11/13/2022 – A small country, Norway has produced exceptional representatives in various disciplines. Magnus Carlsen, the chess world champion, is joined by fellow geniuses hailing from the Scandinavian country: Niels Henrik Abel, Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Grieg and Edvard Munch. Diana Mihajlova tells us more.

6/25/2020 – The Offerspill Chess Club organized an over-the-board 9-round Swiss tournament as soon as the Norwegian coronavirus-related restrictions allowed them to do so. Four GMs and eight IMs participated in the 30-player closed event. IM Johannes Haug was the clear winner after scoring 7 points. IM Linus Johansson and GM Frode Urkedal finished second and third respectively. | Photo: Offerspill Sjakklubb

1/31/2020 – At a press conference in Stockholm, Magnus Carlsen announced his collaboration with Unibet, a provider of sports betting, online casinos, online bingo and poker. In 2020 and 2021, Carlsen will act as a "global ambassador" for the gaming provider, which will be Carlsen's main sponsor for the next two years. | Photo: Magnus Carlsen on YouTube

9/7/2019 – Certainly you have noticed the big "H" in the headline for this post. And indeed, ALINA L'AMI is alive and well, reporting on a chess tournament in the Norwegian village "Hell", which lies about 40 km east of Trondheim. And as always, Alina managed to create magical photos, not to mention the obligatory photo with the providentially humoristic sign; “Gods Expedition” — in fact the archaic spelling for cargo handling. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

7/16/2019 – Grandmaster Aryan Tari won his second Norwegian Championship title last weekend after narrowly edging GM Jon-Ludwig Hammer on tiebreak. Both players scored 6½/9. The tournament saw several top players withdraw in opposition to a controversial sponsorship proposal, that was eventually rejected by the Norwegian Chess Federation's Congress delegates. | Photo: Larvik Chess Club Facebook page

6/28/2019 – The Norwegian Chess Federation is facing a democratic dilemma. The betting company Kindred Group, registered in Malta and Gibraltar with offices in Stockholm, has offered the federation a sponsorship agreement worth about five million euros. The deal is controversial and the association wants to vote on the matter on July 7th. Magnus Carlsen is in favour of the deal and has now set up a chess club to gain direct influence on the vote.

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.

9/13/2018 – The World Chess Championship 2018 is still two months away but some federations are already looking ahead to 2020. Depending on the winner of the forthcoming World Championship match in November in London, the USA or Norway may, of course, want to host the next edition. However, the Austrian Federation would also like to celebrate its 100-year jubilee with a very special event and recently received an official visit. | Pictured: Central Vienna | Photo: Public domain via Creative Commons

2/16/2018 – Grandmasters Daniel King and Daniel Fernandez each looked at the Chess960 rapid games between Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen in some detail, and we present all eight of those games for review at your leisure. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / frchess.com

2/14/2018 – Magnus Carlsen made up for the minor setback on day four in the eight game blitz portion on Tuesday, winning the match with three games to spare. Nakamura is known as a blitz specialist but he has lost several blitz matches against Carlsen in recent years, and the "weirdness" introduced by Chess960 was not enough to tip the balance in the American's favour.

2/13/2018 – In a truly bizarre turn of events, Magnus Carlsen turned a match that should have been all but over into an exciting blitz battle on the final day, with Nakamura just two points behind. The World Champion literally threw away a half point, evidently disgusted that he did not manage to convert his clearly winning position earlier. One of the stranger spectacles you will ever see. Both games are analysed by GM Daniel Fernandez. Eight blitz games are played Tuesday beginning at 17:00 CET (11:00 AM EST). | Photo: Maria Emelianova / chess.com

2/11/2018 – Magnus Carlsen is the first to score in the "unofficial Fischer Random Chess World Championship" match. After a draw in game three, Carlsen came back with the white pieces, and pulled a rabbit out of a hat, winning a queen and pawn ending that looked to be headed for a near certain draw. Game 5 starts Sunday at 17:00 CET (11:00 AM EST). | Photo: Maria Emelianova / Chess.com

2/10/2018 – The Chess960 competition between Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura in Hovikodden near Oslo opened yesterday afternoon with the first two rapid games. The "Fischer Random Chess" (the official name of match) in the "Henie Onstad Kunstsenter" is considered to be the "unofficial world championship" in Chess960. Both games ended in draws. Game 3 starts Saturday at 17:00 CET (11:00 AM EST). | Photo: Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg made the ceremonial first move | Maria Emelianova / Chess.com

2/9/2018 – Dubbed the "unofficial world championship in Fischer random chess" (a.k.a. Chess960), World Champion Magnus Carlsen and former Chess960 World Champion Hikaru Nakamura face off in a 16 game rapid and blitz match over five days, February 9th to 13th in Hovikodden, just outside Oslo, Norway. The psychedelic image below comes from an interactive quasi-3D animation by Pnkt design and web agency, which is also responsible for key graphics on the official site of altibox Norway Chess.

10/18/2017 – In February, 2018, there may be an unusual exhibition match held between Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, playing Chess960 (also known as Fischer Random). The competition is planned for the Hening Onstad Art Center in Bærum, Norway. It's funding is not yet fully secured, but Carlsen's manager is confident. | Photos: Alina L'Ami

4/16/2017 – Nihal Sarin has announced his arrival and how! It is true that he had already started making a name for himself as a dangerous 12-year-old boy who could crush you if you give him one small opportunity. But the TV2 Fagernes GM International saw the 12-year-old genius score his first GM norm, stay undefeated, smash a 2600 GM on the way, tie for second (take fourth place on the tiebreak), and play breathtaking chess. We have a report with grandmaster analysis of Nihal's games.

7/21/2016 – IM Johan Salomon is one of the greatest Norwegian talents. But in the National Championship 2016 he had a slow start - scoring only 2.5/5. But then he won the next four games and with this strong finish he managed to win the tournament on tie-break after a nerve-wrecking last round. Thomas Robertsen sends a report with lots of chess and lots of pictures.

7/15/2016 – This year the Norwegian Championships celebrate a jubilee: 100 years ago, in 2016, the first Norwegian Championship was played in Christiana, which later became Oslo. But the tournament is still very much alive and every year about 400 people take part in the various events. This year a lot of talented juniors, three Grandmasters and nine International Masters came to in Tromsø to play for various national titles.

12/31/2015 – Did you ever wonder why and how Magnus Carlsen became so good? How he managed to become World Champion in a country without a great chess tradition? In a new book about Carlsen Norwegian author Aage G. Sivertsen writes about Carlsen's way to the top. In the past Sivertsen has time and again shown that he knows how to motivate and how to invite success.

12/5/2015 – Thanks to Magnus Carlsen, chess is popular in Norway. Even in remote areas. As Thomas Robertson found out when he took a chess trip to the town of Gouvdageaidnu in Finnmark, Norway’s most north eastern county. After a long and demanding journey generous hosts, delicious foods, chess lectures, adventures in blitz, and Siegbert Tarrasch were waiting for them.

9/14/2015 – Hans Olav Lahlum is one of Norway's most prominent chess personalities. As TV commentator he helps to make the game popular and as organizer he helped Magnus Carlsen at the start of his career. In the second part of a detailed interview Lahlum talks about organizing chess tournaments, Magnus Carlsen and his career and how he managed to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

8/31/2015 – The Norwegian Hans Olav Lahlum is a historian who published political biographies but also a series of successful and critically acclaimed crime novels. He is also a passionate chess player, organiser, and television commentator. In a detailed interview he talks about his chess career, crime writing and reveals why he loves to do the things he does.

8/24/2015 – About one year ago the Chess Olympiad 2014 took place in Tromsø, Norway. After some troubles the olympiad turned into a real chess festival. With a surprising winner: in the open section the Chinese team won their first olympic gold. Norwegian Thomas Robertsen enjoyed the marvellous days of the olympiad and remembers intense and happy moments.