Jon Hammer

In 2007, Hammer completed all requirements for the International Master title. Hammer gained his first GM norm in the Cappelle-la-Grande Open in 2007, the second in Denmark in 2008, and a third in European Chess Club Cup later that year. The short length of those tournaments, however, meant he needed a fourth norm to gain the GM title. This norm was achieved when Hammer won outright a jubilee tournament at Gjøvik arranged at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. In the final round against Mateusz Bartel, Hammer secured his Grandmaster title with a draw.

Hammer scored a 2792 rating performance on Norway’s top board during the 2009 European Team Chess Championship in Novi Sad, where his +4−0=5 score made him one of the top individual scorers. In 2011, Hammer suffered setbacks in the “B” section of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, and the Aeroflot Open. He rebounded with a good result in the Reykjavik Open, where he finished with 7/9, and in 5th place on tiebreaks. As the best Nordic player, Hammer became Norway’s first Nordic Chess Champion since Simen Agdestein in 1992.