A Reykjavik retrospective

by Alina l'Ami
3/26/2018 – Looking back on the beauty and grandeur of Iceland's flagship event, the Reykjavik Open, with photos from International Master Alina l'Ami, annotated game highlights, and comments from the eventual winner Baskaran Adhiban.

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.

Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

Whether you think you can or not, you're right

The World Title — what kind of a chess player wouldn't want it? But for that, just like me, you probably don't play many tournaments, if any, from the interminably long list of required events. The pyramid's too high, the stairs too steep, so why bother?

We don't need a specialist to tell us the reason: we just don't expect to follow in Fischer's footsteps. Given the odds of qualifying for the world championship match, let alone winning it, that might seem like a very reasonable conclusion.

What is important to extract from this is that you are likely to take action based on what you expect, not on what you want.

Reykjavik city overview

You wish for a brilliant holiday but if you don't anticipate getting that in Iceland's capital, I doubt you will go on with booking the tickets
(Click or tap to expand any image!)

Having expectations which differ from what you want isn't just the reason you are not a 2800+ player. It is the reason there are loads of things you crave for in your life but you can't quite seem to attain them.

Reykjavik church

Desiring something is easy, getting it is harder

Insights from the tournament winner

“Let's start with Tata Steel Masters: I finished very badly, so I was very eager to make a comeback. I had two thoughts about Reykjavik Open:
Win it! And
Win it unshared!” -Adhiban aka AD

This warrior spirit didn't falter after the rather slow start in Iceland. AD would wake up, prepare and confidently score as if that was the most natural thing to do — “Beating top players is part of my destiny”. He wanted and expected to win. And he did just that.

What may seem like an absence of modesty, gasconade, or rather useless wishful thinking bursting from a quixotic mind is, in fact, the "ABC" in AD's manual. You can't Achieve your goal without Believing and Constructing towards it

“A major motivation for me was the qualification process for the Olympiad team. My federation was taking the average rating of March-April-May and there was a fight for the last spot between Ganguly, Sethuraman and myself. Both of them had crossed me before Reykjavik. At times I would think about it and felt that my chances of qualifying were rather slim but I told myself firmly: "You are going to give everything you have got!”.

Interesting to note is that AD calls this “positive thinking” when in fact his entire demeanour is more profound than that. He sensed the gap which was forming between what he wanted (to represent India in the Olympiad) and what he started to expect (that it won't happen). Before his plan would get derailed, AD chose to override his automatic thinking:

“You are the one who shapes your destiny and you won't let anything get in the way! A bit intense maybe but that's how my mind works”.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
One of AD's strongest character traits is his ability of treating each game as an entity of its own. He might have lost five games in a row and yet he will approach the 6th in the same uncompromising manner, playing for a win. For many, success breeds success, but for Adhiban failure breeds success too. Some may be unjustifiably laughing in their sleeves when the Indian GM would share his aspirations but he has the guts, without offending anyone, to speak his mind out. Without this strong belief, on both cognitive and emotional level, dreams will remain just that: dreams. A less convincing start cannot stay in AD's way. He won a very convincing game in R6, punishing in a very rough manner the only innacuracy that Black made. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.e3 axb5 6.Bxb5 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Bb7 8.Bd2 Qb6 9.Nf3 Nxd5 10.a4 Qg6 the start of Black's downfall. 10...e6 is considered the main move. 11.0-0 e6 12.a5 Nc7 13.e4 Nxb5 14.Nxb5 Na6 15.Re1 f6 Obviously 15...Bxe4 runs into 16.Nh4 16.Nh4 Qf7 17.Qb3 Bc6 18.Nf5 Every single move is executed with surgical precision! Qh5 18...exf5 19.exf5+ Be7 20.Nd6+ was the pretty point behind White's knight jump to f5. 19.Nbd6+ Kd8 20.Qb6+ Nc7 21.Bf4 exf5 22.Nxf5 Rc8 23.Rad1 Ke8 24.Bxc7 g6 25.Ng3 Qg4 26.e5 Qb4 27.e6 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Adhiban,B2650Ramirez,A25681–02018A57Reykjavik Open 20186.4
Adhiban,B2650Rapport,R27151–02018D15Reykjavik Open 20188.1

Playing the Reykjavik Open doesn't guarantee him a spot on the Olympic team but not playing it guarantees that he is out of contention, a risk AD was not willing to take. As long as there is a chance, even the slightest one, he would consciously or subconsciously always choose to go for it. Believing in your abilities, in your dream, can be more powerful than a thousand realities.

“Mostly it was the mindset and also I worked very hard during the event, skipping many favourite pastimes [series, sightseeing -AM]. I skipped it all during Reykjavik and now that I see how it turned out I guess I will continue doing so!”.

Adhiban

Adhiban doesn't forget to be “awesome” :)

I personally started to believe that AD is indeed destined for an epic life. I never heard him complaining nor finding excuses for his shortcomings. Jet-lag, the random starting times (we played at 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 o'clock, which made finding a rhythm all the more difficult for the professionals), the setbacks, the pressure — nothing changed AD's upbeat forecast for the future. Perhaps the reason for his never-ending cheerfulness is an esoteric one. His mind anticipates the rewards he is convinced are out there for him, waiting to be picked up. Until the harvest season will come, AD is full of joy and positive emotions, making him one of the gluiest characters around.

Pragg with children

But he is not the only one

The winner takes it all but the others are not standing small. Contrary to most predictions, the podium, however, didn't welcome the 2700+ favourites. They say that while two dogs are fighting for a bone...

Maxime Lagarde and Mustafa Yilmaz

… a third runs away with it.

On a more serious note, the 24-year-old French GM, Maxime Lagarde, displayed good chess, sharing second place with the Turkish GM, Yilmaz Mustafa, who was also leading the first half of the event.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
Yilmaz Mustafa had an excellent tournament and his final shared 2nd place speaks for itself. What drew my attention was a moment from his R3 game, when White played: 33.e5! Taking such a straightforward decision requires precise calculation since after Nxe5 White is stepping on a mine field. But so does Black. 34.Rd1 the only move 34.fxe5 is a bad idea Rc2-+ 34...Qc4 35.Qe1 again, the only move 35.Qe3 runs into Qa4 and the knight is safe. 35.Qd2 allows Black to safely retreat the knight Nf7 and the d6-resource is not longer available, due to the hanging bishop on e6. 35...Nf3 The most natural continuation but it proved to be the wrong direction - the knight was taken as a hostage. 35...Nd3 doesn't change much 36.Qe3 Nb4 37.d6+- But 35...Qxa2! is an incredibly strong resource, after which I am not even sure who is fighting for a win. 36.fxe5 Rc2 37.Qg1 h5 With correct play however, the game should end peacefully. As always. 36.Qe3 Qc3 37.Rd3 Ng1+ 38.Kg2 Qb2+ If 38...Qc1 39.Qxc1 Rxc1 40.Rd2 and the knight is still trapped. 39.Rd2 Qc1 40.Bg4 Kf8 41.Bd1 Beautiful cage. Rc5 42.Qf2 Qc4 43.Rd4 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Yilmaz,M2619Perelshteyn,E25131–02018D85Reykjavik Open 20183.3
L'Ami,E2634Haria,R24240–12018C10Reykjavik Open 20182.5
Christiansen,J2486Adly,A26431–02018B22Reykjavik Open 20189.9
Eljanov,P2713Hjartarson,J25130–12018E97Reykjavik Open 20184.3

FM Claus Dieter Meyer has put under the microscope a comprehensive fund of topical and timeless games / fragments. On video Hamburg GM Dr. Karsten Müller has outlined corner points of Meyer's work and created 14 tests plus 10 interactive test sets.


On a lighter note

The unofficial U14 championship would challenge the maturity of many adults. How it is possible to have such great minds in such small bodies is still a mystery to me.

Pragg

Still searching for Bobby Fischer

Praggu won it, but the Uzbek IM Nodirbek Abdusattorov made a fat GM norm (although he doesn't need it as he has them all already), while the other little Indian, Nihal Sarin, got his second GM norm despite scoring 'just' half a point out of his last two games.

silhouettes

A scary kid faces a former scary kid (Gata Kamsky)

Fschr Rndm

If all these successful players were inspired or not by Fischer, we can't be sure. But his spirit was always present. The 2018 Reykjavik Open was dedicated to the Chess King and a special Fischer Random tournament was organized precisely on the 9th of March, a date which would have been celebrating Fischer's 75th birthday.

Chess960 tournament

With such fitting circumstances, there is no surprise that a fun side-event took bigger proportions. It received further generous sponsorship by Susan Polgar and it is also now proudly holding the title of the first European Fischer Random Cup.

Zurab Azmaiparashvili

ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili announces the winner

It was my first time ever to have tried my hand at Chess960 and I must say I enjoyed it a lot! Introducing order in such randomness is a brain breaker but so much fun too! :) And winning the European Fischer Random title for women is not too bad either. I did have some troubles with the castling rules though, just like many other players:

Chess960 position

Black to play

My husband will not like me for this but his game with White against Elshan Moradiabadi is illustrative.

The position above was reached after the following moves:

1. d4 g6 Nb3 f5 3. Na5 where Erwin thought he is doing great since the b7 pawn can no longer be protected — 3... Bd5 would run into c4.

3... 0-0-0!! Oops:) Black just swapped the position of the d8-king with the c8-rook and that was it, White is in big trouble, as a2 is hanging as well.

From my perspective, Fischer's idea is brilliant not because it is avoiding theory (I have my doubts that the good old chess has an expiration date) but because of the priceless perplexed looks, jokes and bonds it creates among the players.

Richard Rapport

Chess on steroids!

The next two examples are not from the European Fischer Random Cup but they are surely not randomly chosen:

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
The explanation for this original approach is an obvious one: the players were planning to develop the b1 and g8 bishops. Oh wait, that was the previous day, in the Fischer Random competition... its spirit remained though and what I found remarkable is how fast the Hungarian responded with h6. I would say the psychological battle ended in Black's favour:) 1.a3 h6 Nevertheless, too many waves were created around this new opening line and the very interesting queens' endgame was totally neglected. 2.c4 c6 3.d4 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bf4 Nc6 7.e3 Bg4 8.Be2 Bxe2 9.Ngxe2 e6 10.h3 Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Na4 Rc8 13.b4 Bd6 14.Rc1 Ne4 15.Nc5 Bxf4 16.Nxf4 Nxc5 17.Rxc5 b6 18.Rc3 Ne7 19.Rxc8 Qxc8 20.Qa4 a6 21.Nd3 Qb7 22.Rc1 Rc8 23.Rxc8+ Qxc8 24.Ne5 b5 25.Qa5 Nc6 26.Nxc6 Qxc6 27.g3 Kh7 28.Kh2 Kg6 29.Kg2 e5 30.Qd8 exd4 31.exd4 Qe6 32.Qa8 Kf5 Even in the calmest waters a Bermuda Triangle might appear... 33.Qa7 The beginning of the end. 33.Qf8 was necessary, attacking the g7-pawn first and g5 34.Qc5 redirecting the queen to prevent the black king's march with Ke4 35.Qc3 Also 33.Qg8 would have had a similar result g5 33...g6 34.Qf8 Ke4 35.Qxh6 Kxd4 36.Qd2+ Kc4 37.Qc2+ Kd4 38.Qd2+= 34.Qh7+ Qg6 35.Qxg6+= 33...Ke4 34.Qc5 Kd3 35.Qc1 Qe4+ 36.Kg1 Qe2 37.Qb1+ Qc2 38.Qe1 Kc4 39.Qe8 Qb1+ 40.Kh2 Qf5 41.Qe3 Qe4 42.Qc1+ Kb3 43.Qa1 Qc2 44.Kg1 Qc3 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Hamitevici,V2512Rapport,R27150–12018A00Reykjavik Open 20185.5
Rapport,R2715Lenderman,A26001–02018B40Reykjavik Open 20187.1

Lenderman

Rapport is the European Champion in Fischer Random but since the event was open to everyone, the overall winner is the American GM Aleksandr Lenderman

The Reykjavik Open is special whether we are speaking about the people that are organizing it, working for it, playing in it, or simply about the never-ending topic — the Icelandic weather and its collateral beauty. The tournament hall alone is a dazzling jewel, the managerial decisions a standout (it would take your author over 2000 characters to only enumerate all the side-events and details) and Iceland itself a wonderland.

Harpa interior

Black and White study

Alina's postcard

Postcard from an architectural heaven (click or tap to expand!)

colourful houses

Tropical Iceland

players

Participating in the Reykjavik Open will not guarantee you winning but not playing it guarantees losing

Instead of farewell

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
The ladies prize was convincingly claimed by Deimante. She was defeated only by the top seed, Rapport, gained 19 rating points and a...GM norm! This is an excerpt from her games and a small exercise for you: Black to play and win. 30...f5! 31.Ba8 There is nothing else available. 31.exf6 is also losing after Qh5+ 32.Kg2 Qxd1 33.Qxd1 Ne3+-+ 31...Qc8 A similar cage as in the game Yilmaz Mustafa - Perelshteyn Eugene, but this time the bishop is trapped instead of the knight. 32.Bd5 exd5 33.e6 dxc4 34.exd7 Qc6+ 35.Kf2 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Qh1# The 2nd time, and even right after his loss against Richard Rapport, that Aleksandr Lenderman allows his opponent to deliver mate on the board. A true gentleman. He might be disappointed by his score in the Reykjavik Open but the Fischer Random Cup had a way better outcome - first place for Lenderman with ! 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Lenderman,A2600Cornette,D24470–12018A03Reykjavik Open 20188.10
L'Ami,A2306Stefansson,H2533½–½2018D43Reykjavik Open 20185.15
L'Ami,A2306Ragnarsson,J19851–02018D31Reykjavik Open 20187.36

Links


Alina is an International Master and a very enthusiastic person in everything she does. She loves travelling to the world's most remote places in order to play chess tournaments and report about them here on ChessBase! As chance would have it Alina is also an excellent photographer.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.