The 2022 Chess Olympiad kicked off today in Chennai, India. All the favorites won their matches of the first round, including the third seed Norway. GM Jon Ludvig Hammer played the second board for the Norwegian team, as the reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen wasn’t in the Round 1 teams’ composition. Norway played against Lebanon, winning the match with a convincing 3.5-0.5 result. Replay the match here

In the post-game interview, GM Jon Ludvig Hammer said it is interesting to be back in India, and that India seems to be a place for Norwegian success: “It is interesting being back in India. I was here at the closing ceremony of the World Chess Championship Match back in 2013. And this seems to be a place for Norwegian success and we hope to replicate that“. Hammer added the 3.5-0.5 result is a good start at the Olympiad and revealed that Magnus Carlsen played some football today afternoon and he is ready to enter the team at any moment, especially for bigger matches. See the complete interview below

Read more: Chess Olympiad 2022 R1 report / Round 2 pairings / Round 1 results (open section) / Round 1 results (women’s section)