Arctic Chess
Tromsø has a very active chess community and hosted an annual international festival, the Arctic Chess Challenge, from 2007 to 2010. Cultural diversity was an important part of the Arctic Chess Challenge.
In addition, a number of chess tournaments and festivals are held annually in Norway, including the Children’s Chess Grand Prix, the National Championships and the Norwegian Chess Festival.
In 2013, from the 7th to the 18th, the city of Stavanger is hosting a large international chess super tournament, Norway Chess, and the aim is to attract the world’s top 10 players to participate. (Follow this link to see which players who are ready http://norwaychess.com/en/players/)
Children in Norway learn to play chess at school through “Chess in Schools”. It is a collaboration project between the Norwegian Chess Federation and the Norwegian Youth Chess Federation. Chess has contributed to increasing the pupils’ learning ability in academic subjects. Nationwide class tournaments are organised for years 3, 4 and 5. The motto of the tournament is “Together are we good!”, and the chess in schools project has been a big success.
Magnus Carlsen’s number one world ranking obviously has a positive impact on the Norwegian chess community. This drives extra joy and confidence into the sport of chess in Norway these days. This is reflected in several areas; recruitment work with children and young people is reaching new heights, and media, business and sponsors are looking at chess as an interesting area.
The Norwegian Chess Federation (NSF) celebrates its centennial in 2014. The NSF has formed a special Anniversary Committee which is planning events around the country. The Chess Olympiad in Tromsø will be the perfect climax for the celebration of the federation`s 100th anniversary.