Uppsala Young Champions

Due to temporary technical issues the pairings for the last round you can find here.

We can today announce that Uppsala Young Champions will be played at Scandic Uplandia in Uppsala for the next five years. Scandic Hotels has been very cooperative and offers both hotel and playing conditions rooms of the highest class and we are very happy about this. We have also today made a deal with Destination Uppsala to help us develop the tournament into an even bigger and better event.

Despite a tight game schedule, there is nothing wrong with the fighting spirit of the players. In the seventh round, there was not a single draw! White “won” by 14-6 and now there are only two rounds left.

A game-of-the-round prize was awarded by GM Tiger Hillarp in round 6. He gave it to Arvin Rasti who, despite an early change of queens, managed to get an irresistible attack on the black king. The game lasted only 24 moves, and although it was perhaps a little too early to resign, it is easy to understand that the black player has had enough.

Chessbase writes about the tournament and comments on the standings with some rounds to go.

In the fourth round, commentator GM Nils Grandelius wanted to give the prize for the “game of the round” to both players in the fight below. Hampus Sörensen eventually won the game and was also totally superior after the opening. But in between, both players showed a fighting spirit of a rarely seen kind. The comments are computer generated by ChessBase, who also donated the prize.

We are happy to say that time and place for next year’s competition are already set.

8th Uppsala Young Champions 2021 will be played on October 29 – November 3. The venue will be Hotel Scandic Uplandia in Uppsala and we look forward to seeing you then!

Sweden’s strongest player Nils Grandelius participates as a commentator in round 1 , 4 and 9. But he has also contributed with presentations of some of the Swedish hopes in this year’s tournament.

He has made presentations of Milton Pantzar , Isak Storme and Hampus Sörensen (in Swedish), with an analysis of one of their respective games. Very interesting!

The commentators Fiona Steil-Antoni and Pontus Carlsson decided that “game of the round” for round 2 was Viktoria Radeva vs Felix Blohberger. Blohberger has the highest rating in the tournament but Viktoria won fast and beautiful. In this position Viktoria (white) is to move.

She decided the game by playing 21.Bxf7† and black resigned. If 21…Kh8 22.Re8† wins the queen and if black tries 21…Kxf7 he will get mated after 22.Qc4†.

The prize for “game of the round” is donated by ChessBase.