
Chess Feast in Norway
By GM Lubomir Kavalek
Ever since he became the world's top rated grandmaster, Carlsen has been
responsible for the chess boom in his native country. Next year in August
Norway will also organize the Chess Olympiad in Tromsø.

Some people may think that my connection to Norwegian chess is my having
pronounced Magnus Carlsen "The Mozart of Chess" in January 2004
in my Washington Post column. But it goes way back. Let's meet some players
from the pre-Magnus era.
Things started to look brighter in Norway with the appearance of Simen
Agdestein. He almost won the Junior World Championship in Gausdal in 1986,
played at nine olympiads, mostly on the top board. He also played soccer
for the national team, until a knee injury forced him out. His brother Espen,
also a member of the Olympiad team, is now Carlsen's manager. Simen was
one of Carlsen's first coaches.
A half century ago, during my first international tournament, the 1963
Zonal in Halle, Germany, I played against two Norwegians. Svein Johannessen
was Norway's top player in the period 1960-70. He was known for chasing
the Spanish bishop to death (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5.Bb3
Na5) and scoring many points. He even dared to spring it on Bobby Fischer
in Havana in 1966.
Brilliancy and best game prize
The second player in Halle was Per Ofstad, a talented attacker with a plethora
of wild ideas. I was able to use Ofstad's pawn sacrifice two years later
against the Soviet master German Khodos at the 1965
Student Olympiad in Sinaia, Rumania. The game won the prize for the
most beautiful/ best game. It was the second time I won this award at the
Student Olympiads, both times against Soviet players. My
game with Edward Gufeld became my signature game.
From all the sacrifices Khodos chose to accept only the Ofstad's pawn.
He avoided other sacrifices – mostly deflections – of both knights,
a bishop, a rook and a queen that were part of the game. When I finally
forced him to take something, he resigned.
1.e4 | 1,174,618 | 54% | 2421 | --- |
1.d4 | 952,919 | 55% | 2434 | --- |
1.Nf3 | 283,849 | 56% | 2440 | --- |
1.c4 | 183,334 | 56% | 2442 | --- |
1.g3 | 19,804 | 56% | 2427 | --- |
1.b3 | 14,464 | 54% | 2427 | --- |
1.f4 | 5,926 | 48% | 2377 | --- |
1.Nc3 | 3,855 | 50% | 2384 | --- |
1.b4 | 1,775 | 48% | 2379 | --- |
1.a3 | 1,239 | 54% | 2405 | --- |
1.e3 | 1,075 | 49% | 2409 | --- |
1.d3 | 961 | 50% | 2378 | --- |
1.g4 | 669 | 46% | 2361 | --- |
1.h4 | 465 | 54% | 2381 | --- |
1.c3 | 436 | 51% | 2426 | --- |
1.h3 | 284 | 56% | 2419 | --- |
1.a4 | 117 | 59% | 2462 | --- |
1.f3 | 100 | 47% | 2427 | --- |
1.Nh3 | 92 | 67% | 2511 | --- |
1.Na3 | 43 | 60% | 2477 | --- |
Please, wait...
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 6.a3 b5 7.Be3 Nf6 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.f3 Bc5 6...Nf6 7.Bd3 b5?! 7...Nc6 8.e5!? 8...Qxe5 9.Qf3 d5 10.0-0-0 Bd6? 10...b4 11.Na4 Qc7 10...Qc7 11.Rhe1 Be7 12.Bg5 0-0 13.Nf5! Bd8 14.Nxg7! Kxg7 15.Bf4 Qb7 16.Qh3! Nbd7 16...h5 17.Bh6+! Kxh6 18.Qe3+ Kg7 19.Qg5+ Kh8 20.Qh6+ Kg8 21.Re5 Ne4 22.Bxe4 f5 23.Rexd5+- 17.Qh6+ Kh8 17...Kg8 18.Re3! 18.Be5 Nxe5 19.Qxf8+ Ng8 20.Qxd8+- 10...Qh5 11.Qg3 Qg4 12.Qc7! Nbd7 13.h3 Qh5 13...Qxg2 14.Rdg1+- 14.Nc6 Be7 15.Bc5! 11.g4 Bb7 12.Qh3 Be7 13.f4 Qc7 14.g5 Ne4 15.Bxe4 dxe4 16.g6! fxg6 16...Bf6 17.Nxe6 17.gxf7+ Qxf7 17...Kxf7 18.Qxe6+ Kf8 19.Qxf6+!+- 18.Nxe6+- 17...fxe6 18.Nxe4! Bxe4 18...Bd5 19.Rxd5! exd5 20.Qe6+ Qe7 20...Be7 21.Nf6+! gxf6 22.g7! Rf8 23.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 24.Rg1+- 21.Nxf6+ gxf6 22.Qc8+ Qd8 23.g7+- 18...Bc8 19.Nxf6+ 19.Qh5 Be7 20.gxh7+ Kf8 21.Ng5 Bxg5 22.fxg5 Ke7 23.Rhf1+- 19...gxf6 20.g7! Qxg7 20...Rg8 21.Qh5+ Qf7 21...Ke7 22.Bc5+ 22.Rd8++- 21.Rhg1 21.Qh5+ Qg6 22.Qf3+- 21...Qf7 22.Qh6! Rg8 23.Rxg8+ Qxg8 24.Rg1+- 18...Nd7 19.Qxe6+ Be7 19...Kd8 20.Bb6 20.Nf6+! gxf6 21.Qf7+ Kd8 22.g7+- 18...Qe7 19.Bc5 Bxe4 20.Bxe7 Kxe7 21.Qa3+ Ke8 22.Qd6 Bf5 23.Qc7+- 19.Qxe6+ Kf8 20.Bc5+! Qxc5 21.Qf7# 16...0-0? 17.Qxh7# 16...Qc8 17.gxf7+ Kxf7 18.f5! exf5 19.Nxf5+- 17.Nxe6 Qc8 18.f5! Kf7 18...gxf5 19.Qxf5 Bf6 20.Nxg7+ Bxg7 21.Qh5+ Ke7 22.Bc5++- 19.fxg6+ hxg6 20.Rhf1+ Bf6 20...Kg8 21.Qg4 Qe8 21...Nc6 22.Qxg6 Rh7 23.Rf7 Bf6 24.Nxe4+- 22.Nxg7! Kxg7 22...Bc8 23.Qxe4 Kxg7 24.Rd6! Bf5 25.Bd4+ Kh7 25...Kg8 26.Rxf5!+- 26.Rxf5!+- 22...Rh4 23.Qe6+ Kxg7 24.Rd8! Qxd8 25.Rf7+ Kh8 26.Qxg6 Bf6 27.Bh6+- 23.Bd4+ Kg8 24.Qe6+ Kh7 25.Qh3+ Kg8 26.Qxh8# 21.Ng5+ Kg8 21...Ke7 22.Bc5+! Qxc5 23.Qe6+ Kf8 24.Rd8# 22.Rd8+! 22.Rd8+ Bxd8 22...Qxd8 23.Qe6+ Kf8 24.Qf7# 23.Qxh8+! Kxh8 24.Rf8# 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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Kavalek,L | - | Khodos,G | - | 1–0 | 1965 | B43 | Sinaia st ol | 1 |
Please, wait...
Ofstad's astonishing mate
If there ever was a chess troll, surprising players when they least expected
it, it must have been Per Ofstad. The 1961 champion of Norway claimed many
victims with his flamboyant style. He looked serious, sometimes sad, when
there was nothing to sacrifice. But give him active pieces and his mood
would change immediately. Correct or not, his attacks had flair. His ideas
and combinations were stunning. Wolfgang Uhlmann would certainly remember
the game against him from Halle. He could have claimed a draw, but got greedy
and Ofstad finished the game with a beautiful pure mate.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Re1 a6 9.a4 Qc7 10.Ne4 Bd7 11.Nxd4 Be7 12.Nf5! exf5 13.Nd6+ Kf8 14.Nxf7 Be8 15.Qd5 15.Nxh8 Rd8 15...Qa5 15...Nf6 16.Ng5! Qd6! 16...Nxd5 17.Ne6++- 17.Ne6+ Kg8 18.Qxd6 Bxd6 19.Ng5+ Kf8 20.Ne6+ Kg8 20...Ke7 21.Nc7+ 21.Ng5+ 21.Nc7+ Bf7 21...Kf8 22.Ne6+= 15...Rd8 16.Nxd8 Nxd8 17.Qxf5+ Nf6 18.b3+- 16.Qe6 Nd4 16...Bd7 17.Qe2 Nd4 18.Qd1 Nxc2? 19.Bd2+- 17.Ng5 Bxg5? 17...Nxe6 18.Nxe6+ Kf7 19.Nf4+ Kf8 20.Ne6+= 18.Qd6+ Be7 19.Rxe7! 19.Rxe7! Nxe7 20.Qf6+‼ gxf6 21.Bh6# 1–0
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Ofstad,P | - | Uhlmann,W | - | 1–0 | 1963 | C07 | Halle zt | |
Please, wait...
Image of Tromsø by Bård Løken
Original
column here – Copyright
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