Anders Hobber - the winner of the qualifier in Porsgrunn
Norway.
Rating: 2132. 15 years old.
Anders Hobber is ranked as one of the best young players in Norway. In the Porsgrunn qualifier he was the clear top seed, and his win was never in doubt. In the course of 13 rounds he suffered only one loss; with a score of 12 points he was 1,5 points ahead of Mirnes Alic, the number two. Being a part of the strong chess community of Porsgrunn, Hobber has picked up quite a few tricks from GM Kjetil A. Lie and IM Espen Lie. This year Hobber has played a lot of good chess, and as a result his rating is now close to 2150, up from 1987 in January. BNbank Blitz 2009 could be Hobber’s first major international success.
Daniel Kovachev - the winner of the qualifier in Oslo
Daniel
Kovachev. Norway. Rating: 2243. 23 years old.
Two years ago, Daniel Kovachev was very close to qualifying for the big final of Glitnir Blitz, but in the last round of the Oslo qualifier, he lost to IM Bjorn Tiller. This time Kovachev went all the way in the Oslo qualifier, after an exciting finish. With one round to go he was a point behind IM Atle Gronn, but Gronn lost in the last round, and Kovachev won the tournament on better tie break. The 23-year-old is known as a good blitz player, and could be a problem even for very strong players. Kovachev probably won’t win the BNbank Blitz 2009, but he can definitely be a surprise.
Kjetil Stokke - the winner of the qualifier in Bergen
Norway.
FIDE Master. Rating: 2382. 26 years old.
Stokke is this year’s Norwegian champion in Blitz Chess. He qualified for the final of BNbank Blitz by winning the Bergen qualifier. Kjetil Stokke was not one of those super strong kids, but he was a talented player who has continued to improve. The young electrician now defends board one for Bergen Chess Club in the Norwegian top league, and he scored a very strong result in the Arctic Chess Challenge in August. Stokke is strong in the opening, which might prove very useful in the final of BNbank Blitz. It will be a surprise if he advances to round two in the final, but much stranger things have happened. Maybe this young player from Bergen will be the big story of the final?
Pål Andreas Hansen - the winner of the qualifier in Trondheim
Norway.
Rating: 2072. 14 years old.
In the Trondheim qualifier, the most promising player in Mid-Norway won the spot in the BNbank final. In Norway, the village of Verdal is known for its many lottery winners, and not for chess. Pål Andreas Hansen is not one to be stopped by this, however. As a 14-year-old he is already a very strong player with a rating well above 2000, and he is ranked as one of the best young Norwegian players. Hansen obviously is not among the favorites in BNbank Blitz, and it will be a big surprise if he survives round one. All the same his opponent should not feel too confident: Pål Andreas Hansen is definitely one of the coming men in Norwegian chess.
Vadims Daskevics - the winner of the qualifier in Stavanger
Latvia.
FIDE Master. Rating: 2380. 23 years old.
Daskevics is not a well known name in Norwegian chess, but he is undoubtedly a very strong chess player. At the age of 15 his rating was already close to 2300. He has not continued his development at the same pace, but in the course of 2009 the young Latvian has gained quite a few rating points. With a rating of almost 2400, Daskevics is one the strongest of the six players who have qualified from regional tournaments. Apart from Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, not one of the players in the final of BNbank Blitz can expect an easy win against Vadims Daskevics.
Peter Flermoen - second place in the qualifier in Tromsø
Norway. Rating: 2125.
13 years old.
