Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Afterthoughts

Picture 1, not far from Geirangerfjorden
Picture 2, Geirangerfjorden
Picture 3, Marianne and myself not far from Geirangerfjorden

It`s been almost a month since the tournament and I am so glad that I participated. It was an experience and an adventure. Next year it will be in Fredrikstad. An old town further south in Norway, which I first became aquanted with during my military service. And yes, I am planning to join. Even though you need 10 chess games to receive a rating, my second place in Class 5, automatically gives me the ability to play in Class 4. The rating range here is 1000-1249. I have one year to practice and I am already looking forward to it.

I might not play so many practice games on chess websites, including my favorite site, Letsplaychess. I will start watching different chess videos and I might make contact with one of the leading Norwegian chess players to see if I can get some tutoring. My main goal will be to practice some endings, familiarize myself with some openings and know a few very well.

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Awards

Picture 1, my hard earned trophy
Picture 2, a very proud me
Picture 3, Richard Madsen to the left in 3rd place, Henning Lohne in the middle in 1st place and me to the right in 2nd place.

The Norwegian Chess Championship is an event. You get to meet and bond with other chess players, play games, analyze, talk about tactics and other topics not relevant to chess. You just don`t want the tournament to end. But as I am standing here, receiving my trophy for second place, I have to admit I am tired and exhausted and want to go home.

I did what I feel I could do to prepare for this tournament. A few months before the tournament I was confident that I would get first, second or third place. Not so much the weeks before the tournament and certainly not after it started. But I feel I did ok. I am satisfied with my gameplay. Coming in second place with 41 participants was not easy. I fought some tough battles with 6 victories, 2 draws and 1 defeat.

Henning Lohne (first place), myself (second place) and Richard Madsen (third place), all played draws against each other, which shows that it was pretty even gameplay at the top of the class.

Here is a video I made that summarizes the 10 days the tournament lastet. Enjoy!

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 9

Picture 1, Marianne, my wife
Picture 2, in the Analyzing Room with Vidar, going over our game

Picture 3, Vidar Gjære, my opponent in game 9

GAME 9, the most important game played
My opponent and I spent much time together during the tournament. We analyzed games and talked about chess in general. I knew he liked to play the English Opening as white. The opening that gave me my only defeat in game 3. I also knew that he liked to play the Center Counter Game, also called the Scandinavian Defense as black if white moves e4 on his first move, which I off course do. I also knew that he had a tendency to make one bad mistake during some of his games. Anyway, for me this is the most important game of the tournament. Before this game, Vidar has 2nd place. I have 3rd place. Between us, with a draw, he keeps second place. So I need a victory. We both have 6.0 points. But at the table next to us, table 3, there are the only others with the same amount of points. So, their outcome can very well reflect our standing. I open with e4 and Vidar plays the Scandinavian Defense. Not knowing to much about openings and definately not this one, I am outside the book theory in no time. He attacks my castled position, but one of his moves comes just to sudden, without proper preperation. I stop him and he has no way to penetrate my pawns. After some back and forth moves he gives it one more shot, and sorry to say, he makes a mistake, loosing a whole piece. After that I consolidate and then prepare for my own attack and eventually check mate him after a very good defense on his part. (He ends up in 5th place overall).

0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, White, 1
0000 Vidar Gjære, (No club), Black, 0

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 8

Picture 1, Vågen - the docks, where a great naval battle happened in 1665
Picture 2, my wife, the photographer
Picture 3, Class 5 player during speed chess

GAME 8, the most unbalanced game
My opponent has won all his games. He wanted to play in Class 4, because I think he felt to good to play in Class 5. But the tournament organizers wanted it differently. He has beaten Niklas Savio which gave me my only defeat so far. And he beat Vidar Gjære in game 7. I have no expectation of winning this game. I have many games ago accepted the fact that this might very likely be a lost game. And I am thinking of everybody that might pass me, gaining a point in a win or a half point in a draw. But I am not going down without a fight. After some moves I am actually at a loss what to do. I do not want to go on the offensive, but I see no defensive developing moves either. He breaks the balance. He threatens my knight and walks away. Without moving my knight, I threaten his queen. He comes back, takes my knight and walks away again. I take his queen. Now, walking away like that could very well have been part of his strategy. Thinking he has left his queen for the taking. But it wasn`t. He told me during our analization that he wanted to make the game unbalanced, which he definately did. Afterwards he attacked relentlessly. I only had my queen while he had three pieces. And he was good. He never let me use my queen at all...until I finally got it into action in the end. That was all that was needed. We ended the game in a draw and I broke his winning streak. By making the game a draw, this half point was all he needed to actually win Class 5, no matter what the outcome of game 9 is. I felt good about my draw. (He ended up in 1st place).

0000 Henning Lohne, Bergen, White, 1/2
0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Black, 1/2



On the bottom right hand side, switch the colors so that black is in front of you.

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 7

Picture 1, Class 5 player Halfdan Holmen. He ended up in 4th place.
Picture 2, Class 5 player
Picture 3, Class 5 player

GAME 7, my most irritating draw
I try for attack. Not that I believe it will get me anywhere, but just checking to see if my opponent makes a mistake. He doesn`t and sooner or later the game evens out. After what I might call a very short game, he asks for a draw. I accept, even though I regret it soon after. I accepted, because at this time I am starting to think strategically. The lead poncho has won all his games and at the table next to me, table 1, Vidar Gjære has just been beaten badly. To stay in the race, I can`t get a loss at this time. And I am certain I will be the next contender for the lead poncho, where I believe a loss is most likely to happen. I regret it, because of the following: My opponent has a bishop and a knight against my two knights. Now the pawns are all over the board and he might be able to move faster across the board with a bishop against my knights. But with my pawns on the opposite color of his bishop I have a great advantage. Also, with two knights it doesn`t really matter where he places his pawns. I am still uncertain if I made the correct decision about accepting the draw in this game. (He ended up in 3rd place overall).

0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, White, 1/2
0973 Richard Madsen, Hønefoss, Black, 1/2

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 6

Picture 1, typical Bergen houses and streets
Picture 2, the chess cafeteria with great and cheap food, also used for...yes, chess
Picture 3, myself and as it seems...very concentrated

GAME 6, my best defensive play
At this point I am playing at the lead tables. Which means I am getting more of an audience looking over my shoulder. Not just the Class 5 players stretching their feet but others. Not that it bothers me. When I play, I am completely concentrated and I barely notice anything of what is happening at the boards around me. This is the game where I felt most attacked. Before I even knew what was happening, my opponent had an attack lined up. The game was a ongoing battle of one attack after the other coming from my opponent and playing a very accurate defense on my part and securing my position whenever I had a chance to. My opponent sacrifized first one pawn and then another. But for almost every defensive move I made, my position became increadably solid. In the end, there where no more attacks coming and he couldn`t get his pawns back. He asked for a draw, but I declined. I finally got an attack going and he resigned a few moves later. (He ended up on 15th place overall).

0000 Nelvin Farstad, Stjernen (Oslo), White, 0
0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, Black, 1



On the bottom right hand side, switch the colors so that black is in front of you.

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 5

Picture 1, Bryggen is on the Unesco World Heritage Sites list
Picture 2, the tournament chess store filled with books and videos
Picture 3, I came in nr 4 in the speed chess championship Class 5. Niklas Savio(middle) nr 3 and Vidar Gjære (to the left) nr 5. "The Gang".

Speed Chess
There is always a speed chess tournament one evening during the tournament week. It lasts for some hours and we are all quite tired from our regular game of the day. You have 5 minutes to play your game. You loose by either being check mated by your opponent or playing past your 5 minutes. Our Class 5 where divided into two groups. Everyone plays everyone in the group. Then the best half of both groups play each other. The teenager all the way to the right on picture came in second place. He was breathing so hard during our matches that I almost thought he was having a heart attack. After our games I had to tell him to relax... that it was only a game. It threw my concentration completety off. The person next to him won the Class 5 speed chess tournament. He had this fantastic way of moving the pieces where you just didn`t see him make the move, nor punch down on the clock. You were sitting there waiting for him to make his move... and hey...it was your own clock that was running out of time. I definately need to learn that technique. Speed chess is for fun even though some take it very serious. Having a lot of contact with Niklas Savio in the middle (nr 3) and Vidar Gjære all the way to my left (nr 5), it was great seing us all get a medal. (I ended up in 4th place.)

GAME 5, my best combination
My opponent has one of the highest ratings in Class 5. Our game is not only very even, but almost identical in position. Then he goes for an attack with his queen. I use almost half an hour on my next move. There is no real threat against my position, but I am looking at all angles of play. Then, I finally see a good combination. I counter attack and in the short battle that pursued, he looses a piece. I consolidate and bring home the victory. A few days later I ended up talking to him while we were playing speed chess, and he was still very irritated for having lost this game. (He ended up in 12th place overall).

0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, White, 1
0966 Thormod Thingstad, Hønefoss, Black, 0

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 4

Picture 1, Bryggen, the German Wharf was established by the Hanseatic League in the 1360`s.
Picture 2, here are the youngest players in this tournament.
Picture 3, my opponent in game 4, Dag Einar Sommervoll

GAME 4, my hardest victory
I didn`t really move that many places down on the rankings after my defeat in game 3, but to keep myself high on the list and maybe have a shot at being amongst the three best players, I can`t have one more defeat. My opponent has no rating, so I have no clear indication of how good he is. The game is quite even. I know that as of now, my strength lies in endgame play. So I try to reduce some pieces by exchanges, but my opponent is reluctant to do so, and only when he is forces into it. He barely runs out of time and my time is not that good either. 40 moves in the first two hours, then we get more. After I make my 40th move, I discreetly asks him if he wants a draw. I walk away, letting him look over the board in peace and quite. When I come back he has made his move, and I guess has an idea of how to win the game. After a few more moves I place him in check mate. (He ends up in 23rd place overall).

0000 Dag Einar Sommervoll, 1911 (Oslo), Black, 0
0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, White, 1



On the bottom right hand side, switch the colors so that black is in front of you.

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 3

Picture 1, Bergenshus Castle, with Rosenkrantz Tower in the background, completed 1560`s.

Picture 2, one of the senior groups playing

Picture 3, my opponent in game 3, Niklas Savio

GAME 3, my only defeat

Niklas Savio was both the youngest player in my class and the highest rated player. After our game we kept in touch through the tournament and kept somewhat tabs on the different players we had met and might meet. I believe he really wanted to win the whole tournament and after his victory against me, he had 3 straight victories. He opens with English Opening and puts enough pressure on my position to leave me quite defenseless. Then, he sacrifizes his rook against my bishop and I see the mate coming. But he makes a terrible mistake. Later he told me he wanted to give up right there and then, but continues. I try to consolidate my position, but my time is running out. After a few hurried moves by me, an optomistic win and a very likely draw is not possible anymore and I resign. His tutor, Kjetil Lie, wins the Class Elite and becomes the new Norwegian Champion. (My opponent ends up in 10th place overall).

0978 Niklas Savio, Porsgrunn, White, 1

0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, Black, 0

On the bottom right hand side, switch the colors so that black is in front of you.

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 2

Picture 1, Bergenhus Castle, here with Håkon`s Hall contructed around the year 1250

Picture 2, the playing area for Class Master and Class 1

Picture 3, my opponent in game 2, Paul Ivar Johansen

GAME 2, my easiest victory

To play in the Norwegian Chess Championship you have to be a member of a chess club. Having been a member of Trondheim Chess Club for years through the 1980`s, this is were I joined. My opponent comes from the same chess club, making this game interesting in more than one way. This game was my easiest victory. I attack his castled position gaining a pawn. Then, I am able to fork his king and queen with my knight. After that, the game was over. (He ends up in 35th place overall).

0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, White, 1

0753 Paul Ivar Johansen, Trondheim, Black, 0

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Game 1

Picture 1, Haukeland Hospital Hotel where I stayed
Picture 2, My view from the hotel towards the Bergen suburbs
Picture 3, Hans Olav Lahlum, the tournament organizer

GAME 1, getting off to a good start
My first game of the tournament and my first OTB tournament in years. My opponent makes a mistake very early in the game giving me a pawn. I kept the pressure up continuously. I lay a trap for him, hoping he is greedy and goes pawngrabbing. He does, and looses his rook. After that he never recovers. (He ends up in 13th place overall).

0000 Gaute Michel Ferstad, Trondheim, White, 1
0877 Vegard Andre Roen, Aurskog-Høland, Black, 0

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Intro

Picture 1, is from the Dovre Mountain, between Oppdal and Dombås.

Picture 2, is from the Dovre Mountain, between Oppdal and Dombås.

Picture 3 is taken from Sogne Mountain, between Lom and Sogndal.

Who knew that this was an 11 hour drive from Trondheim to Bergen? I guess it could have been a little shorter if I had paid attention to where I was driving. I ended up taking the scenic route over the Sogne Mountains. Beautiful scenery, no doubt. But at three in the morning, you want to actually know that you are making some headway. Some of the roads where so narrow that two cars couldn`t even get past each other. I got to Bergen at seven in the morning.

Chess Info
The Norwegian Chess Championship 2009 is held in Bergen, July 4-12. There are 515 participants in classes ranging from Seniors to Juniors. There are 9 matches that has to be played. As for myself, without having a prior rating, I am placed in Class 5. Other countries have different national rating systems and in my class no one has a FIDE rating which you can compare to.

2300 - >>>> Elite (24) participants

2000 - 2299 Master (44)

1750 - 1999 Class 1 (52)

1500 - 1749 Class 2 (71)

1250 - 1499 Class 3 (64)

1000 - 1249 Class 4 (41)

<<<< - 0999 Class 5 (41) (My class 2009)

Norwegian Chess Championship 2009, Class 5, Preperations

In 2008, my wife and I lived in New York, USA. Months went by without being able to get employment. During this time, I spent hours in front of the computer playing chess. At that time, I decided to improve my chess capability enough so that I could play in the Norwegian Chess Championship 2009. For me, this tournament has been a way to measure my chess abilities.

My preperation for this championship has been primarily through playing correspondance chess on the website Letsplaychess, with the username yankee64 (2045 rating). I have played 472 games. My website rating including my wins, draws and defeats do not show my opponents strength. But their average rating is 1704. In this case that is not important. For me, only OTB tournaments and national ratings count.

The main goal of my preperations have not been to improve so much in chess. But to reduce the amount of "stupid" mistakes. And In that respect, I do believe I have succeeded.

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