On Chess: Norm Tournament Brings Players From Around The World To St. Louis To Compete

The 2019 St. Louis Norm Congress gave an opportunity to rising players to earn international master (IM) and grandmaster (GM) norms in two events. The fields were very diverse, and 10 different chess federations were represented, including Burundi, Denmark, and Peru.

Eleven out of the 20 participants represented the U.S., although most of the field currently resides in America. Five players were under 18, and everyone was under 35, making it an exceptionally youthful event.

Each section is required to have three players who have already achieved either the IM or GM title, which the other players are hoping to achieve. They are generally more highly rated than the rest of the field and serve as gatekeepers for the coveted norms.

Indeed, the gatekeepers did their job very well, as they finished at the top of their fields and none of the aspiring players managed to come out with a norm. Despite that, the tournament was anything but disappointing as it was full of fighting chess and young players gathered valuable experience for their next attempt at title norms.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/chess-norm-tournament-brings-players-around-world-st-louis-compete
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