A Norwegian Institution

Political Disruptions And A Record Number Of National Titles

GM Simen Agdestein had a busier than usual summer this year; his term as federation president ended unexpectedly after just a single year, but instead of dwelling on politics he rampaged to his eighth national title—equaling GM Berge Østenstad's record tally, scoring a majestic 8/9 in Kongsvinger.

A Quick History

While Simen has been a household name in Norway, he's now a "young senior," so a brief sketch of his accomplishments is probably in order. Agdestein was the Carlsen prototype, a world-class player in the 80s, at his peak ranked in the world's top 15.

Dubbed the strongest amateur in the world by GM Garry Kasparov, Agdestein was especially newsworthy thanks to his unusual versatility, also representing Norway on the international level as a footballer, combining his chess career with goal scoring on the pitch as a striker for his country and top division Oslo club Lyn. 

A knee injury curtailed his football career, and Simen gradually pursued a passion for teaching, founding a chess major at Norway's top sporting academy NTG in 1998, and continues developing chess talents and enthusiasts to this day.

An indication of the attraction and success rate of his school can be seen in Norway's current Olympiad squad, where all five GMs Magnus Carlsen, Aryan Tari, Jon Ludvig Hammer, Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, and Frode Urkedal, have all spent time studying under Simen.

A Return To The Board

Although Agdestein remains strong enough to be among the favorites for the national title, the 55-year-old is no longer terribly active.  In a warm-up tournament in Krakow, he started well and then started blundering badly, but back in Norway, his winning margin of 1.5 points in front of top seed Hammer was a shocking throwback to his peak performances.

"There was a time when anything but victory would be a catastrophe, but now I am just most satisfied with my head working," Simen says about the event. "No mistakes, no time pressure scandals." 

He credits a good deal of the result to a typically Norwegian winter sporting image, having 'god glid'—a smoothness and ease that conjures up the feeling of optimal skiing. He wasn't lucky, but his opponents ran into his fist at just the right moments.

"There was a time when anything but victory would be a catastrophe, but now I am just most satisfied with my head working," 

- GM Simen Agdestein

Holding focus is an angle he mentions since there was a distracting bit of coverage about chess politics when national broadcaster NRK ran a story about the sudden and unexpected end of his term as federation president.

This story presents a "misunderstanding" with the federation's election committee under the impression Simen didn't want to continue, and Simen feeling he was not wanted around anymore. Elections are decided during the national championship. 

The Wonderful World Of Chess Politics

Asking Simen about why he ran for president last year, and his experiences in chess politics is like pulling teeth, and he prefers the vague summary of the job as working with "various intrigues." He says his motivation was to try and increase membership numbers, something the federation still struggles with—along with finances—despite the Carlsen boom. 

He has high praise for most of the people he worked with, and emphasizes that he backs the choice of the new president, IM Joachim Nilsen, who worked closely with Simen during his term—so much so that he then felt it was easy to drop any conflicts and step aside.  

Passion Project

What still enthuses the veteran GM is talking about his academy and his current stream of students. "I have got great students, and I am extremely satisfied with our situation," he says. He points out how many of them excelled in their respective groups at the National Championship, and relates their individual stories. A running theme at the moment are talents from refugee backgrounds.

Championship Promotion

The new Candidate section was topped by a youngster with an Agdestein-like performance. "Semen (Mitusov) was studying chess this term and will be a full NTG student next year. He arrived from Ukraine, Kramatorsk, the middle of a war zone." 

Another incoming student is noted blitz shark Elham Abdulrauf, who Simen insists will shortly be a GM. Elham, whose family are from Afghanistan, and Saad Abobaker Elmi from Somalia, who is tipped to blossom at NTG, have received some support from an intriguing sponsor, who might be willing to tell their story at a later date...

The Big Question

One can hardly have a conversation with a Norwegian chess dynamo and not ask about the biggest news from home: What does Simen think about Carlsen abdicating his world title?

"I would very much rather that he didn't, but Magnus is also a world champion in knowing what is best for him, so we just have to trust that this is the best thing for him," Simen says. "And I am just grateful for everything he has done for chess and continues to do. It doesn't annoy me, I am mostly concerned that things go well for him."