Stephen John Solomon (born 24 July 1963) is an Australian

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

(IM). He became a

FIDE Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

(FM) in 1986, and an

(IM) in 1990. He won the Australian Junior Chess Championship in 1980 and the

Australian Chess Championship The Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is largely restricted to Australian chess players, although it is common to allow a small number of strong overs ...

in 2008.

Chess career

Solomon learnt to play chess when he was six years old from his parents, who were both chess players. His early successes included several Victorian Junior Championship victories, and winning the Australian Junior Championship in Canberra in 1980. His family moved to Queensland in 1985 and he has been based there since. Solomon has represented Australia in ten

Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in FIDE Onli ...

s between 1984 and 2012, usually on board 3 (four times), or board 4 (four times), although he played top board in the 1998 Olympiad in Elista. He has won or jointly won the

Australian Masters The Australian Masters was an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia held in Victoria, Australia from 1979 to 2015. History The tournament is the brainchild of schoolteacher David Inglis. The Australian Masters was intended to ...

international chess tournament seven times between since 1989, most recently in 2009 and 2010. He also won the 2004 Victorian Masters and 2004 Hardy's Classic. Solomon tied for first place with

Darryl Johansen Darryl Keith Johansen (born 4 February 1959 in Melbourne) is an Australian chess grandmaster. He has won the Australian Chess Championship a record six times (in 1984, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2002, and 2012), and represented Australia at fourteen Che ...

in the 1984 Australian Chess Championship but lost the play-off match. He won the

in 2008 however, since first-placed GM Dejan Antic was not eligible for the title. Solomon won the 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012 Queensland championships and the 2009 Queensland Open. Solomon competed in the Oceania Zonal Chess Championships of 2005 (Auckland) and 2009 (Gold Coast), finishing =2nd with a score of 6.5/9 in the 2009 event. Solomon's consistent results in Australian weekenders have won him the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...

in 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2011.Australian Grand Prix Winners
Australian Chess Federation, retrieved Dec 2012 He was also awarded the Steiner Medal for Australian Chess Player of the Year in 1997. Solomon currently lives in Queensland and he is married to Janeen Solomon, 1989 Queensland Women's Chess Champion.

Notable games

Stephen Solomon vs Anthony Miles, Australian Championship (1991), Modern Defence: Accelerated Gurgenidze, (B07), 1-0

Stephen Solomon vs Gawain Jones, Australian Championship (2010), Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, (B70), 1-0

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Stephen Chess International Masters Chess Olympiad competitors Chess players from Melbourne 20th-century Australian chess players 1963 births Living people 21st-century Australian chess players