Excellence

in execution

Lack of confidence is maybe the key challenge facing elite chess players from time to time. Despite the many tournament wins in the first half of 2019, I experienced it myself somewhat in the less successful period from August to October. When we arrived in Kolkata for the Tata Steel Rapid & Blitz I was highly motivated to show my best side and at the same time surprisingly confident. Thinking about it in retrospect it could be an effect of returning to a country where you have had career-changing success in the past. Avoiding set-backs in itself breeds confidence, and the steady harvest of points each day in the rapid portion reminded me of the Abidjan GCT in May where I also enjoyed the games and managed to play well most of the time.

In the new chessclub Offerspill SK founded this summer we now have our own facilities centrally in Oslo, and Sunday 3rd we hosted the initial Eastern Norway league round of the season for several of our teams. Our top team has been granted a spot in the 2nd tier division (Div.1) and we hope to advance to the Elite next season and play internationally maybe also next autumn. A late victory on board 5 secured an important 3-2 victory over the young Nordstrand 2 team!

I hadn’t visited Isle of Man prior to participating in the 2017 edition of the strong Open event, which was both an interesting visit to a beautiful island, maybe especially agreeable to people from Norway and other northerners, and it was a success chesswise as I came out on top back then.

After winning the inaugural (4-player) Sinquefield Cup in 2013, I’ve struggled quite a bit in several of the subsequent events with shared 1st last year as the main highlight.

Irrespective of having scored slightly better both in Shamkir and Grenke Chess Classics, I left Zagreb at least as delighted with my own play and score. I’ve had two sensational tournaments in a row before as well, but adding another one just two months later feels terrific. That said, the most important thing is that it was such a joy to play classical chess in Zagreb, and I already look forward to Sinquefield Cup in August.

I expected it would be challenging to play both Norway Chess in June and especially the Grand Chess Tour Zagreb tournament in June/July while also spending time and energy on taking a stand in the heated discussion within the Norwegian Chess Federation (and subsequently in Norwegian mainstream media as well) about a potential cooperation agreement between the Federation and Kindred, and starting a new chess club in Norway, Offerspill SK, together with four good friends.

My Danish head coach Peter Heine Nielsen moved to Lithuania many years ago, and I haven’t visited Denmark since he turned 40 back then. I accepted an offer from the professional and friendly event people in f-reklame to come to Copenhagen two weeks ago for a 24-board simul, an interview with a brain researcher and two games of rapid chess against young Jonas Bjerre. It took place in the Circus building and showed that chess can work as the main theme of an evening of entertainment together with a good meal.

It is good to be back in Shamkir for the Vugar Gashimov Memorial 2019 paying tribute to a great player. I’ve won in my three attempts in 2014/5/8 and hoped to do well this year, although there is always some uncertainty about form after a two-months break from tournaments.

The weather was nice on the rest day Monday, and Peter and I went for a walk and also had a (quick) bath in the sea. For those who haven’t been to Wijk aan Zee, the beach is a spectacular and mighty sight both on sunny days and when the western winds bring roaring waves across the shallow water. My play the day after with the black pieces against reigning US champion Sam Shankland may not have seemed particularly inspired though. The opening choice allowed him to play for a small advantage without too much risk. I calculated quite well and slowly equalized. His a4 weakness offset my isolated pawn on d5, but I did not find any way to make progress in the endgame, and we drew after 40 moves.

As have become something close to a habit, I had a slow start in Tata Steel Chess 2019. Four initial draws were not ideal, but it hasn’t stopped me from having a good tournament before, and as I felt I played reasonably well I wasn’t seriously worried.