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{{Short description|Norwegian chess grandmaster and footballer (born 1967)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Simen Agdestein
| image       = Simen Agdestein NM Bergen 2009.jpg
| caption     = Agdestein at the Norwegian Chess Championship in Bergen, July 2009
| full_name   = <!-- if different -->
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1967|5|15}}
| birth_place = [[Asker]], Norway
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| nationality = Norwegian
| spouse      = {{marriage|[[Marianne Aasen]]|1996|2008|reason=divorced}}
| module      = {{Infobox chess biography
| title = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (1985)
| embed = yes
| peakranking = No. 16 (July 1989)
| peakrating = 2637 (July 2014)
| FideID = 1500015
}}
| module2     = {{Infobox football biography
  | embed          = yes
  | name           = 
  | image          = 
  | nocat_wdimage  = yes <!--skip Wikidata image check, image exists in the infobox above-->
  | height         = 1.88 m
  | position       = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
  | years1         = 1984–1992
  | clubs1         = [[FK Lyn|Lyn]]<ref name="Simen Agdestein som Lynspiller">{{cite web |url=http://www.lynfotball.net/Lyn_Spiller.asp?id=134 |title=Simen Agdestein som Lynspiller |publisher= |accessdate=4 December 2016}}</ref>
  | caps1          = 92
  | goals1         = 37
  | nationalyears1 = 1988–1989
  | nationalteam1  = [[Norway national football team|Norway]]
  | nationalcaps1  = 8
  | nationalgoals1 = 1
  }}
}}
'''Simen Agdestein''' (born 15 May 1967) is a [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[chess grandmaster]], chess coach, author, and former professional [[association football|footballer]] as a [[Striker (association football)|striker]] for the [[Norway national football team]].

Agdestein won nine [[Norwegian Chess Championship]]s between 1982 and 2023. He is also the former coach of [[Magnus Carlsen]], and brother of Carlsen's manager, [[Espen Agdestein]]. He has written and co-written several books on chess, including a biography of Carlsen.

==Chess career==
Agdestein became Norwegian national champion at the age of 15, an [[International Master]] at 16 and a grandmaster at 18.

On a local level, his regular dominance of the [[Nordic Chess Championship|Nordic]] and [[Norwegian Chess Championship]]s during the 1980s amply demonstrated that there were few players who could resist his enterprising and inventive style. In international competition, he finished second at the 1986 [[World Junior Chess Championship|World Junior Championship]] behind [[Walter Arencibia]] and ahead of [[Evgeny Bareev]], [[Viswanathan Anand]] and [[Jeroen Piket]]. A little later, his Elo rating rose to over 2600.

In the late 1980s, Agdestein combined top-flight chess with a full-time football career, representing his country at both.<ref>{{cite web |title=Landslaget |url=http://geocities.com/thomsof/landslaget/landslaget.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027121446/http://geocities.com/thomsof/landslaget/landslaget.html |archive-date=27 October 2009 |access-date=26 July 2025 |website=GeoCities |publisher=Yahoo!}}</ref> In the early 1990s, a knee injury cut short his football activities. In 1999, Agdestein returned to winning ways, topping the Cappelle la Grande tournament that year and the [[Isle of Man]] tournament in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/malcolmpein/3604163/Agdestein-nets-a-winner.html |work=[[Daily Telegraph]] |last=Pein |first=Malcolm |date=8 October 2003 |accessdate=6 June 2010 |title=Agdestein nets a winner}}</ref> Agdestein scored two tournament victories in 2013, when he won the Open Sant Martí in [[Barcelona]] with 8½ points out of 9 possible, with a rating performance of 2901,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nettavisen.no/sjakk/article3653397.ece |title=Simen (46) vant storturnering i Spania |last=Valaker |first=Ole |date=21 July 2013 |publisher=Nettavisen |language=Norwegian |accessdate=21 July 2013 |archive-date=25 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825084356/http://www.nettavisen.no/sjakk/article3653397.ece |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Oslo Chess International-Håvard Vederhus' Memorial with 7 points out of 9.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nettavisen.no/sjakk/article3690514.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131008004351/http://www.nettavisen.no/sjakk/article3690514.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 October 2013 |title=- Han spiller som han var 23 år! |last=Valaker |first=Ole |date=6 October 2013 |publisher=Nettavisen |language=Norwegian |accessdate=6 October 2013 }}, [http://tournamentservice.com/standings.aspx?TID=OsloChessInternational2013-AkademiskSjakklubb Crosstable] of Oslo Chess International (TournamentService)</ref>

Agdestein has represented his country seven times at the [[Chess Olympiad]], mostly playing first board and winning an individual (board 4) gold medal at his first appearance in [[25th Chess Olympiad|1982]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olimpbase.org/players/o6ci8m0g.html |title=OlimpBase :: Men's Chess Olympiads :: Simen Agdestein |first=Wojciech |last=Bartelski |publisher= |accessdate=4 December 2016}}</ref>

As a player of the white pieces, he shows a preference for the [[Queen's Pawn Game|queen pawn openings]], while with Black, favours the [[Ruy Lopez]], [[Dutch Defence]] and [[Semi-Open Game]]s.

Agdestein works at the sports academy {{interlanguage link|Norges Toppidrettsgymnas|no}}, where he teaches chess and football. He has been a chess coach to many young talents, including world champion [[Magnus Carlsen]].

His handle on the [[Internet Chess Club]] (ICC) is "[[Piet Hein (scientist)|Gruk]]".

==Football career==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=3 | Club performance
! colspan=2 | League
! colspan=2 | Cup
! colspan=2 | Total
|-
! Season !! Club !! League
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
|-
|-
! colspan=3 | Norway
! colspan=2 | League
! colspan=2 | [[Norwegian Football Cup|Norwegian Cup]]
! colspan=2 | Total
|-
| [[1984 Norwegian Second Division|1984]]|| rowspan="9" | [[FC Lyn Oslo|Lyn Oslo]]<ref name="Simen Agdestein som Lynspiller">{{cite web |url=http://www.lynfotball.net/Lyn_Spiller.asp?id=134 |title=Simen Agdestein som Lynspiller |publisher= |accessdate=4 December 2016}}</ref> || [[Norwegian First Division|2. divisjon (A)]]|| 2 || 0 || colspan="2" | - || 2 || 0
|-
| 1985 || [[Norwegian Second Division|3. divisjon (A)]]|| 4 || 1 || colspan="2" | - || 4 || 1
|-
| 1986 || 3. divisjon (B)|| 4 || 1 || colspan="2" | - || 4 || 1
|-
| [[1987 Norwegian Second Division|1987]]|| rowspan="2" | 2. divisjon (A)|| 19 || 8 || colspan="2" | - || 19 || 8
|-
| [[1988 Norwegian Second Division|1988]]|| 17 || 13 || 1 || 0 || 18 || 13
|-
| [[1989 Norwegian Second Division|1989]]|| rowspan="2" | 2. divisjon (B)|| 17 || 5 || colspan="2" | - || 17 || 5
|-
| [[1990 Norwegian Second Division|1990]]|| 17 || 8 || 3 || 0 || 20 || 8
|-
| [[Norwegian Premier League 1991|1991]] || rowspan="2" | [[Norwegian Premier League|Tippeligaen]] || 2 || 0 || colspan="2" | - || 2 || 0
|-
| [[Norwegian Premier League 1992|1992]] || 10 || 1 || 2 || 6 || 12 || 7
|-
! rowspan=1 | Total
! colspan=2 | Norway
! 92 || 37 || 6 || 6 || 98 || 43
|-
! colspan=3 | Career total
! 92 || 37 || 6 || 6 || 98 || 43
|}

==Personal life==
He was born in Oslo as a son of civil engineer Reidar Frank Agdestein (1927–2002) and secretary Unni Jørgensen (1934–).<ref name=nbl>{{cite encyclopedia |year= |title=Simen Agdestein |encyclopedia=[[Norsk biografisk leksikon]] |first=Øystein |last=Brekke |editor=Helle, Knut |editor-link=Knut Helle |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Simen_Agdestein/utdypning |language=Norwegian |accessdate=3 February 2012}}</ref> He is a maternal grandson of runner and botanist [[Reidar Jørgensen]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Navn i nyhetene: Simen Agdestein |author=Bøckman, Knut |work=[[Aftenposten]] |date=19 September 1989 |page=6 |language=Norwegian}}</ref> In 1995, he was awarded a master's degree from the Department of Political Science at the [[University of Oslo]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1995 |title=Regionalt samarbeid versus apartheid :  SADCC-landenes bestrebelser på å redusere transportavhengigheten til Sør-Afrika på 1980-tallet |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/14709 |journal=duo.uio.no |language=en |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230407000340/https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/14709 |archive-date=2023-04-07}}</ref> In October 1996, he married [[Marianne Aasen]], a later Member of Parliament.<ref name=nbl /> The couple had three children, but separated in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seher.no/786028/her-er-skal-vi-danse-bruddene |work=[[Se og Hør]] |last=Ekker |first=Bjørn |date=12 September 2008 |accessdate=3 February 2012 |title=Her er "Skal vi danse"-bruddene |language=Norwegian |archive-date=25 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125164426/http://www.seher.no/786028/her-er-skal-vi-danse-bruddene |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Bibliography==
Source: [[BIBSYS]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bibsys.no/ |title=BIBSYS – Vi gjør kunnskap tilgjengelig |publisher= |accessdate=4 December 2016 |archive-date=15 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215013851/http://www.bibsys.no/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===As an author or co-author===
* ''Sjakkleksjoner med Simen Agdestein'' (1987)
* ''GATT, u-landene og miljøet : rapport fra en konferanse i Oslo 20. og 21. oktober 1994'' (1994)
* ''Regionalt samarbeid versus apartheid : SADCC-landenes bestrebelser på å redusere transportavhengigheten til Sør-Afrika på 1980-tallet'' (1995) (Master thesis, University of Oslo)
* ''Simens sjakkbok'' (1997)
* ''Et hefte om internasjonalisering'' (1998)
* ''Den unge sjakkspiller'' (2001)
* ''Sjakk: Fra første trekk til sjakkmatt'' (2002)
* ''Wonderboy : how [[Magnus Carlsen]] became the youngest chess grandmaster in the world : the story and the games'' (2004)
* ''Sjakk'' (2007)

===Books about Agdestein===
* Arne Danielsen, Bjarte Leer-Salvesen, Bjarke Sahl, Atle Grønn. ''Simen Agdestein'' (2008)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{chessgames player|id=14040}}
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess2/agd_eng.htm Tim Krabbe article]
* {{NFT player|pid=35580}}

{{Norwegian GMs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agdestein, Simen}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Chess Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess Olympiad competitors]]
[[Category:Norwegian chess players]]
[[Category:Norwegian chess writers]]
[[Category:Norwegian columnists]]
[[Category:Norwegian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Norway men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Lyn Fotball players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Asker Municipality]]
[[Category:20th-century Norwegian sportsmen]]