And this year’s Reykjavik Open is done and dusted… Erwin l’Ami absolutely stole the show as he stormed to an incredible 8.5/9 after winning a 6-hour marathon game that had everyone on the edge of their seats against Melkumyan. The Dutchman thus won the Reykjavik Open with a round to go- a simply amazing…
With only 2 rounds to go, the action is reaching a climax here at Reykjavik Open! Yesterday’s 8th round saw Erwin l’Ami further increase his lead as he profited from a time trouble blunder by Granda Zuniga to decide the game in his favour. On board 2 Naroditsky managed to hold Eljanov to a…
I’m not sure if it was the visit of World Champion Magnus Carlsen that inspired the players, but we had our most bloodthirsty round yesterday, as only 2 games out of the top 23 boards ended in draws!! On the top board Erwin l’Ami shocked Shakhriyar Mamedyarov when he beat him in only 21…
The main news of yesterday’s 6th round was of course the visit of World Champion Magnus Carlsen. In case you missed his excellent intervention on the live show, you can either watch the replay or just read the highlights in the following piece by Peter Doggers: http://www.chess.com/news/magnus-carlsen-visits-reykjavik-where-mamedyarov-lami-and-fier-lead-8850 As for the actual tournament, we had a…
Yesterday the only double round of the tournament was played at Harpa and we saw the first serious upsets. The biggest surprise on the top boards in the morning round was Daniel Bisby’s (2321) win against Sergei Movsesian (2665)! Several GMs were also held to draws, notably Melkumyan by Rosner, Granda by Antal, or Naroditsky…
After a very brief and informal opening party on Monday evening, things got serious yesterday as the 30th edition of the Reykjavik Open got underway at the magnificent Harpa concert hall. This year’s edition is a very special one, as it is held in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the legendary Icelandic grandmaster and…
The Chinese are coming – 31 Grandmasters playing! Special packages for guests! Reykjavik Open is now only in a few weeks time and is scheduled to take place 19th-27th February in Harpa, the glamorous glass hall along the Reykjavik Harbour, and probably the most spectacular playing hall any chess tournament has ever seen! Last year,…
The Reykjavik Open 2013 will be held for the 28th time from February 19th to February 27, 2012 in Harpa, the 28.000 sqm. concert hall. he 2013 tournament is expected to be very strong. The 2012 edition included for example the Women World Champion, Hou Yifan, and world no. 7 at that time, Fabiano Caruana,…
The City of Reykjavík has sponsored the tournament since its inception in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won it with a record 12½ points out of 13. The tournament was initially held every two years, but has since 2008 taken place every year. It was closed in its early years, but has been an open event…
As in earlier years, several chess-related events will take place at the same time as the tournament, including the now famous the Reykjavík Open Chess Pub Quiz and the Golden Circle sightseeing tour that includes stops at Geysir and Bobby Fischer’s final resting place in the southern part of Iceland. And given the favourable exchange…
