The Norwegian Angle - News And Views From Carlsen-land

Welcome to the new year!

This article kicks off what we hope will be a regular combination of Norwegian-centric news to the wider world - and a channel for our Norwegian club and communities. As we transfer from what I think we can all agree has been an unusually grim year, with hopes for a better 2021, we also saw a bit of transition in our chess world.

We've been fortunate that the game has the ability to flourish in many respects despite isolation, and with life moving hugely online in the Covid era, chess has been booming. World Champion Magnus Carlsen turned 30 at the end of November, and since then his form in his huge online Champions Chess Tour events has dipped so badly that he's been moved to start making old-age jokes.

The Airthings Masters, the first major event of the new tour, was also a highly anticipated primetime TV occasion for state broadcaster NRK, but the post-Christmas bit of Norwegian chess cheer was upended when Magnus went crashing out in the quarterfinals to danger man Daniil Dubov. This left four days of programming without the national hero, and created a litmus test for measuring Norway's mania for chess - without a world champion to root for.

What on earth would be the public reaction - and assessment from NRK? While there are not yet any official viewing figures, I (Jonathan Tisdall) had to try and get some information. International Master and NRK-TV chess host Torstein Bae was good enough to go on record, via the medium of Twitter:

— Torstein Bae (@torbae) January 4, 2021

"No doubt they would have been higher with M playing. But the interest is definitely there even without him," Torstein added.

So - maybe chess as a national obsession is building enough strength to endure beyond the Carlsen age. This is a good time to mention that you can read unfolding Norwegian and chess.com news and chatter by following chesscom_no on Twitter - the channel could use more participation!

Two in Tata
Over-the-board super-tournaments are about to resume. Norway Chess in Stavanger was the last one I can remember. The Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee is always a highlight, thanks to their tradition of a slightly larger field, and one studded with scary youngsters and sub-group qualifiers among the world elite, rather than just a selection of the usual suspects. Magnus is playing, of course, and the field has another Norwegian attraction, the addition of former World Junior Champion Aryan Tari.

Aryan had his super-event debut in Stavanger, and though he had to endure a rough welcome, he learned a lot and had some near-misses, including a one-chance shot at the champ's head. I wondered if there was a story behind Aryan's second high-level invite in a row, and asked him a few questions to catch up.

"It's quite funny actually," he explained. Tari originally appealed for a spot in the B-group, but...

"When I got to learn that there will only be one group this time because of Covid I obviously thought there was no chance for me. But then to my surprise I got the last spot in the masters ... which was just too good to be true. It was really unexpected and out of the blue for me. Anyway, I am extremely grateful and happy to get such a chance!"

JT: What are your thoughts about playing in another super-tournament, and what lessons from Norway Chess will help you?

Aryan Tari: I am really looking forward to playing the best again, and it gives me a lot of motivation to be able to play in such a field. I will use my Norway Chess experience to try to improve on my play this time. I think it is just very important to believe in yourself and that on a good day you are not worse than them.

JT: I hear you've been streaming more, and with or for Hikaru Nakamura?

Aryan Tari: I was streaming a bit on my own channel in the summer, and also did some commentary for Hikaru as well, for the Magnus Carlsen tour. The last couple of months I have not been doing it, but will maybe go back to it again. It was an interesting experience.

JT: What are your thoughts about the Covid impact on chess, being forced almost exclusively online - and thoughts for 2021?

Aryan Tari: I find it sad and depressing that all the tournaments and activities had to stop because of it, and hope it will turn back to normal ASAP. It was positive that Magnus created these elite online tournaments, which have been interesting to follow, but in my opinion it is not comparable to over-the-board chess. I find that much more exciting and serious."

"That being said, it is very cool and great for chess that streaming had a huge boost in 2020, as chess became really popular on Twitch and has a much bigger audience now! Perfect for the growth of the game."

"As for 2021, it is impossible to predict anything these days, so I will just take it day by day. 😁 Now focusing on Tata, and will think about life after that! We just have to wait and see."

Tata angles

A few further notes on Tata - Aryan will be the lowest rated player and will probably be hoping to emulate the performance of last year's biggest outsider, young Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest who sparkled and finished 4=, ahead of his illustrious countryman Anish Giri. A lesser known Norwegian angle here is that Jorden has had rising young GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen as his second for a few years.

Also, if you want to test your Fantasy team selection skills, enter Chess.com's Tata Fantasy Chess competition to add some excitement and have a chance at cash prizes.

Local news!

Chess.com's Norwegian club has a new and ambitious admin - meet Trym Sørsdal, perhaps better known around here as domino_15. He has been behind the recent organization of tournaments at the club. Trym has plans for regular activity, adjusting this according to input from members. As he settles in and gathers speed, a desire to build a wider and stronger sense of community through events, forums and streaming.

"I have my event plan for a few months ready," says Trym. "There will be “Søndagslyn” (Sunday blitz) the three first Sundays in the month followed by “Hurtig helg” (Rapid weekend) the last Sunday of each month. There will also be Fischer Fridays with 960Chess one Friday every month."

The biggest improvement coming down the pipeline is to do more for the lower rated players.

Trym is seeing general interest in a range of speeds, and he's hoping to expand on the prizes that can be offered. "I will continue to do tournaments in all time controls, but the biggest improvement coming down the pipeline is to do more for the lower rated players. It is unfortunate when we have a majority of low rated players in a tournament and the one high rated player gets the prize," Trym says.

The implementation of regular, predictably scheduled tournaments will make up the first phase, and there will be bullet events, as well as After Work rapid sessions, with these kind of activities being used to test and gauge the best scheduling times for our club membership. One-month membership prizes will be on offer, so spread the word and help build the club community!