Tomas Bragesjö

Club player

I started to play at clublevel in 9th grade in 1997 since some of my class mates at school was members and they took me to the club. Before that I had played lots of Chess vs the already clubmembers since 7th grade. I only played in two dedicated major junior tournaments, both in in 1997. The first was a local event in Eskilstuna where I think I ended up in the middle and the other was a district event in Västerås where think I ended up in lower half since I met several establiched players and I was green.

I did only play a half season vs pure juniors at the club, the junior trainer moved and start to work in Norway and no one took over so I almost exclusived play in adult secton at club and got virtuell no help when I started at club even in basic training. Several other juniors, like my class mates, left the club when the trainer left except two already well establiched players and one of them asked me to join him in the regional junor event in Västerås in 1997.

When I started at adult section I went to local library and borrowed books and slowly improved and started to buy Chess books and reached 1600 old Swedish LASK rating level. LASK rating was later removed in 2016 and only Elo system is used. The first Chess book I bought was "Winning with The Kings gambit" by Joe Gallagher. A book I bring with me on all tournaments in other citys are "Starting out 1 e4" by Neil McDonald even thought I in many cases play other lines today.

Later in about 2012 I increased much in rating and playing strength when I bought and started to study Everymans "Move by Move" series about individual old masters and I reached over 1900 level at peek Elo, this is before FIDE rating rules changes in Mars 2024 where one time rating deflation compensaton points was added for Elo lower than 2000, 0.4 x (2000 – Elo), as well as other inflation creating changes. An other factor is that I switched openings towards more practical and managable lines.

Roles

I have been member of board at Eskilstuna SK for a very long time with different roles. I am currently secretary at both Eskilstuna SK and at Södermanland SF. I have also been Junior trainer at Eskilstuna SK, regular board member at both Eskilstuna SK and at Södermanland SF and janitor/steward (materialförvaltare) at Eskilstuna SK.

Tournaments

Originally I only played in local events and team matches but later two clubmates and I played in lot of events togheter including Swedish Chess Championships and open tournaments in the entire Sweden. I have played from Luleå in north to Helsningborg in south and played at Gotland as well. However after pandemic I rarely play in other none Eskilstuna SK events except some mini Weekend Swedish Chess Championship groups.

Evolution during pandemic years

After 2020 I become a better player thanks to online events almost every day. I became more ambitious in my play. I discovered that online play is the best training method that exists since one can see exactly where one went wrong and one also learns openings better in practical play.

After and during pandemic I got several medals in both Eskilstuna SK Club Championships as well as in Eskilstuna City Championships and have I become a major top 3 contender in every Eskilstuna event I play in.

My golden age and why I will take a break in spring 2025

My best results was played in events that started directly after that online pandemic seasons in April 2020 was created and it lasted untill some years after pandemic, my best results era ended in summerbreak 2024. During this timeframe I won many Eskilstuna SK medals in different controls in both online events and in over the board events including 2nd place in classical time control with same points as the winner. I also got 2nd place in entire "Södermanlands Öppna DM".

But it has become clear that all Chess played has finally taken its toll. I have started to make more blunders in online events and I have not played a single good classical time control game during both summer 2024 and the enitre autom 2024. It is clear that I need more rest to focus on other things and I have Chess books I had not have time to read as well. In spring 2025 I will therefore take a break and only play in blitz and rapid events at local club and play in a few selected online events untill I recovered and read a couple of books and reformed openings repertour.

Correspondence Chess

I started to play Correspondence Chess in 2016 and got the title ICCF Correspondence Chess Expert in 2021 and the higher title ICCF Correspondence Chess Master in 2023.

Players I met

The best players I met in none online events are GM Ulf Andersson, GM Pia Cramling and GM Ivan Sokolov, all in simultan games. Notable opponent I met in rated none online events are GM Jonathan Westerberg, GM Thomas Ernst, GM Juan Manuel Bellon Lopez and WFM Anna Cramling. In online events I also met several famues players for example the former Swedish champions GM Ralf Åkesson, IM Dan Cramling , IM Michael Wiedenkeller and IM Axel Ornstein. I also met GM Bassem Amin, a 2700 player FIDE Elo from Egypt who plays for Wasa. I also met Correspondence Chess GM Ingvar Carlsson in online blitz and rapid events.

I also met countless of titled players like GM:s in online events but most players are anonymous, only title displayed before handle. In Correspondence Chess I have met several titled players including a back then top 6 rated GM.

Chess games

Click here for some sample club level Chess games.

Young me at chessboard 1

Photo by Eva Bragesjö.

Young me at chessboard 2

Photo by Eva Bragesjö.

Style of play

I made some tests and the player I remind most of is the former World Champion Anand. The style is called Natural player for example at https://www.chesspersonality.com. Like Anand I have very good score in blitz and rapid events. Like Anand I play fast and we prefere same type of positions with attacking chanses and trusts intuition more than exakt calculation.

Viswanathan Anand is by the way the World Champion who won the title in most ways. He won it in a FIDE Knockout event, he won it in a Round Robin event, he won the title in classial match play and he defended hes title in classical match play.

Favorite openings

My strength with the white pieces are in "Open Games" (e4 e5) and "Sicilian defence" (e4 c5) and lowest score is vs "Alekhine" and "Pirc/Modern". The reason for this is that most players better than me like titled players play "Alekhine" or "Pirc/Modern" in a higher degree than typical club players that I have normal result vs in these lines. But the paradox is that when I play white pieces vs better players than me, like titled players, I have better score vs them in for example "Sicilian defence" than in the openings I mentioned as lowest score in. I have also a surprising very good score in "Spanish Four Knights" since club players rarely knows theory on that line but I prefere "Ruy Lopez" vs better opponents. I also play "Kings Gambit" from time to time.

With the black pieces I have played varios defences vs 1 e4 but my best scores are in "Sicilian Dragon", where I beaten several titled players. I have also good score as black in "Nimzo Indian Defence" where I won over several titled players. My lowest score with black are vs flank openings. The reason are that these kind of none forcing transposing openings like 1 Nf3 and 1 c4 are more often played by stronger players than me like titled players while I have normal results in these openings vs club players.

The line I dislike most to face is black vs "London System". Its not that I loses but it leads to very boring positions where black eqalises but at costs of no play left for neither side in the position. I have also better results in mainstream openings than in sidelines, perhaps related to that I am more comfortable in lines that I know theory on by heart.

Official photo from Swedish Chess championship 2015. Photo by Lars OA Hedlund

Official photo from Hasselbacken Open 2018. Photo by Lars OA Hedlund

Official photo from Robert Spångberg minnesturnering 2024. Photo by Lars OA Hedlund

Peek Elo

In Mars 2024 a one time rating deflation compensaton points was added for all times controls one was rated in as well as serval inflation creating rules for those who gets new Elo. Before Mars 2024 my peek Elo in classical play was 1907, my peek Elo in rapid was 1935 and peek Elo in blitz was 1909. I lost some blitz Elo and rapid Elo directly after pandemic was over do to not used to check the clock, when playing online the clock is visible all the time. My peek rating in the old and obsolete Swedish LASK rating system was 1886.

After the rules changes my peek Elo in classical play is 1932, my peek Elo in rapid is 1891 and my peek Elo in blitz is 1925. I played in a rapid event in Stockholm that was calculated in same period as compensation points was added where I met a couple of underrated 1300 juniors who knew 30 moves of concrete cutting opening theory so I lost Elo after draws so I got lower rapid as direct effect even after compensation points. The juniors I met even won over and played draws vs several 1800 players in the very event, a clear indication of deflation and erros in old FIDE system.

Best results

My best results in Classic time control are 2nd place in Eskilstuna SK Club Championship in Chess 2023, 2nd place in Eskilstuna Chess Championship in 2022 and 2nd place in Distric Championship in 2022. I also got 3rd place in Eskilstuna Chess Championship in 2023 and in Eskilstuna Chess Championship in 2024. I also got 3rd place in Eskilstuna Chess Championship in 2011 that was a way tougher event than any other of my top 3 results in classical time control I ever played. After Corona pandemic many stronger players stopped to play at club events so I have practical become nr 2 or 3 in Eskilstuna SK club play. Hower many players that rarely are at club still play team matches. I have also been the districts 3rd best player 3 times in Distric Championship.

I also won rating prices in both "Hasselbacken Open" and in "Trettondagsblixten". I also got 2nd place in my class in Swedish Championship a couple of times.

Even before pandemic I also have also got lots of top 3 best scorer results in Eskilstuna SK club championships and Eskilstuna city championships in blitz and rapid. Here is small example of a few of these events. I have also reached 2nd place in Kungsörs christmas blitz when I was invited there once in 2014. I have also got several top 3 best scorer results in the Eskilstuna SK combined blitz and rapid event "Blixtsnabben", but I missed 7th edition since I was sick and missed both 8th edition and 9th edition since I worked in Stockholm.

Eskilstuna SK Club Championship in Chess 2023

Eskilstuna Chess Championship 2022

Eskilstuna Chess championship 2023

Eskilstuna Chess championship 2024

Eskilstuna SK clubchampionship in rapid Chess in 2022

Online events

Eskilstuna SK club championship in online Chess 2022

Eskilstuna SK club championship in online Chess 2023

Mentioned in Tidskrift för Schack

Tidskrift för Schack, number 2019:4

Tidskrift för Schack, number 2021:1

Informal club events

At local club, I have often better score in informal club events than in official events. I also play better online than offline. Maybee I am more relaxed in these events? I have both won a few informal club events, including both alone and shared 1st place and got lots of top 3 best scorer results. Bellow is two samples where we used computer pairing. I took screenshots from Eskilstuna SK news page.

Sommarblixten 2022

Upptaktsblixt 2023

Allsvenskan

I like to play team matches. I have played in everything from Superettan to Södermanlandsserien. I also played in division 1 before Superettan existed. I played my first matches for Eskilstuna SK 1 in 1999 division 1 playoff. I have played for Eskilstuna in Svenska Cupen as well.

My first team match was in 1997 when Eskilstuna SK III met Eskilstuna Finska Förening. It was play at Elite Hotel Statt since the normal club house was busy. I surpised everyone by playing a draw with the black pieces in Queens Indian defence vs the 1600 player Kalle Saren.

My most memorable none online season was in Superettan where I even won over a FM when I was black in Sicilian Dragon. I scored 4 of 8 that season.

Online

My more memorable season was played during the Corona pandemic where different online series started. I met lots of strong players I normal never mets like several former Swedish Champions and other titled players.

I evolved much that season and become Eskilstuna SK best scorer multiple times in both blitz divisions and in rapid divisions. I still play online matches for different teams where our orignally local distric teams Sodermanlands SF plays in elite division in the gigantic Lichess Bundesliga from time to time.

I am Team Captain for the Swedish Team in The Battle of the Baltic Sea that is unoffical event where each country with coat of Baltic Sea has a team. It was gigantic the first times with more than 400 players now its a minor event with 40 players.

Södermanlandsserien

As both player and Team Captain of Eskilstuna SK II, I have lead the team to victory in the entire Södermanlands serien (local districs division) many times. After some seasons the district bought a trophy where Eskilstuna got the first 2 inscriptions and got some more later.

Södermanlandsserien has historic had teams from Eskilstuna, Kungsör, Strängnäs, Nyköping, Katrineholm , Snabba Löparen and Mixed team as competitive teams. However, some teams did not play in different seasons, some dropped off and some others entered or returned. Södermanlandsseriens time control has changed during the years. Originally it was 30 moves in 1,5 hours and 30 minutes extra time after that. However in the 2016/2017 season the divisions time controls became switched towards rapid games instead where all teams played at the same place, once at autumn and once at spring. However the timecontrol has not been identical even within standardtime and rapid game seasons. For example since the 2018/2019 seasons all games where play the same day meaning even shorter rapid games.

Eskilstuna is the only team that has played in all seasons and has also won the division the most times, and is also the only team that has won the division in all time controls. I have been Team Captain all seasons. The highest rated team does not always win, Eskilstuna SK has sometimes won the event where other teams had much higher average Elo.

My chess carrier