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Home » Chess Players » 10 Best Swedish Chess Players From Sweden (FIDE Ranked)

10 Best Swedish Chess Players From Sweden (FIDE Ranked)

Editorial Staff by Editorial Staff
in Chess Players

In the last list of the top Chess players we published, we went over the best Armenian Chess players. Now in this article, we’re ranking the best Swedish Chess players from Sweden, starting with the number ten spot in FIDE. All of the top players in this list have earned the Grandmaster title which requires an Elo rating of over 2500. For more information on ratings, see the guide on how to get a FIDE rating.

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  • 10. Daniel Semcesen
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 9. Jonathan Westerberg
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 8. Kaan Kucuksari
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 7. Hans Tikkanen
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 6. Emanuel Berg
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 5. Tiger Hillarp Persson
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 4. Jung Min Seo
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 3. Blomqvist Erik
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 2. Evgenij Agrest
    • Ratings
    • Profiles
  • 1. Nils Grandelius
    • Ratings
    • Profiles

10. Daniel Semcesen

Full Name: Daniel Semcesen

Title: Grandmaster (2014)

International Master (2009)

FIDE Master (2007)

Place of Birth: Sweden

Born: August 17, 1986

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 952

Rapid: 2520

Blitz: 2505

Classical: 2472

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Daniel Semcesen is a Swedish Chess competitor and GM. Semcesen was awarded the Grandmaster title in 2014 after earning an ELO rating of 2500 when playing in the Bronshoj Lang Weekend tournament. Daniel Semcesen’s greatest productive chess year to date was 2014. In 2014, the chess player became the Swedish chess victor just five months after achieving grandmaster status. Semcesen won the title after sharing points with Erik Blomqvist in the 9th and ultimate round in Borlänge. Semcesen’s SM success was shocking because he was rated 9th in the SM group’s ten-man starting field. Semcesen achieved its highest ELO rating in May of that year: 2513.

9. Jonathan Westerberg

Full Name: Jonathan Westerberg

Title: Grandmaster (2021)

International Master (2014)

FIDE Master (2011)

Born: February 25, 1994

Place of birth: Sweden

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 898

Rapid: 2434

Blitz: 2462

Classical: 2476

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Jonathan Westerberg was awarded the title of Grandmaster in 2021. The Swedish chess Grandmaster most played openings with white pieces, including French Defense, Sicilian and French. Westerberg. Westerberg’s most played Openings using Black pieces include Sicilian, Queen’s Gambit Accepted, and Queen’s Pawn Game, among others. Westerberg’s overall record in terms of total games played comprises 49 wins, 66 draws, and 38 losses resulting in a 53.6 percent.

8. Kaan Kucuksari

Full Name: Kaan Kucuksari

Title: FIDE Master (2007)

Born: January 1, 2003

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 838

Rapid: 2290

Blitz: 2305

Classical: 2482

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Kaan Kucuksari’s last tournaments he competed in were quite competitive, and they involved; TCh-SWE Elitserien 2021, SS Manhem IM 2022, TCh-SWE Lag-SM 2021, TCh-SWE Group 4 Qualifier Catalan, open, 5.Nf3, and Dutch, Leningrad, main variation with c6. Kaan Kucuksari’s most played using Black pieces include; Queen’s pawn game Caro-Kann defence, Reti opening, and English, 1…Nf6 (Anglo-Indian defense)

7. Hans Tikkanen

Full Name: Hans Tikkanen

Title: Grandmaster (2010)

International Master (2007)

FIDE Master (2007)

Born: February 6, 1985

Place of Birth: Karlstad, Sweden

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 791

Rapid: 2490

Blitz: 2554

Classical: 2535

Peak rating: 2596 (July 2011)

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Hans Tikkanen is Swedish Chess GM awarded the title in 2010. Tikkanen is a five-time winner of the Swedish Chess Championship. In 2002, Tikannen triumphed at the Swedish Junior Chess Championship. In 2010, Tikannen won the Lithuanian University of Agriculture Cup in Kaunas, and in Borup, he finished third to sixth with Sarunas Sulskis, Tiger Hillarp Persson, and Kaido Kulaots. In 2012, he finished second in Group C of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee and shared first place at the Västers Open with Slavko Cicak and Emanuel Berg. He represented Sweden in the 2005 European Team Chess Championships (team 3), 2011, and 2013.

6. Emanuel Berg

Full Name: Emanuel Berg

Title: Grandmaster (2004)

International Master (2000)

Born: December 28, 1981

Place of Birth: Skovde, Sweden

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 659

Rapid: 2570

Blitz: 2502

Classical: 2506

Peak rating: 2627 (November 2010)

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Emanuel Berg was awarded the title of Grandmaster in 2004 and is a two-time winner of the Swedish chess championships. As a child, he excelled and was chosen to compete for his nation in the numerous age groups of the European Youth and World Youth Tournaments. Remarkably, he did not win a medal, but he was quite close in 1996, at Rimavská Sobota, completing the European Under-16 competition in a draw for second-fifth place and losing the silver and bronze medals only on a tie-break.

5. Tiger Hillarp Persson

Full Name: Tiger Hillarp Persson

Title: Grandmaster (1999)

Born: 1970

Place of birth:

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 620

Rapid: 2525

Blitz: 2555

Classical: 2511

Peak rating: 2618 (April 2009)

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

The two times Swedish chess victor was awarded the GM title in 1999. Persson won the Gentofte VISA Nordic Grand Prix York in 1999, Jersey in 2000, Barcelona Sants in 2003, and the Guernsey International Chess Open in 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 best on tie-break in 2016 and again in 2018. In 2005, Persson came second in the Nordic Chess Championship in Vammala, Finland. Furthermore, Persson won the Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament in his hometown of Malmö in 2008 with an impressive 712 points.

4. Jung Min Seo

Full Name: Jung Min Seo

Title: International Master (2021)

FIDE Master (2017)

Born: January 1, 2002

Place of birth: Sweden

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 587

Rapid: 2434

Blitz: 2455

Classical: 2516

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Pia Cramling, a Swedish chess legend, was awarded the title of International Master in 2020 and had the best start at the Swedish National Championships, which were held in Helsingborg in early July. Cramling led after five rounds with 3.5/5, defeating eventual champion Jung Min Seo in round four. Cramling drew against Jonathan Westerberg in round six, while Jung Min Seo defeated Axel Smith to overtake Cramling at the top. Round seven was drawn for both leaders. Jung Min Seo defeated veteran Jonny Hector, the Swedish Champion of 200, in round 8.

3. Blomqvist Erik

Full Name: Blomqvist Erik

Title: Grandmaster (2013)

International Master (2008)

Born: October 19, 1990

Place of Birth: Sweden

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 540

Rapid: 2491

Blitz: 2409

Classical: 2523

Peak rating: 2661 ( July 2022)

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Blomqvist, Erik is a two times victor of the Swedish Chess tournament. In 2011, Erik placed third to eighth in the Västerberg Open, alongside Jonathan Westerberg, Ralf Kesson, Stellan Brynell, Kim Nygren, and Christopher Krantz. In the Elite Hotels Open in 2015, Erik shared second place with Drazen Dragicevic, Yuri Solodovnichenko, and Ralf kesson. In 2016, Erik won the Swedish Chess Championship with a score of 7.5/9 points, finishing two points ahead of Nils Grandelius, who came second. As of July 2020, Erik is the No. 6 ranked Swedish player. In 2019, Erik won the Swedish Championship for the second time.

2. Evgenij Agrest

Full Name: Evgenij Agrest

Title: Grandmaster (1997)

International Master (1991)

Born: August 15, 1966

Place of Birth: Vitebsk, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 325

Rapid: 2576

Blitz: 2552

Classical: 2567

Peak rating: 2616 (January 2004)

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Evgenij Agrest was awarded the GM title in 1997. He has four Swedish titles- 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2004; three Nordic titles-2001 together with Artur Kogan, 2003 with Curt Hansen, and 2005. Agrest shared the first-sixth place in the European Union Tournament in 2010, finishing third in deciding set.

1. Nils Grandelius

Full Name: Nils Grandelius

Title: Grandmaster (2010)

International Master (2008)

FIDE Master (2007)

Born: June 3, 1993

Place of Birth: Lund, Sweden

Federation: Sweden

Ratings

World ranking: 95

Rapid: 2652

Blitz: 2617

Classical: 2651

Peak rating: 2694 (March 2019)

Profiles

  • FIDE
  • Chessgames.com

Nils Grandelius was awarded the Grandmaster title in 2010, the International Master title in 2008, and the FIDE Master title in 2007. Grandelius shared 2nd place in the Under-16 category of the 2008 European Youth Chess Championships, finishing fourth on tie break. That same year, Grandelius won the Olomouc Open in the Czech Republic with a score of 6.5 points from 9 games. He won bronze in the Under 18 category at the 2010 World Youth Chess Championships. Grandelius won gold in the identical age bracket the following year at the European Youth Championships in Albena, Bulgaria. Grandelius finished third in the 20th Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament in Malmö in 2012. Subsequently, that year, Grandelius tied for third place in the World Junior Championship in Athens, finishing fourth in the deciding set.

That concludes the list of the best Swedish Chess players. If you like list posts like this, you may also be interested in seeing the ten best Chilean Chess players or the best Angolan Chess players.

Sources

  1. http://en.chessbase.com/post/sigeman-caruana-wins-sigeman-with-2852-performance
  2. https://en.chessbase.com/post/carlsen-vs-caruana-an-interview-mit-rustam-kasimdzhanov-second-of-caruana
  3. http://chess-results.com/tnr178422.aspx?lan=16&art=1&rd=9&turdet=YES&flag=30&wi=984
  4. http://www.fide.com/ratings/trarc.phtml?event16=0976&codt=18
  5. http://www.chessdom.com/interview-with-evgenij-agrest-first-we-take-abu-dhabi-then-the-chess-world/
  6. http://www.olimpbase.org/players/yeuy4wof.html
  7. https://ratings.fide.com/title_applications.phtml?details=1&id=1709437&title=GM&pb=37
  8. http://chess-results.com/tnr554041.aspx?lan=1&art=4&turdet=YES&flag=30
  9. https://en.chessbase.com/post/erik-blomqvist-swedish-champion-2016
  10. http://www.usgo.org/news/2015/03/chess-grandmaster-tiger-hillarp-achieves-shodan
  11. https://sagarteacheschess.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-modern-tiger.html
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20170111002113/http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/gib2008/publicity_eng/competitors.html
  13. http://chess-results.com/tnr81886.aspx?lan=1&art=4&turdet=YES&flag=30
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