Solomon gets Olympiad double norm!

In the past few years, life has really changed for IM Kenny Solomon. Now married with a daughter and living in Italy, his life has a new purpose. When I interviewed Solomon after the sixth round, I asked him if this life change helped his chess and he stated that it has dual effects. Whether by coincidence or intention, one cannot deny that since these life changes and the move to Europe, Solomon’s game has gotten stronger. This was made evident by his sterling GM norm performance in Istanbul.

GM-elect Kenneth Solmon of South Africa.
Photo by Daaim Shabazz.

In the 40th Chess Olympiad Solomon manned board #1 for the Republic of South Africa and had been in the team since the 1998 Olympiad in Elista. However, this Olympiad will become his crown glory after earning a double norm at the 40th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey. It is rare that a player from a lower-tier nation would get such an opportunity to play strong players each round so it is also a credit to the South African team.

Contrary to rumors circulating, a player cannot earn the GM title simply by scoring a 2600 performance in the Olympiad. What occurred in Solomon’s case is confirmed by the rules. According to FIDE Handbook, a GM norm (nine games or better) at the Olympiad counts as a 20-game norm. In other words, the one norm counts as two.

Thus, Kenny adds these two norms to the one he had in Italy and gets the required three norms. He only has to get his ELO rating to 2500 to complete the requirements. His title will officially remain “IM” until he reaches that plateau.

IM Kenny Solomon (FIDE 2414)
Title	Player	Nation	Flag	ELO	Result
IM	Oladapo Adu	Nigeria		2227	1
GM	Zhang Zhong	Singapore		2595	1
GM	Dragan Solak	Turkey		2505	½
GM	Giovanni Vescovi	Brazil		2617	½
GM	Yannick Pelletier	Switzerland		2595	0
GM	Ivan Morovic	Chile		2575	1
GM	Jaime Cuartas	Columbia		2521	1
GM	Veselin Topalov	Bulgaria		2752	0
GM	Osvaldo Zambrana	Bolivia		2471	½
GM	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	France		2686	0
Score: 5½-4½ (GM norm)