5 multi-sport athletes: When specialising in one game is too mainstream

#2 Simen Agdestein: Football and Chess

Simen Agdestein – Two different defensive plays

Simen Agdestein was a striker for the Norwegian club Lyn Oslo. Playing in the late 80s and early 90s, he made 92 appearances for Lyn Oslo and scored 37 goals. He also made 8 appearances for the national team and scored 1 goal. However, a knee injury put an end to his football career. It was a good thing he already had a knack for chess.

Agdestein started playing chess when he was 4 or 5. At the age of 15, he became the Norwegian champion. At 16, he was an International Master. At 18, he was a grandmaster. In the 1986 World Junior Championship, he finished second, ahead of Viswanathan Anand. In 1987, his ELO rating crossed 2600.

In fact, he did all this while simultaneously playing professional football. He would frequently take a few weeks off in the middle of the football season to participate in chess tournaments around the world.

Agdestein seems to have thrived in the dual challenge of both the sports for he achieved his best when he was playing at the highest level in both. His forced withdrawal from football affected his performance in chess and he dropped to 87 in the world rankings.

More debilitating injuries nearly forced him to abandon chess as well. However, his condition improved and he took up a job in the Norwegian Academy for Elite Sports and began coaching in both the sports.

Bonus – In the early 2000s, Adgestein began coaching Magnus Carlsen, who would go on to become the top ranked chess player and achieve the highest ever ELO rating in the history of the sport.