Loek Wan Wely is leading ACC before the last round. The rating favorite GM Loek Van Wely has thus far lived up to the expectations and leads the tournament with 7 points. He is followed by GM Manuel Leon Hoyos on the same score, but lower tie-breaks. Young Hoyos is only 21 years old and must be regarded as tournament surprise. He has lost only one game and won the rest.

Trailing the leaders by 1/2 point are GMs Sandipan, B. Socko and Kobalia. The winner of the tournament is among these five.

Talking about Loek; he has really played an international chess tournament and met players from nine different countries, playing on the first board 7 of the 9 rounds.

Norm chances

of Norway has achieved his IM title since he in this tournament has passed 2400 as well as making his fifth(!) norm.
, Finland needs a draw for an IM norm.
from the Netherlands has achieved his third norm, and can even get his first GM norm with a win!
, Ireland needs a draw against Frode Elsness to achieve a GM norm.
, Norge becomes IM if he wins against Dr. Holger Riedel.

Bartosz Socko, Chanda Sandipan, Loek van Wely, Manuel Leon Hoyos, Mikhail Kobalia, norms Hide

GM Chanda Sandipan from India is one of the strongest players in the Indian group behind Anand. He is currently ranked No. 5 in the country with his Elo rating of 2640 and was once in the top 100 in the world. The 26-year-old has previously participated in Gausdal in 2008, and is guaranteed keen on his first tournament victory on Norwegian soil.

Sandipan, who achieved his grandmaster title in 2003, has been terribly close several times to become the Indian champion, but has lost three playoffs against the same player, Surya Ganguly.

Sandipan represented India at table 4 in the Chess Olympics in 2008. He shared first place in this year’s Gibtelecom tournament in Gibraltar, where he met among others Espen Forså and won with his favorite Sicilian opening.

Chanda Sandipan Hide