Erwin l'Ami
Encyclopedia
Erwin l'Ami is a chess Grandmaster. He has emerged, along with Jan Smeets
, Daniel Stellwagen
and Jan Werle
, as one of a new generation of talented young players from the Netherlands.
in 2004, he won the tournament, ahead of Magnus Carlsen
and despite being expected to finish no higher than mid-table. He soon fulfilled the requirements for an International Master title, awarded the same year. Becoming a full time professional, the opportunities for travel continued to suit his lifestyle and in 2005, he complemented his training and dedication with a few good wins, gaining the necessary norms to be awarded the Grandmaster title. During this period, he finished second equal at the Essent tournament, was co-winner of the strong Karabakh
'B' tournament and scored well at the Wijk aan Zee
Corus 'C' tourney, earning an upgrade to the 'B' tournament in 2006.
At the Turin 2006 Olympiad
, he played a small but helpful role in the national team with a very respectable score of 3.5/5. By then, his Elo rating was reflecting the consistency in his performances and he passed the 2600 mark by the early part of 2007. Working with a new coach (GM Vladimir Chuchelov
) was perhaps another reason for his continued progress. At the European Team Championship
at Heraklion
in 2007, he contributed another plus score (4.5/8) to the Netherlands team total.
2008 was a rewarding year for l'Ami. He finished with a share of second place at the European Individual Championship
in Plovdiv
, missing out on the medals after an eight-way play-off. More recently, he took part in the EU Individual Open Chess Championship
at Liverpool
, maintaining touch with the leading group throughout and finishing with a share of fifth place, alongside compatriots Sergei Tiviakov
and Jan Smeets.
L'Ami is renowned for his ability at rapid chess and even the more extreme forms of speed chess, where for example, each player has only 1 minute for the entire game. His handle on the Internet Chess Club
is "Woef".
after the two had met at a tournament and become friends. Principally, he was engaged to assist Cheparinov at the elite Sofia
M-Tel Masters
event and benefited not only from the theoretical work they undertook together, but also from the insight he gained into chess at that level. In an interview given after the event, he considered the experience to be "inspirational". Along with Cheparinov and Francisco Vallejo Pons
, he served as a second for Veselin Topalov
in the February 2009 Challengers Match
against Gata Kamsky
.
Jan Smeets
Jan Smeets is a Dutch chess player with the title Grandmaster. He was the Netherlands' national champion in 2008. In 2009 he did not take part, but in 2010 he successfully reclaimed the championship.-Competitive beginnings:...
, Daniel Stellwagen
Daniël Stellwagen
Daniël Stellwagen is a Dutch chess Grandmaster.In 1999 he won the Dutch Junior Championship and won silver both at the World Junior Championship and the European Junior Championship . In 2003 he won the endgame study solving contest at the De Feijter Festival in Deventer with an unprecedented 100%...
and Jan Werle
Jan Werle
Jan Werle is a Dutch chess player with the title Grandmaster.-Junior success:He learned the moves at the age of five, after watching his father play with a friend. Rapid progress brought him much junior success across the various age groups of both national and regional championships...
, as one of a new generation of talented young players from the Netherlands.
Early years
He learned the game at the age of five, when his father introduced him to the moves and then took him to the local chess club. His new hobby quickly became a passion, but for a few years he remained just one of a crowd of promising juniors. Upon reaching the age of 12, his family relocated to a larger conurbation and the young l'Ami was exposed to a more testing level of competition, enabling his talent to be further developed.Chess career
At GausdalGausdal
Gausdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru...
in 2004, he won the tournament, ahead of Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy who is currently the number-one ranked player in the world. In January 2010 he became the seventh player ranked number one in the world on the official FIDE rating list...
and despite being expected to finish no higher than mid-table. He soon fulfilled the requirements for an International Master title, awarded the same year. Becoming a full time professional, the opportunities for travel continued to suit his lifestyle and in 2005, he complemented his training and dedication with a few good wins, gaining the necessary norms to be awarded the Grandmaster title. During this period, he finished second equal at the Essent tournament, was co-winner of the strong Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
'B' tournament and scored well at the Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
Corus 'C' tourney, earning an upgrade to the 'B' tournament in 2006.
At the Turin 2006 Olympiad
37th Chess Olympiad
The 37th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open and women's tournament and the general assembly of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs , took place between 20 May and 6 June 2006, in Turin, Italy.-Open tournament:...
, he played a small but helpful role in the national team with a very respectable score of 3.5/5. By then, his Elo rating was reflecting the consistency in his performances and he passed the 2600 mark by the early part of 2007. Working with a new coach (GM Vladimir Chuchelov
Vladimir Chuchelov
Vladimir Chuchelov is a Belgian chess Grandmaster. He won the Belgian Chess Championship in 2000. He appeared four times in the FIDE top 100, with a maximum rating of 2608. Tournament victories include the Hamburg HSK , Gifhorn international , 17th Cappelle la Grande Open .In 2010 he was awarded...
) was perhaps another reason for his continued progress. At the European Team Championship
European Team Championship
The European Team Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9...
at Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
in 2007, he contributed another plus score (4.5/8) to the Netherlands team total.
2008 was a rewarding year for l'Ami. He finished with a share of second place at the European Individual Championship
European Individual Championship
The European Individual Chess Championship is a chess tournament organized by the European Chess Union. It was established in 2000 and has since then taken place on a yearly basis....
in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, missing out on the medals after an eight-way play-off. More recently, he took part in the EU Individual Open Chess Championship
EU Individual Open Chess Championship
The EU Individual Open Championship was first contested in Cork, Ireland in 2005, under the auspices of organising body, the European Chess Union . The event is open to members of chess federations within the European Union...
at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, maintaining touch with the leading group throughout and finishing with a share of fifth place, alongside compatriots Sergei Tiviakov
Sergei Tiviakov
Sergei Tiviakov is a naturalised Dutch chess Grandmaster.Tiviakov won the Dutch Chess Championship in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, in Plovdiv, he won the European Individual Chess Championship with 8.5/11....
and Jan Smeets.
L'Ami is renowned for his ability at rapid chess and even the more extreme forms of speed chess, where for example, each player has only 1 minute for the entire game. His handle on the Internet Chess Club
Internet Chess Club
The Internet Chess Club is a commercial Internet chess server devoted to the play and discussion of chess and chess variants. ICC currently has over 30,000 subscribing members...
is "Woef".
Chess second
In 2008 l'Ami began working as a second to Ivan CheparinovIvan Cheparinov
Ivan Cheparinov is a Bulgarian chess player, who won the Bulgarian Chess Championship in 2005.-Topalov's second:Until 2007, he was best known as the second of former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov...
after the two had met at a tournament and become friends. Principally, he was engaged to assist Cheparinov at the elite Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
M-Tel Masters
M-tel Masters
M-Tel Masters is an annual super-GM chess tournament held since 2005 in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, sponsored and organized by the leading Bulgarian mobile network operator, M-Tel. According to the regulations, each of the six participants plays two games against every other, thus making it a...
event and benefited not only from the theoretical work they undertook together, but also from the insight he gained into chess at that level. In an interview given after the event, he considered the experience to be "inspirational". Along with Cheparinov and Francisco Vallejo Pons
Francisco Vallejo Pons
Francisco Vallejo Pons is a chess Grandmaster from Spain. He was a chess prodigy, achieving the grandmaster title at the age of 16 years and 9 months, which makes him the 20th youngest player to ever become a grandmaster...
, he served as a second for Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
in the February 2009 Challengers Match
World Chess Championship 2009
The World Chess Championship 2010 match pitted the defending world champion, Viswanathan Anand, against challenger Veselin Topalov, for the title of World Chess Champion. The match took place in Sofia, Bulgaria from April 24 to May 13, 2010, with a prize fund of million euros...
against Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster, and the current World Rapid Chess Champion. He is also the current United States Chess Champion. As of September 2011, he is rated No. 1 in the United States and No...
.