With registered participants already over 100 the Reykjavik Open is yet again getting an invasion from our Nordic viking friends in Norway. The countries share a history going hundreds of years back with some of the first settlers in Iceland coming from Norway around the year 860! It seems like they still like coming here and they seem to both have a good time and do a good job.
The Norwegians have in the last few years been the country with the biggest number of participants (discounting Iceland of course). This year is no different and their “delegation” will be spearheaded by the legend, Simen Agdestein (2610). Simen is no stranger to Iceland and has had many battles here probably most notably during the historic Chess Summit match in 1990 where USA, England, Europe and Scandinavia duked it out in a 10-board team competition.
Agdestein (right) playing against his pupil and now World Champion. (Picture: dagbladet.no)
Agdestein used to be the undisputed Norway #1 for many years until a certain guy by the name of Magnus popped up. Agdestein was instrumental in his growth as a player and he has continued to nurture the Norwegian talents of which there will be plenty at the 2016 Reykjavik Open! Make no mistake though, despite not playing much the last decade or so, Simen has shown flashes of his old brilliance most notably at the Norway Chess tournament in 2014 where he lost only two games against the top players in the world.
Aryan Tari from the live broadcast of the European Team Championship 2015 in Reykjavik
GM-elect Aryan Tari (2556) will be back for more “blood” at the 2016 Reykjavik Open. Aryan finished his final GM norm at the recently concluded European Team Championship in Reykjavik and currently spearheads a number of young promising talents emerging in the new chess crazy country of Norway.
Young Johan Sebastian-Christiansen made an IM-norm at the 2015 Reykjavik Open
Also fresh from the European Team Championship is IM Johan Salomon (2438) and there will be plenty more of young Norwegian talents and most of them are already Reykjavik Open veterans such as Lars Oskar Hauge, Kristian Stuvik Holm and Johan Sebastian-Christiansen who made an IM-norm at last years Reykjavik Open. Sebastien Mihajlov is also back once again and it’s a great pleasure to welcome Henrik Carlsen for his 3rd straight Reykjavik Open….he seems to like it here 🙂
We wish the Norwegians great success yet again as ever and who knows….will the Norwegians also defend the pub quiz crown?
Familiar faces winning the pub quiz in 2015!
