Stephen John Solomon (born 24 July 1963) is an Australian chess International Master (IM). He became a FIDE Master (FM) in 1986, and an International Master (IM) in 1990.Stephen Solomon player profile, www.fide.com He won the Australian Junior Chess Championship in 1980Australian Junior Champions Australian Chess Federation and the Australian Chess Championship in 2008.Australian Championship Winners Australian Chess Federation
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 Olympiads 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.Stephen Solomon player statistics from www.olimpbase.org
He has won or jointly won the Australian Masters international chess tournament seven times between since 1989, most recently in 2009 and 2010.2009 Australasian Masters FIDE Tournament Report2010 Australasian Masters FIDE Tournament Report He also won the 2004 Victorian MastersVictorian Masters 2004 Jonathan Paxman and 2004 Hardy's Classic.2004 Hardy's Classic FIDE Tournament Report
Solomon tied for first place with Darryl Johansen in the 1984 Australian Chess Championship but lost the play-off match. He won the Australian Chess Championship in 2008 however, since first-placed GM Dejan Antic was not eligible for the title.Report on the Australian Chess Championship 2008 David Evans
Solomon won the 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012 Queensland championships2011 Queensland Championship Chess Association Queensland2012 Queensland Championship Chess Association Queensland and the 2009 Queensland Open.2009 Queensland Open Chess Association Queensland
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. Mark CrowtherThe Week in Chess 764, 29 Jun 2009 Mark Crowther2009 Oceania Zonal Championship report from www.fide.com
Solomon's consistent results in Australian weekenders have won him the Australian Grand Prix 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
Ozbase – Australian Chess Games Archive