Kosteniuk Plays Chess Open in Kristiansund

Hi all!
I’m in Kristiansund, Norway right now, a quiet city on the western coast of Norway. After a rather long trip yesterday from Moscow to Kristiansund with two stops in Stockholm and Oslo, today I’m resting before playing the first round of a 6-games tournament at 8 pm tonight. The list of the participants of the open tournament can be found here. It’s a special feeling for a chess player to be in Norway since everybody is so interested and excited about chess. Where else in the world you will see a hair-salon with the name “Checkmate“?

On Saturday, August 28, another very interesting rapid tournament starts here with 4 chess stars – Vishy Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Judit Polgar and the local player John Ludvig Hammer. I will make sure to let you know how it goes. Read more…