Lewis Chess Legends 2024 | Hell Sjakklubb

The chess adventure at the Archbishop’s Palace in Trondheim has come to an end for now. After a year of preparations culminating in nine rounds of the Nordic Championship and the Lewis Chess Legends, there are some wonderful memories that stand out especially well.

It’s incredibly energizing to meet so many amazing people from different countries and backgrounds, all united by a shared passion for chess.

For me, the highlight was when the youngest members of the club got to meet the profiles IM Eric Rosen from the USA and IM Irene Kharisma Sukandar from Indonesia before the tournament began. Even though they had plans for the evening, they smiled and immediately agreed when asked to meet the Hell juniors. It’s easy to be starstruck when meeting such personalities, but with the kindness and warmth they showed towards the youngest players, the evening by the Nidelven River can only be described as magical.

The opening ceremony began with welcoming remarks from Bjøgvin Thorsteinsson, Director of the Nidaros Cathedral Restoration Works; Anniken Vestby, President of the Norwegian Chess Federation; and Kent Ranum, the Mayor of Trondheim. They extended a warm welcome to everyone attending the Nordic Championship and Lewis Chess Legends 2024 in Trondheim.

Now, let’s dive into the tournament action! In the first round, Alexander Øye-Strømberg from Hell Chess Club had the opportunity to play against the Nordic chess queen, GM Pia Cramling from Sweden. Alexander seized the moment and eventually launched a successful king-side attack. Alexander was the only Hell player to secure a victory against a GM. However, Pia avenged herself against two other players from the host club and finished as the Nordic Women’s Champion for 2024. The game is presented below, ready to be enjoyed, completely untouched by commentary 🙂

Legendary

The history and origins of the Lewis Chess Pieces, combined with the unique Archbishop’s Palace by Nidaros Cathedral, were perfectly complemented by the magnificent playing venue—the coronation room (Herresalen). We firmly believe that many chess legends will battle countless times here in the years to come, in the sport where women and men compete face to face and side by side.

The lecture on the Lewis Chessmen by Odd Halvor Moen was held in one of the voult-rooms with an entrance from the courtyard. As the talk touched on the museums in Edinburgh and London, it turned out that there was both a Scotsman and an Englishman in the audience! Phoebe Witte interviewed the lecturer about the Lewis Chess Pieces, and this will be available shortly. Odd Halvor owns the king and queen pieces shown in the photo, which were crafted during the Stone Carving Festival at the Archbishop’s Palace back in 2019. These massive pieces were displayed at the main entrance during the tournament. A big thank you to Odd Halvor for yet another entertaining and informative lecture on this cultural treasure in Trøndelag!

«Gens Una Sumus» is the motto of FIDE (the World Chess Federation). It’s Latin for «We are one family.» Arbiters and volunteers rolled up their sleeves to ensure that the first edition of the Lewis Chess Legends was a success. The chief arbiter was IA Erling Skjelstad, originally from Stjørdal and now living in Trondheim. IA stands for International Arbiter, a formal requirement for organizing such a tournament. The President of the Norwegian Chess Federation, IA Anniken Vestby, gave the welcome speech at the opening ceremony and also served as an arbiter and photographer during the event. IA Baran Sharif came all the way from Tehran, navigating a challenging journey since the airspace over Iran was closed just as she was about to depart. With her solid arbitration and indispensable contributions, she truly left her mark on the tournament.

Tore Kristiansen is also a chess arbiter but is especially known as one of the country’s best in setting up and managing digital chessboards, which he brought from neighboring clubs in Møre & Romsdal, Molde Chess Club, and Kristiansund Chess Club. We also borrowed chess equipment from SebraSjakk and TSF, local chess clubs in Trondheim.

Harald Christian Sagevik from Avas AS handled all the technical needs, with special focus on IM Irene Sukandar, who streamed all the rounds live on our partner platform, Lichess. H.C. has extensive experience in the festival industry and is rightly credited as a concept developer. And then there was the excellent hosting by Bjørgvin Thorsteinsson and Mads Flagestad—it was simply fantastic to organize a chess tournament with people who possess such deep expertise. Club members and parents pitched in with setup and takedown, staffing the secretariat, driving to and from the airport, accommodating guests, and publishing games online. When they noticed gaps in my planning, they made sure to fill them. And last but not least, my wife and children, who have supported me with thousands of hours of organizing chess in Trøndelag since we started in 2008.

Out of 114 participants, 31 were from Hell Chess Club, and 11 players came from other clubs in Trøndelag. Besides Hell Chess Club, Oslo Schakselskap had the most participants in the tournament. The vibrant community and the enthusiastic young players in our own club are, of course, the driving force behind organizing such an event for me.

Unfortunately, the awards ceremony proceeded without the tournament winner, IM Jung Min Seo from Sweden. They were likely caught off guard, as they had booked their flight for the same time as the scheduled awards ceremony. Nevertheless, many attended the ceremony, which featured a draw for two luxury watches from Von Doren among those present.

You can watch annotated games and live broadcasts for IM/WGM Irene Kharisma Sukander, IM Eric Rosen, and Phoebe Witte.