth won one of these tournaments, Ørnulf Stubberud and Johannes Kvisla finished second and third. With 3 points out of 6 games a certain Magnus Carlsen was eleventh. Today, Stubberud and Kvisla are FIDE Masters while Carlsen is even more successful. | Photos: Holger Blauhut

12/7/2018 – In 1925, people in Moscow were so seized by chess fever as a result of an international chess tournament that the famous movie of the same name was created. In Norway, it was almost the same during the World Championship match Carlsen-Caruana. Holger Blauhut reports on a memorable tournament in Fredrikstad. Plus, for your next trip to the capital Oslo, be sure to hit up the new chess-themed bar known as The Good Knight.

1/13/2016 – Magnus Carlsen, Norway's number one, did not start in the Norwegian Blitz- and Rapid Championships that were played in Fredrikstad at the beginning of January, and attracted a record number of participants. But Norway's number two Jon Ludvig Hammer and Norwegian talent Tari Aryan played. Hammer won the blitz tournament, Aryan the rapid tournament.

7/16/2015 – Early July the Norwegian Championships were played in Oslo as part of the "Landsturneringen". Magnus Carlsen, Jon Ludvig Hammer, and Simen Agdestein did not try for the title, giving young talents a chance to shine. 16-year old Aryan Tari won and became the third youngest Norwegian Champion of all time. Magnus Carlsen won gold in an unusual team event.