Ameet Ghasi became England’s 42nd and latest grandmaster last weekend when the 37-year-old from Birmingham finished third with 6.5/9 in the international tournament at Fagernes, Norway.
Ghasi, an amateur who works full-time for Biogen, is the oldest English player ever to qualify for the GM title, which requires three norms at 2600 level plus a published Fide rating of 2500. He has been trying for his final norm for a few years now, and the decisive trigger came from help from the new Department for Culture, Media and Sport grant for elite chess, which enabled him to target Fagernes as a norm prospect and to prepare for the event well in advance. His best win there was against a Norwegian GM, where Ghasi attacked, broke through with a rook for bishop sacrifice, then finished with a checkmate on the board.
