From 30 May to 10 June, the Norwegian Chess chess tournament will be held at Finansparken at SR-Bank in Stavanger.

Now the organizers and the world’s elite in chess are ready for the tournament with no coronary restrictions. Of course, world champions Magnus Carlsen, former world champions Veselin Topalov and Viswanathan Anand will come.

Norwegian Chess is also celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

– We are proud to welcome top chess players back to Stavanger for an exciting tournament at Finansparken. This year we are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the tournament and we are looking forward to many side events and a big celebration of chess and Norwegian Chess, said Kjell Madland, founder of Chess Norway.

The tournament begins with a reception on Monday 30 May at 16.15 where the players will be presented. Then there will be a lightning chess tournament at 18.00.

Every day, the regular round starts at 17.00 and ends around 21.30.

The biggest chessboard in the world

The Municipality of Stavanger has received a chessboard on a large scale from world champion Magnus Carlsen. The world’s largest chessboard will be set at Bjergstedparken on Saturday 4 June at 13.00.

The plank measures 144 square meters and is made of granite. The chess pieces are made from recycled rubber tires and have small wheels underneath so you can roll them over. The king is 180 centimeters tall and weighs 240 kilograms.

The opening is open to the public, who can watch the chess players inaugurate the board.

[ Tøff motstand venter for Carlsen i Norway Chess ]

These chess players come to Norwegian Chess:

• Chess world champion, Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
• Richard Rapport (Hungary)
• Wesley So (USA)
• Shakhriyar Mamedyravov (Azerbaijan)
• Anish Giri (Netherlands)
• Teymur Rajabov (Azerbaijan)
• Viswanathan Anand (India)
• Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)
• Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)
• Wang Hao (China)

Open tournament

From June 3 to 10, anyone wishing to participate in an open international tournament can do so. Here are players of all levels and ages. From new local chess players to foreign professionals. This will take place on Bjergsted Terrace 1, just across the street from Finansparken.

[ Magnus Carlsen gir Stavanger et gedigent sjakkbrett ]

Norway Summit

In conjunction with the chess tournament, the Norway Summit business conference will also be held at the Clarion Hotel Energy on 8 June.

Every year, the conference discusses new technologies, innovation, finance and sustainability.

On stage this year Nicolai Tangen, Kenneth Rogoff, Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer, Aaron Gershenberg, Kinga Stanislawska, Atle Grønn, Norway Chess reported in a press release.

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Norwegian Chess:

• Norwegian Chess is currently known as the strongest chess tournament in the world. Every year, the chess elites meet at Stavanger.
• The tournament has its tenth anniversary this year.
• Chess adventure started in 2012 with the idea to create the strongest chess tournament in the world on Norwegian soil. The founder of Norwegian Chess, Kjell Madland, asked why there was no international elite chess tournament in Magnus Carlsen’s home country.
• Garry Kasparov stated in 2014 that «Norwegian Chess is Wimbledon Chess».
• Today, our tournaments are broadcast in several countries around the world, both by national TV broadcasters and also online via several well-known platforms such as Twitch and YouTube and chess24.
• Norwegian chess has made Stavanger an international chess city. FIDE president, Arkady Dvorkovich, is said to have said: “I don’t know Stavanger because of oil and gas, but because of chess”.

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