After an exciting last round draw against Nigel Short, Magnus Carlsen won the London Chess Classic ahead of Vladimir Kramnik. Carlsen will top the official rating list in January 2010, making him the youngest world nr 1 ever.

Carlsen will also be the first western player since the legendary Bobby Fischer to top the ELO list. Carlsen's elo in January will be 2810, 5 points more than number two Veselin Topalov.

First and second in London: Magnus Carlsen (left) and Vladimir Kramnik    

Carlsen was not the only Norwegian who made a great result in London. His former classmate, 19-year-old Jon Ludvig Hammer, won the open group with the fantastic score 8/9. He played two draws and won seven games, many of them against Grandmasters and International Masters. Hammer's ELO will be well above 2600 on the January ELO list, which means that Norway now have two super-GMs. The prospects are indeed good for the 2014 Olympiad.

GM Jon Ludvig Hammer, Norway's number two

Let's have a look at how Jon Ludvig Hammer beat the English Grandmaster Neil McDonald.

Jon Ludvig Hammer - Neil McDonald

25.Rh4! Hammer threatens mate, so the reply is forced.
25...h5
26.Qc3 Threatens a discovered check, so that black must put his queen on g7....
26...Qg7 ...but g7 was the black king's only square. After the nice queen manuever
27.Qf3 black cannot stop 28.Rxh5 with mate to follow. Therefore, black resigned. 1-0

More on the London Chess Classic at the tournament website and at Chessbase.