Altibox Norway Chess is the next super tournament on the world’s chess event schedule (www.NorwayChess.no). It runs April 18 to 30 in Stavanger, Norway. It was once a part of the Grand Chess Tour, but its organizers and the tour parted ways last year. This 2016 event will feature Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, and Vladimir Kramnik. Sergey Karjakin, claiming fatigue after his victory at the candidates tournament and the need to prepare for his championship match with Carlsen, withdrew just 12 days before the event.

The organizers issued a terse press release reminding Karjakin of his signed contract and even suggesting they may sue him. It should be noted that the match with Carlsen is seven months away and Karjakin signed the contract knowing that the candidates would end close to the start of Altibox. He could have asked for a clause convering these issues in his contract, but he didn’t.

Carlsen, in a tweet, pitched his friend and second Jon Hammer to fill the spot, but Hammer, in another tweet, suggested a qualifying event to make the choice. The organizers, in what seems to us to be a very political move, chose Li Chao, China’s number 2 and number 15 in the world, to fill the spot. Li is postponing his wedding to play!

The nearly 1,500-player National High School Championships has just concluded in Atlanta, with a six-way tie for first with Californian Vignesh Panchanatham winning on tie-break. No Massachusetts player made the trip, at least not in the championship section. The 284-player championship section had three New Englanders. Connecticut’s’ Kapil Chandran was a pre-tournament favorite but finished in 40th place — an unexpected loss in the fourth round sank his chances. Also from New England were Connecticut’s Jason Shi (33rd) and Maine’s Matthew Fishbein (74th).

Winners: MetroWest Vernal Equinox Swiss: Open: 1st: D. Vigorito: 3-0, 2nd-3rd: L. Times, N. Kavi: 2.5-.5; U2000: 1st: A. Fauman: 3-0; Wachusett Blitz Championship: 1st: R. J. King: 7-0, 2nd: R. Cappallo: 5.5-1.5; Mass Game 60: Open: 1st: A. Ivanov: 3.5-.5, U2000: 1st: Alonzo Ross: 3.5-0.5, U1800: 1st-3rd: Sandra Shur, Jonathan Crowe, Manikandan Jeyarajan: 3.5-0.5

Coming events: CCA’s 25th Annual Eastern Class Championships, April 22-24, Host Hotel at Cedar Lake, Sturbridge, www.ChessTour.com/ecc16.htm; Massachusetts Girls Championship, May 1, Boylston Chess Club, Cambridge, www.MassChess.org.

Answer to today’s problem: 1…Rg1+! 2.Ke2 (2.KxR Nxf3+ wins White’s queen) 2…Re1+ 3.KxR (3.Kd2 still 3…Nxf3+) 3…Nxf3+ 4.RxN QxQ.