TAG | Loek van Wely
Loek van Wely (Photo: Bjørn Berg Johansen)
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.
GM Loek van Wely (NED)
With the 37-year-old Dutch tactician on the starting line in this year’s ACC, the tournament is ensured interesting, complex and exciting duels on the absolute top tables, to the end of the tournament! As a player Loek is uncompromising and fearless, with an arsenal of sharp opening systems. If you want to learn attacking chess, tactical play and combinations, the Dutchman’s games are a good place to start. Loek van Wely became a grandmaster in 1993. Of his achievements can be mentioned that in the years 2000 to 2004, he was Dutch champion five times in a row, and in the same period he achieved a rating of above 2700, placing him among the world’s top ten chess players. In 2005, Wely was part of the Dutch team that won gold at the European Championships in Gothenburg. As recently as May this year, Loek van Wely won the Chicago Open, showing play that bodes well before this year’s ACC! We look forward to getting one of Holland’s absolute best players of all time on a visit here in Tromsø!
Loek van Wely at Corus Chess Tournament 2005
The first grandmaster has confirmed his participation in ACC 2010, and not just any grandmaster, but Loek van Wely, for many years one of the strongest Dutch players and once ranked in the world top 10! Together with him comes WIM Lorena Zepeda, representing El Salvador and thereby introducing a new country to our collection.
Read a recent with van Wely at Chess Vibes.
Tromsø 2014