Norwegian Championship 2022: Another record for Simen Agdestein

by Johannes Fischer
8/9/2022 – In 1982, when he was 15 years old, Simen Agdestein won the Norwegian Championship for the first time and became the youngest Norwegian Champion of all time. Three years later, in 1985, he became a Grandmaster, the first Norwegian ever to secure the title. Now, in the 2022 Norwegian Championship, which took place in mid-July, Agdestein set another record: The 55-year-old won the tournament with 8 out of 9 to become the oldest player ever to win the Championship. | Photo: Anniken Westby

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Simen Agdestein was born in Asker on 13 May 1967 and, in addition to his success in chess, he was also one of Norway's best footballers for a while: he played as a striker for Lyn Oslo and was called up to the national team eight times. In 1989, Agdestein had an offer to play for Besiktas Istanbul, which he, however, turned down.

Agdestein's football career ended in 1992 after a serious knee injury, but he continued to play chess. Eight times (including 2022) he won the Norwegian National Championship and from 1982 to 2014 he played nine times for the Norwegian national team at chess Olympiads. He also regularly writes chess columns for the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang and works as a chess coach.

His most famous protégé is none other than Magnus Carlsen. In his book How Magnus Carlsen Became the Youngest Chess Grandmaster in the World: The Story and the Games (New in Chess 2004) Agdestein later described what it was like to train a young chess genius.

But in in the Norwegian Championship 2022, which was played in July, Agdestein showed how strong he still is: He won the tournament with an impressive score of 8.0/9 (eight wins, two draws) to finish a full point and a half ahead of Jon-Ludvig Hammer, who came second with 6.5 from 9. Third place went to IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen.

Agdestein and Hammer met in round 3. After trying an interesting pawn sacrifice Agdestein won with a mating attack.

 

Final standings after 9 rounds

Pl. Name FIDE-Elo Club Points Med.Buchh Performance
1 
 GM Simen Agdestein OSS
8,0
32,5
  2802 (+22,60)
2 
 GM Jon Ludvig Hammer Vålerenga
6,5
34,0
  2642 (+1,20)
3 
 IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen Vålerenga
6,0
33,0
  2599 (+20,00)
4 
 GM Lars Oskar Hauge OSS
6,0
32,5
  2585 (+7,20)
5 
 IM Frode Elsness Bærum
5,0
33,5
  2515 (+6,00)
6 
 IM Geir Sune Tallaksen Østmoe SOSS
4,5
31,5
  2456 (-3,20)
7 
 GM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal Offerspill
4,5
31,5
  2453 (-12,00)
8 
 FM Elham Abdulrauf OSS
4,5
30,0
  2460 (-0,80)
9 
 IM Mads Vestby-Ellingsen Tromsø
3,5
30,5
  2368 (+1,10)
10 
 GM Berge Østenstad Asker
3,0
28,5
  2323 (-15,50)
11 
 FM Isak Sjøberg Nordstrand
3,0
28,0
  2296 (-2,80)
12 
 IM Maxim Barth Stanford Stjernen
3,0
27,5
  2315 (+0,50)
13 
 FM Levi André Tallaksen Stavanger
3,0
26,5
  2293 (-11,60)
14 
 GM Rune Djurhuus Nordstrand
2,5
26,5
  2242 (-19,90)

Tournament page

Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".