chess
Discovering My Passion
I stumbled upon chess in 1977 when I was 12 years old. At the same time, I began playing the piano and composing music. What an incredible discovery it turned out to be! I became completely captivated by the game, and whenever I had a moment away from school and homework, I was either studying or playing chess. The more I explored this fascinating world, the more my desire to learn grew… Many fellow chess players can relate to this deep passion and excitement for the game because, much like art, chess offers an endless journey of self-expression on the board.
Initially, I played chess with friends at school, but it didn’t take long to realize that I craved tougher competition. That’s when I decided to join my local chess club. The next step felt clear: I needed a coach. Thankfully, my mother found Bryan Backmansson, one of the strongest players in town. He was such a warm-hearted person who welcomed me as his student. Our training sessions together were just the beginning. I’ll forever be thankful for his guidance as he led me down this wonderful path in chess.
Studying chess with Bryan Backmansson in 1978.
The Chess Journey and Inspiration
After diving into all the chess books I could find, I discovered Bobby Fischer’s brilliance, and I was completely captivated! I meticulously studied his best games to understand what made him one of the greatest players ever. Besides studying at home, I continued my chess journey with Bryan, participating in local tournaments. As I started to enjoy chess even more, it became clear that chess would be a significant part of my life in the future.
Studying chess in 1979.
In 1980, Grandmaster Rafael Vaganian came to Finland for a simul, and I traveled to Helsinki to participate in the event. At that time, Vaganian was a strong Grandmaster (No. 4 in 1985 and peak rating 2670 in 2005), and he also won the Soviet Championship in 1989. Check out the critical position below:
GM Rafael Vaganian – Sebastian Korman, 1980, Helsinki
My last move was 35. a4! I thought I had a winning position. If I remember correctly, I was the last to play in the simul, so Vaganian started blitzing his moves, leaving me no time to think or write down the rest. Somehow, he kept the position in balance. In the end, we agreed to a draw. I was disappointed with the result, but I still think I played a solid game against such a strong grandmaster after studying chess for a couple of years!
I participated in several tournaments, which improved my skills and helped me achieve better results. In 1981, I played in the Nordic Youth School Championship in Sweden, where I secured second place. The winner was Curt Hansen from Denmark, who became a world champion (U20) in three years and a strong grandmaster (No. 18 and a top rating of 2635 in 1992). I got a draw against him in the final round.
The Nordic Championship silver medal in 1981.
Tournament Victories and Finnish & World Championships
I continued improving my skills with my second coach, Raimo Tuusvuori, a strong local player. In the following years, I tried to play as many tournaments as possible in Finland and internationally. I started to win local tournaments, my hometown’s championships, the Finnish Chess Federation championships in two categories (U16 & U20), and other open tournaments in Finland. Then, it was time to participate for the first time in the Finnish Chess Championship (U20) in 1983 when I was 17 years old. It was the toughest tournament of my life, but I managed to share the win. This guaranteed me a rematch, which I won. So, I became the Finnish Champion. Because of this victory, I could play in the World Championship (U20) in France.
The next year, the same thing happened: I won the Finnish Championship (U20) and participated in the World Championship (U20), this time in Kiljava, Finland. In the first round of this tournament, I achieved the most important victory of my chess career when I defeated the current Soviet Champion (U20), Lembit Oll. In a few years, he became a strong Grandmaster (No. 25 and peak rating of 2650 in 1998).
Check out the critical position of our game below:
Sebastian Korman – Lembit Oll,
August 3, 1984, Kiljava
The game was paused at this position, with my sealed move being 40. Nf3! I took the initiative by activating my rook. The game continued: 40. -, Rxf5 41. Rxe3, Kf8 42. Nd4, Re5 43. Rf3+, Ke8 44. Bc6+, Kd8 45. Rf7, Rh4 46. Rd7+, Ke8 47. Rxd6+, Ke7 48. Rd7+, Kf6 49. Nf3… And Black resigned.
In this tournament, I played against strong opponents like Berge Ostenstad, Alexey Dreev, Viswanathan Anand, and Alfonso Romero Holmes. As a result of my performance, my ELO rating reached 2295, and I also achieved the National Master title (NM).
Analyzing chess in 1984.
New Challenges
My next significant event was the European Championship (U20) held in Groningen, Netherlands, in 1984/1985. This tournament proved challenging as I realized there was more to life than just relentless chess study and competition year after year. After many years of pursuing chess professionally, I rekindled my passion for music composition and experienced diminished creative freedom in chess. This shift in emotion gradually drew me towards music and art rather than chess. This is why the European Championship did not reflect my best performance. In 1986, I participated in an International Chess Festival in Italy with reasonable results but it marked the end of my competitive chess playing.
Slowly, I shifted my focus toward composing music. During that first spring in Italy, I dedicated myself to preparing a new program for my first classical concert in Finland, scheduled for 1987. Upon returning to Finland, I continued to finalize my compositions. At the same time, it was challenging to study chess as before. Occasionally, I participated in team games over the following years.
Online Chess
Between 2006 and 2008, when I had more free time away from other music and art projects, I revisited my interest in chess. The game had evolved considerably since my earlier experiences, largely due to the rise of online play and advancements in computer technology. This development motivated me to evaluate how much I could improve my online rating and discover my highest rating. As a result, I dedicated myself to playing Blitz games daily for hours. During those two years, I ranked among the top 10 players on the Playchess.com site many times, while Hikaru Nakamura led the rankings with 2900+ ratings. My rating reached 2709, and I won some of the top 100 classical FIDE-rated players.
Here is one example of those games: it is against Russian Grandmaster Alexander Galkin (peak ranking No. 96 in 2006 and peak rating 2626 in 2012). You can review the critical position from our game below:
GM Alexander Galkin 2773 – NM Sebastian Korman 2651,
August 15, 2007, Playchess.com
Here, I sacrificed my rook 36. -, Rxc2+! The game finished shortly: 37. Kd1, Rxb2 38. Bb1, Rxb1 39. Qxb1, Qxf3+ 40. Kd2, Bf4+ 41. Kc2, Qxe4+ 42. Kc3, Qd4+ 43. Kb3, Qb4+ 44. Ka2 and white resigned in a hopeless position.
The Chess Journey Continues
After testing my limits in online chess, I knew I couldn’t play 15 hours a day. It was enjoyable, but it left little room for other activities, so I decisively reduced my extensive online playing time. Years later, I decided that it was my turn to share my chess knowledge with others who wanted to improve their skills. Just as my coaches Bryan and Raimo supported me at the beginning of my chess journey, I am determined to support others on their chess path. I am happy to continue their legacy. I began accepting students and have since taught dozens from all over the world. Check out my coach profile page from here.
In the last decade, I have played in some tournaments when I had more time for chess. My most recent victory was in Lisbon in 2013, where I won the rapid tournament (with more than 50 players, the result was 6.5/7). Today, I’m continuing my chess journey as a coach, and I love every minute of it. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the joy in my students’ eyes as they learn new things about chess.