A bit too creative

It’s a widely known phrase that “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result” is the definition of insanity. Well…I don’t know if the player with black in this game is insane but he certainly tried to be creative and not do the same thing over and over!! Thank you for…

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What to do when computer breaks down?

Ivan Sokolov has the answer. Ivan has been having some bad luck lately in life and chess. He suffered a setback early in the tournament and now his computer has broken down because of this crap they call Windows 8!! So what can you do with no preparation vs a solid WGM? White: Lenka Ptacnikova…

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Harpa

by Ian Rogers Around a decade ago the Reykjavik Open moved to the impressive Reykjavik Town Hall, with views of icy waters shared by large numbers of ducks and swans. In those days Iceland was the rich uncle of Europe and the fine  playing conditions for the biennial Open were not surprising. Returning many years…

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Video clip: Alexander Ipatov

A brief interview with Ukrainian grandmaster Alexander Ipatov, who plays for the Turkish Chess Federation and who is a big fan of Barcelona, and soccer in general. He’ll be in Camp Nou when Barca will try to come back from their 2-0 loss against AC Milan! [vsw id=”cwAx-ouwhfw” source=”youtube” width=”560″ height=”315″ autoplay=”no”]

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Video clip: Pavel Eljanov

Pavel Eljanov is a strong Ukrainian grandmaster, but in Reykjavik he is “only” the 8th seeded player. That’s how strong the tournament is! In this brief interview he talks about his chances to win, and which players he’d like to face behind the board. [vsw id=”iCTl4b0ajKc” source=”youtube” width=”560″ height=”315″ autoplay=”no”]

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Links to coverage online

Chessdom has some coverage on US players: http://usa.chessdom.com/gm-yuri-shulman-among-leaders-in-reykjavik-open/ The Philippines are watching their man closely: http://philboxing.com/news/story-80618.html ChessVibes with link to all the interviews so far: http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/reykjavik-open-rounds-2-3-harpacoustics Chessdom: http://www.chessdom.com/the-real-action-begins-at-reykjavik/ Susan Polgar: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2013/02/tough-battles-begin-in-reykjavik.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter chess.com with lots of comments: http://www.chess.com/news/reykjavik-open-2013-7015

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Rounds 2-3: Harpacoustics

As you probably know, the Reykjavik Open is held – this year for the second time – in Harpa. Harpa is both a concert hall (it is the official home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera) and a conference centre, and it has quickly become a famous landmark, located next to Reykjavik’s harbour, from…

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Video clip: David Navara

A brief interview with David Navara, one of the five 2700 players who are playing in the Reykjavik Open this year. In the third round the Czech grandmaster played against the legendary Fridrik Olafsson, Iceland’s first grandmaster. [vsw id=”db8ik5xmLBs” source=”youtube” width=”560″ height=”315″ autoplay=”no”]

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