22 players are currently tied for 1st at the 2007 Arctic Chess Challenge in Norway. Here are some of the leaders with a perfect 2-0 score:
GM Bartosz Socko 2660 POL
GM Vugar Gashimov 2655 AZE
GM Alexander Moiseenko 2641 UKR
GM Mikhail Gurevich 2633 TUR
GM Victor Mikhalevski 2598 ISR
GM Bartlomiej Macieja 2596 POL
GM Michail Brodsky 2595 UKR
GM Vladimir Epishin 2587 RUS
GM Simen Agdestein 2582 NOR
GM Vladimir Burmakin 2581 RUS
GM Kjetil A. Lie 2536 NOR
GM Antoaneta Stefanova 2481 BUL…
GM Magnus Carlsen is at 1.5 points, drawing a 2000+ rated player in the 1st round. GM Nick DeFirmian has 0 point after 2 rounds. After losing to a 1893 rated player, GM DeFirmian was paired down against Magnus Carlsen!! I have never seen anything like this before in a Swiss event.
Here is the official website: http://www.arcticchess.org/engindex.htm
I am playing in this event. Although in norwegian theres is a lot of photos on http://sjakkfantomet.blogg.no/
There was only 1 draw in the first round and Magnus had to play the highest ranked player with 0 points: Nick De Firmian! The other Gms are delivering so far.
I saw once a success like that.Maybe it happened ten or more years ago,but in a Open in Spain thinking only from the boards 5th to 15th… 10 players rated 2100 fide or about did 5,5-4,5 against a average of IM.
I remember it very well,because I was one of them.I drew with black pieces against the IM Jaan Eslon(rest in peace,he was a nice man).
Maybe God is too busy for chess,but miracles happen!
About ten years ago, when I was nearly enough a raw beginner, I beat the chairman of my University’s chess club, and while he wasn’t a strong player, he had vastly more experience than I did. My checkmate caught him by total surprise! I don’t think he was playing to win – maybe he was just being complacent. But I got him, and you should have seen the look on his face. I wish that I could claim that I won because I discovered some innate raw chess talent within me, but it turns out that in reality, I have zero talent for chess. Poor memory and terrible judgement. Even if I started to seriously play chess at the age of 5, it is inconceivable to me that I could ever have gone on to become a 2500+ player. Maybe a 2400 player, but not beyond 2500. The End.
Richard,
England.
Great, exciting chess!
Carlen Opponent is one of his friend ? I saw one picture on chess base
In his game with Larsen right now (move 26), Carlsen seems to be playing aimlessly. Larsen played a very tame opening, but shouldn’t Carlsen be able to show some fire and push him off the board anyway? He’s rated 400 points higher…