8/10/2009 – This was the greatest performance of her career: Polish GM Monika Socko shared first place with 14-year-old IM Ray Robson of the US, Bulgarian IM Marijan Petrov and Sweden's top GM Emanuel Berg. But she took the title on tiebreak points and with a performance of 2639. We bring you a final report by IM Torstein Bae with a beautiful Robson game and pictures and videos from Tromsø.
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Tromsø – Arctic Chess Challenge 2009
Final report by IM Torstein Bae
The Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø came to an end on Sunday. On top
after nine rounds: GM Monika Socko of Poland, who won on tiebreak ahead of IM
Ray Robson, IM Marijan Petrov and GM Emanuel Berg.
The winner of the Arctic Chess Challenge 2009: GM Monika
Socko of Poland, with a rating performance of 2639 in Tromsø
#
Player
Rtng
Pts.
TB1
Perf. / gain
1
GM Monika Socko
2449
7.0
43.5
2639 (+22.60)
2
IM Ray Robson
2491
7.0
43.0
2628 (+16.30)
3
IM Marijan Petrov
2479
7.0
40.5
2579 (+11.60)
4
GM Emanuel Berg
2610
7.0
38.0
2622 (+2.00)
5
GM Julian Radulski
2539
6.5
42.5
2541 (+2.90)
6
IM Luca Shytaj
2455
6.5
41.5
2613 (+20.10)
7
GM Jon Ludvig Hammer
2583
6.5
40.5
2556 (-0.80)
8
GM Allan Stig Rasmussen
2536
6.5
40.0
2585 (+7.40)
9
GM Yuri Drozdovskij
2620
6.5
39.0
2550 (-5.50)
10
GM Igor Khenkin
2634
6.5
38.5
2561 (-5.40)
11
GM Vadim Malakhatko
2570
6.0
41.5
2471 (-9.70)
12
GM Sarunas Sulskis
2559
6.0
40.5
2537 (-0.90)
13
GM Bartosz Socko
2656
6.0
38.0
2504 (-14.20)
14
Nicolai Getz
2219
6.0
38.0
2496 (+42.60)
15
GM Matthew J Turner
2517
6.0
38.0
2414 (-8.60)
16
WGM Natalia Zdebskaja
2412
6.0
37.5
2395 (-0.60)
17
IM Torbjørn R. Hansen
2440
6.0
36.5
2404 (-2.00)
18
IM Bjørn Tiller
2371
6.0
34.5
2422 (+10.80)
19
FM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal
2333
6.0
34.5
2382 (+9.90)
20
Pål Røyset
2239
6.0
34.5
2364 (+21.75)
21
IM Aleksandar H. Wohl
2387
6.0
34.5
2327 (-6.45)
22
IM Gerard Welling
2363
6.0
34.0
2434 (+14.55)
23
WFM Katrine Tjølsen
2160
6.0
32.5
2374 (+28.80)
24
Donaldo Paiva
6.0
31.0
2340 (+38.50)
25
FM Kjetil Stokke
2347
5.5
39.5
2452 (+19.20)
26
IM Luis Javier Bernal Moro
2446
5.5
38.5
2361 (-7.30)
27
FM Arkadiusz Leniart
2390
5.5
37.5
2465 (+12.45)
28
Peter S Poobalasingam
2224
5.5
36.5
2337 (+17.40)
29
FM Joachim Thomassen
2300
5.5
35.0
2221 (-10.50)
30
Jeroen Van Den Bersselaar
2184
5.5
33.5
2191 (+0.45)
31
IM Anna Zozulia
2341
5.5
33.0
2289 (-5.85)
32
GM Amon Simutowe
2481
5.5
31.0
2385 (-6.40)
33
Jon Kristian Haarr
2110
5.5
31.0
2298 (+29.70
GM Monika Socko dominated the event from start to end, and it made perfect
sense that her Buchholz was the best of the four players on seven points. Socko
made the best result in her career (according to herself), and her performance
rating of 2639 was the highest in the tournament. A splendid performance –
Socko certainly is a player to reckon with in the future.
Co-winner and GM norm: IM Ray Robson, USA
The young American Ray Robson was the center of attention throughout the tournament,
and what a performance he delivered! As you can read in previous reports from
the Arctic Chess Challenge (here
and here)
he played splendid chess, and his overall win was well deserved. In the final
round Robson fought his way to a draw with the black pieces against Swedish
super-GM Emanuel Berg (2610). The draw not only made Robson co-winner of the
tournament, but also gave him his first GM norm.
The two others players on seven points also performed very well in Tromsø,
of course. IM Marijan Petrov was close to a GM-norm, but he did not play the
necessary three GM’s. GM Emanuel Berg recently won the Swedish Championship
for the first time, and made a new strong result in Tromsø.
Co-winner Emanuel Berg, Sweden’s strongest player
Co-winner Marijan Petrov of Bulgaria, performance rating 2579
Five title norms were scored in Tromsø. We have already mentioned Ray
Robson’s GM norm. The second norm for the highest title was scored by
Italian IM Luca Shytaj, who beat GM Drozdovskij (2620) and Malakhatko (2570).
6.5 points and a GM norm: IM Luca Shytaj, Italy
IM norms were scored by three young Norwegians. The 17-year-old Nicolai Getz
beat GM Westerinen and drew GMs Khenkin and Malakhatko. The 26-year-old Kjetil
Stokke played strong draws against IM Ray Robson and GMs Emanuel Berg and Bartosz
Socko on his way.
Nicolai Getz, 6.0 points and his first IM norm
FM Kjetil Stokke, 5.5 points and his second IM norm
The final norm (a WIM-norm) was scored by 16-year-old Katrine Tjølsen.
Because of the new norm rules, she had to make a draw in the last round even
though she had won against IM Harald Groetz and GM Heikki Westerinen in round
seven and eight. Drawing was not an easy task as she was black against GM Matthew
Turner, but Katrine managed to draw after almost six hours play in the last
round. A great performance from a young player who Norway expects much from
in the future.
WFM Katrine Tjølsen scored her second WIM-norm
On Saturday evening chief organizer Jan Sigmund Berglund held a barbecue at
his ranch. The chess players must have liked the food: 50 kilos of salmon, meat,
salads and lots more was consumed in the course of the evening!
Barbecue host Jan Sigmund Berglund preparing the fish
The fish is getting ever closer to the stomachs of hungry chess players
Quite a few enjoyed their food and drink in Jan Sigmund’s greenhouse...
…while some others found a nice and warm fireplace
Photos by Torstein Bae and Bjørn Berg Johansen
The game of the tournament was played by US American 14-year-old wonderboy
Ray Robson. In his round six game against Danish GM Allan Stig Rasmussen, the
kid from Florida sacrificed a piece to achieve complete domination.
23…Rd4! No doubt Robson discovered this move and the
idea behind it several moves ago. White wins a piece, but his pieces are completely
tied down by the black rook, knight and queenside pawns. 24.Bb7 h6!
Robson is in no hurry, and simply improves the positioning of his pieces. 25.f5
Bd7 26.c8Q+ Bxc8 27.Bxc8 Kf8 28.Ba6 Rd6 29.Bb7 a5 30.Bf3 Ke7 31.a4 Rd4
White is a piece up, but black is the only one with a plan: advance the king
and deliver mate! A brilliant conception by the young American. 32.Be2
Kf6 33.h4 Ke5 34.Rb1 Kf4 35.Nb5 Rd7 36.Nc3 Kg3 37.g5 hxg5 38.hxg5 Kf2 39.Bh5
Ke1 40.f6 gxf6 41.gxf6 Rd2 42.Ra1 Rc2+ 43.Kb1 Nf1!
White resigned. He can defend against the threat of Nf1-d2 mate, but then another
threat pops up: 44.Ne4 Nd2+ 45.Nxd2 Kxd2 and Rc2-c1 mate is inevitable. 0-1.
A selection of games is being broadcast live on the official web site
and on the chess server Playchess.com.
If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase
Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program
to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!
Previous ChessBase reports on Tromsø
Socko, Robson, Petrov and Berg win Arctic Challenge
11.08.2009 – This was the greatest performance
of her career: Polish GM Monika Socko shared first place with 14-year-old
IM Ray Robson of the US, Bulgarian IM Marijan Petrov and Sweden's top
GM Emanuel Berg. But she took the title on tiebreak points and with
a performance of 2639. We bring you a final report by IM Torstein Bae
with a beautiful Robson game and pictures
and videos from Tromsø.
Tromsø 2009 – Socko, Petrov and Robson lead 08.08.2009 – Make no mistake, it is GM Monika
Socko, not her top-rated husband Bartosz, who is leading the Arctic
Challenge with 6.0/7 and a 2703 performance. No less sensational is
that 14-year-old IM Ray Robson is sharing first with a 2679 performance.
The action is exciting ("hammer time") and the landscape lovely in the
land of the midnight sun. Big
illustrated report by Misha Savinov.
Tromsø 2009 – four lead in Arctic Chess Challenge
06.08.2009 – At the Arctic Chess Challenge
in Tromsø 120 players are competing in the year’s most prestigious Norwegian
event. After five of nine rounds there are four players in the lead.
Three are GMs, one a female, but the fourth is of particular interest:
14-year-old US American IM Ray Robson, whom some people are calling
the new Bobby Fischer. Pictorial
report by IM Torstein Bae.
Tromsø 2009 – the Arctic Chess Challenge 02.08.2009 – The Arctic Chess
Challenge in Tromsø is this year’s most prestigious event in Norway.
More than 35 titled players are taking part, including 13 GMs. Top seed
is Polish GM Bartosz Socko, rated 2656, with three more super-GMs just
below him. The tournament is truly an international open: the 118 participants
hail from 26 countries, and from all parts of the world. Pictorial
report.
Tromsø 2009 – the Arctic Chess Challenge 22.07.2009 – The city of Tromsø, located within
the Arctic Circle in Norway, has become a hot-bed of chess. Not only is
Tromsø bidding for the Chess Olympiad 2014 – every year they stage a very
attractive chess tournament in this beautiful location. This year the
Arctic Challenge will be staged from August 1st to 9th, with 132 entries
and lots of title holders – an ideal opportunity
to make norms.
Tromsø – a Chess Olympiad in the midnight sun? 18.11.2008 – It lies well within the Arctic
Circle and has a history of chess activity. Now the city of Tromsø is
bidding to host the 2014 Chess Olympiad in one of the most attractive
regions of Europe. A full presentation is being made at the Olympiad in
Dresden. We visited the city this summer and support their bid with some
WYSIWYG evidence of why it is ideally suited for an Olympiad. Photo
report.
Chess in the Arctic Circle – GM Igor Kurnosov triumphs 18.08.2008 – For the third time the Tromsø
Chess Club staged an International Open in the Arctic Circle. It ran from
August 2nd to 10th 2008, with sky high prizes, by Norwegian standards
(total prize fund 11,000 Euros). The venue is spectacular, the atmosphere
warm and generous. And the place is full of Carlsens: Magnus, Henrik,
Sigrun, Ellen, Ingrid and Signe. Part one of our big
pictorial report.
Moiseenko wins the Arctic Chess Challenge 12.08.2007 – In the end it was a super-GM who
took the unshared first place in the Tromsø Midnight Sun tournament: Alexander
Moiseenko of the Ukraine scored 7.5/9 to overtake the long-time leader,
"Mr Sunshine" Kjetil Lie, who had beaten him in round four. Top seed Magnus
Carlsen recovered from a poor start to share 2-4. Like his parents we
expect Magnus to scale the Store
Blåmannen.
Carlsen vs Carlsen – Magnus beats his dad 10.08.2007 – That is hardly a surprise, since
the 16-year-old is over six hundred points stronger than his first teacher.
But then again Henrik Carlsen has grounding powers... After seven rounds
of the Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø it is Norwegian GM Kjetil A. Lie
who is in the lead, with 5.5 points, followed by four players with 5.0
points each. Report
with pictures and videos.
Second Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø 07.08.2007 – The Norwegian island town of Tromsø
lies well within the Arctic Circle, which means that this time of the
year the sun never sets. Tromsø is playing host to a strong GM tournament
from August 4th-12th, 2007. Top seed is Magnus Carlsen, who rushed in
from his victory in Biel and did not have a great start here (3.0/4, place
ten). Two other GMs, Macieja and Lie, lead with 4.0/4. Round
four report.
Shipov wins Midnight Sun, Carlsen second 03.07.2006 – The Midnight Sun Chess Challenge
in Tromsø, Norway, was won by Russian GM Sergei Shipov, who scored 7.5
points in nine rounds. Second was fifteen-year-old Magnus Carlsen with
7.0, who beat Leif Erland Johannessen on tiebreak points. We bring you
a final report with pictures from Whale's
Island.
Carlsen leads the Midnight Sun Challenge 28.06.2006 – A fifteen-year-old super-grandmaster,
blessed with an Elo of 2646, is leading the Midnight Sun Chess Challenge
in Tromsø. Magnus Carlsen of Norway looks set to break a few new records
with the form that he is showing these days. The event is being held well
within the Arctic Circle, where at this time of year the nights are bright
as day. Misha
Savinov reports.
Midnight Sun Chess Challenge in Tromsø 26.06.2006 – There are parts in the world where,
during a certain period of the year, the sun never sets. The northern
Norwegian town of Tromsø, which lies well within the Arctic Circle, is
one such place. From June 24th to July 2nd, in the middle of the midnight
sun period, it is holding chess festival with GMs like Krasenkow and Magnus
Carlsen. Big
illustrated report.
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