Gamma Reykjavik Open: The first three rounds

by Gerd Densing
3/8/2018 – Just two days in, already three rounds have already been played in Reykjavik. And only three players remain on a perfect score: Mustafa Yilmaz, Vaibhav Suri and Elshan Moradiabadi. Alina l'Ami, this time in front of the camera, started with two out of two but then lost to Moradiabadi. Gerd Densing reports. Game annotations by GM Daniel Fernandez | Pictured: Alina l'Ami | Photo: Gerd Densing

Master Class Vol.1: Bobby Fischer Master Class Vol.1: Bobby Fischer

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.

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Accelerated Swiss surprises

The Reykjavik Open began Tuesday with 248 participants, but because of late arrivals and eight byes taken, only 120 boards were played in the first round. And because of this year's scheduled rest day, which will feature a Fischer-Random rapid tournament, this year the Reykjavik Open switched to nine rounds. That could make it harder for players hunting from FIDE title norms — for instance, the two Indian prodigies — so to help fulfil the requirements, the organiser opted for the "accelerated Swiss system".

The harbour at dusk

While I personally had expected a strong player (FM / IM) for the first round, perhaps somewhere in the upper half of the lower half, the accelerated Swiss system meant that the field was "quartered" and the two upper halves and the two lower halves were paired against each other. For the strong players, this meant that the Elo difference was not as big as the Swiss system. And for the better players in the lower half, this meant correspondingly weak opponents. The system meant that in the first round more or less surprising results were seen on individual boards.

The most prominent examples of surprise draws were seen on boards 4 and 10, with GMs Adhiban and Landa. The latter was skating on thin ice, in a wild game, and could play try to squeeze out a win in an endgame with a passed pawn, but his opponent's counterplay was just in time. Adhiban outrated his opponent by almost a whopping 375 Elo points.

Das Soham vs Baskaran Adhiban (annotations by GM Daniel Fernandez)
 
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The only damage done to any of the top few seeds in the first round was this draw, though Black's persistence in trying to squeeze blood from a stone was very notable for me as I was trying to do the same thing at that time! 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0-0-0 8.f4 Bb4 9.Bd3 is another big main line, as seen in the recent game (also annotated by me for this site) Carlsen-Matlakov, Tata Steel Masters 2018. 8...Bb4 9.f3 0-0 9...Ne5 10.Nb3 is the other main line. b5 10...d6 11.Bd4± Eggleston,D-Arkell,K Bournemouth 2016 11.Qe1 Be7 9...b5 10.Kb1 d5 Expressing a wish to play simple positions today. 10...b5 11.g4 Bb7 is probably also fine, but White could have something prepared here. 11.exd5 Bxc3 12.Qxc3 Nxd5 13.Qe1 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Rd8 15.Be2 Nb4 16.Qa3 Nd5 17.Nb5! Black wanted ...Bd7 and ...e5, so White needs this resource to stay equal. Qb6 18.c4 18.Nc3= was likely preferable. 18...axb5!? 18...e5! is a ridiculous computer move. 19.Qxa8 bxc4 20.Qa3 20.Rc1 e5 21.Qa3 Ne3 looks scary, but probably White should play like this. If nothing else, he can give back the material: 22.Bxc4 Qg6+ 23.Ka1 Nc2+ 24.Rxc2 Qxc2 25.Qb3= 20...Qc7 Next there will follow ...c3, or possibly ...b5 and ... Bb7, and Black has more than enough compensation. 21.Qa4 c3 22.Qc4?! 22.Rc1 Bd7 23.Qb3 Bc6 24.bxc3 Qa5 is the computer's top line. 22...Qb6 22...Qa5 23.Qb5 Qa7 23.Qb3! A good find. Now Black has nothing better than simplifying the position. Qxb3 23...Qc5?! 24.Bc4 24.axb3 c2+ 25.Kxc2 Ne3+ 26.Kc3 Nxd1+ 27.Rxd1 Rxd1 28.Bxd1 b6 29.Be2 Kf8 30.f4 Ke7 31.Kd4 Kd6 32.b4 f6 With marginally the better structure, Black might have thought there were appreciable winning chances here, but in fact they are close to non-existent. His opponent holds firm. 33.Bc4 h6 34.h4 Bb7 35.g3 Bc8 36.Ke4 Bb7+ 37.Kd4 Bf3 38.Bd3 Bd5 39.Be2 Bb3 40.Bf3 e5+ 41.fxe5+ fxe5+ 42.Ke3 Bc2 43.Bg2 Ke6 44.Kd2 Bb1 45.Ke3 Ba2 46.Be4 Bd5 47.Bc2 Kf6 48.Bd3 Be6 49.Be4 Bf5 50.Bc6 Bb1 51.Bd7 g5 52.Bg4 Kg6 53.Kf2 Bf5 54.Be2 Bc8 55.Ke3 gxh4 56.gxh4 Kf5 57.Bf3 Ba6 58.Bd1 Bb7 59.Bh5 Bh1 60.Be2 Bg2 61.Bd1 e4 62.Be2 Bh3 63.Bh5 Bg4 64.Be8 Bf3 65.Bd7+ Kg6 66.Be8+ Kf5 67.Bd7+ Ke5 68.Bc6 Bg2 69.Bb7 Bh1 70.Bc6 Bf3 71.Bb7 Kf5 72.Bc8+ Kg6 73.Kf4 Bd1 74.Bd7 Kh5 75.Kg3 Kg6 76.Kf4 Kh5 77.Kg3 Kg6 78.Kf4 ½–½
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Soham Das2275Adhiban,B2650½–½2018B48GAMMA Reykjavik Open - Fischer Memorial1.4

In round two, there were already more surprises, partly because the difference in playing strength on the top boards was not that big anymore and partly because the early start of the round at 9 o'clock might have been too early for some of the chess professional.

The 2015 Reykjavik winner, GM Erwin L'Ami (who has been in form of late, including a win against Naiditsch in the Bundesliga) suffered a significant upset. He came up against a Fort Knox French from the young English IM Ravi Haria.

Erwin l'Ami vs Ravi Haria (annotations by GM Daniel Fernandez)
 
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1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 The famous Fort Knox, which I have tried myself, but with nothing like the results of my younger compatriot. Though as we shall see, this result had little to do with the opening. 6.Bd3 6.Neg5 is probably the most critical move. Nd7! After 6...Bd6 even the cavemanesque 7.Nxf7 causes problems: Kxf7 8.Ng5+ Ke8 9.Bc4 Qf6 10.Nxe6 6...Be7 is uninspiring: 7.Bc4 Bd5 8.Bb5+ c6 8...Bc6 9.Qe2 9.Bd3 c5 9...Bxf3 10.Nxf3 Nf6 11.0-0 Jones, G-Taylor,A Reading 2016 10.dxc5 Nc6 11.c4 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 7.Bc4 Qe7N This might be one way to go if I had to play this again. 7...Bd5? 8.Nxf7! Kxf7 9.Ng5+ Ke8? 9...Qxg5 10.Bxg5 Bxc4 11.b3 Ba6 12.c4 Ngf6 13.0-0± 10.Nxe6 Bxe6 11.Bxe6 White was already basically winning in Jones, G-Fernandez,D England 2016. 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.Re1 h6 10.Ne4 Ngf6 White might have a tiny something but Black is out of the danger zone and should not be too worried. 6...Nd7 7.0-0 Ngf6 8.Ned2 Be7 9.Nc4 9.b3 0-0 10.Bb2 b6 is more standard but Black is fine here; he can continue with ...Bb7 and try for ...c5, or else just push the a-pawn straightaway. 9...0-0 9...Be4!? deserves consideration 10.Na5 Bd5 On a 'culture' level it is a good idea to drag White's c-pawn forward two squares before giving up the bishop pair. 11.c4 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 c6 13.Bd2 Qc7 14.b4 Rac8 15.Rad1 b6 15...Rfd8 16.Bf4! was the point 16.Nb3 Rfd8 17.Rfe1 Ra8 18.c5 Probably a bit of a surprise, though White is still better after this. 18.a4 a6 19.g4 suggests itself, and Black must be careful not to run out of oxygen. 18...Nd5 19.Rc1 bxc5?! 19...b5 20.a4 a6 forces White to be extremely careful about his next few moves, otherwise Black will suddenly manage to co-ordinate all his forces against the weak d4-pawn. 20.dxc5 Bf6 21.Be4 21.Qe4 g6 22.b5!± is what my engine screams for; suddenly d5 is no longer so much of an outpost. 21...Ne5 22.Qg3 Qe7 23.Na5 23.b5± 23...Rac8 24.Re2 Ng6 25.Nc4 Bh4 26.Qf3 Bg5 27.Nd6 Rc7 28.a3 Bxd2 29.Rxd2 Qg5 30.Rcd1 Rb8 31.Bxg6 It isn't clear to me why White believed so much in his mating ideas, because there are actually multiple ways to meet them. 31.g3± 31...hxg6 32.Nc4 Rd8 33.Rd4 Rcd7 34.Nd6 34.Na5 Rc7 35.g3 34...Qf6 35.Qg3 Ra8 35...a5!?= is also possible immediately. 36.Rh4?! The first step on the very short road to disaster. 36.Qh3 36...g5! Otherwise mate follows on the h-file! 37.Rg4?? And this loses a further half-point! 37.Rhd4 a5= 37...Nc3! Just like that, White loses an exchange and one of the biggest upsets of the tournament thus far has been pulled off. 38.Qd3 Nxd1 39.Qxd1 a5 40.h3 axb4 Having passed move 40, White was able to repent at leisure. 41.Rxb4 Qc3 42.Qh5 Qxa3 43.Rc4 Qa1+ 44.Kh2 Qe5+ 45.g3 Qd5 Good tenacity and awareness by the young English rising talent. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
L'Ami,E2634Haria,R24240–12018C10GAMMA Reykjavik Open - Fischer Memorial2.5

The Fort Knox Variation in the French Defence

If you're one of those French Defence players who has been desperately searching for a reliable and easy-to-learn system against White's two main 3rd moves (3.Nd2 or 3.Nc3) then this is the 60 Minutes for you! The Fort Knox variation (3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7!


The two young Indian talents IM Nihal Sarin and IM Ramesh Praggnanandhaa started each with two wins. The Uzbek young star IM Nodirbek Abdusattorov made a draw in round two against a slightly weaker player.

IM Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Another former Reykjavik champion, the now-bearded Pavel Eljanov, was nicked for a draw by a more experienced Indian GM Kidambi Sundararajan. For fans of the Pirc / Modern, which was recently reviewed by Davide Nastasio, have a look at Gata Kamsky's game against local IM Gudmundur Kjartansson.

 
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1.c4 f5 2.b3 d6 3.Bb2 e5 4.d4 Reinforcing the truism that when trying to 'convert a rating advantage' the best way is to fianchetto and bring about interesting, even if not immediately advantageous, positions. There is really not much I can plausibly say about this opening! Qe7 4...e4 was another call Black could take, trying to play with a far-advanced centre (...Nf6, ... c6, ...d5, then have a think.) 5.e3 c6 6.Nh3 Nf6 7.d5 4...Nd7 was probably the most flexible, keeping open the option of ...Qe8-h5 in a later part of the game. 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.e3 g6 7.h4 7.c5!? Nc6!? 8.cxd6 cxd6 9.Be2 exd4 10.exd4 Bg7 11.Nf3 0-0 12.0-0= was clearly not 'creative enough'. 7...Bg7 8.Nf3 e4 8...exd4 9.Nxd4 f4 was an unusual and unstereotyped opportunity that Black could have taken; now only he can be better, but on the other hand, it takes good concentration, or silicon assistance, to verify that 10.e4!? Nxe4 11.Nd5 Nc3+! 12.Nxe7 Nxd1 13.Rxd1 Kxe7 is not a problem. 9.Ng5 c6 10.Be2 Na6 11.Qd2 f4!? Ambitious, but White gets an advantage with his chosen move. 11...Nc7= 12.d5! After 12.exf4 I guess the idea was h6 13.Nh3 0-0 13...Ng4 14.0-0-0± is nothing 14.0-0-0 d5 and White suffers from his lack of access to the f4-square. 12...fxe3 13.fxe3 cxd5 13...0-0 14.0-0-0 c5 15.Rhf1 14.0-0 Nc7 15.Nxd5 15.cxd5 0-0 16.Rf4± 15...Ncxd5 16.cxd5 0-0 17.Bc4 17.Rad1± makes more sense, cuing up Ne6. 17...h6 17...a6!? is a good try to minimise White's advantage: 18.a4 Bd7 19.a5 Nh5 18.Ne6 Bxe6 19.dxe6 Ng4 19...Rad8 20.Rad1 d5 is objectively best, but the defence looks grim. 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Qd4+ Kh7 22.h5 22.Be2!? Qxe6 23.Bxg4 Qxg4 24.Qxd6 Rad8 25.Qe7+ Kg8 26.Qxb7 Qxh4 27.Qxa7± 22...Qh4! The only practical try. 23.Qxd6 23.hxg6+ Kxg6 24.Qxe4+ Kg7 25.Qd4+ Rf6 26.Rxf6 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Nxf6 28.Rd1± is maybe 'cleanest' in that it keeps control. 23...gxh5 24.Qc7+ Kh8 25.Bd5? 25.e7! Rf2 26.Be6! requires nerves of steel to play, but it is the only way to win! Rxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Nxe3+ 28.Kg1 Qg5+ 29.Kf2+- 25...Nf2 25...Rfc8!? was interesting, with the idea of 'perpetual queen'. Eventually, to get out White has to play 26.Qf4 Rf8 27.Qxf8+ Rxf8 28.Rxf8+ Kg7 29.Rf7+ Kh8 and now it transpires that there is no win, for instance 30.e7 Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Qh1+ 32.Ke2 Qxg2+ 33.Ke1 Qg1+ 34.Kd2 Qxe3+= 26.Qe5+ 26.Qh2 was better off played immediately, since after Qg5 there is now 27.e7! gaining a tempo. Rf6 28.Rxf2 Rxf2 29.Kxf2 Qxd5 Now for instance 30.Rf1 and White has gained a tempo on the game. 30.Qf4!? 26...Rf6 27.Qh2 Qg5! White's advantage is now all gone. 28.Rxf2 Rxf2 29.Kxf2 Qxd5 29...Qf6+ 30.Qf4 Qb2+‼ 31.Kg1 Qxa1+ 32.Kh2 Qg7 was maybe worth a try, even if it is hard to see Black winning this. 30.e7?! 30.Qf4 Qxe6 31.Rd1 might still generate some tricks with the help of smoke and mirrors. 30...Qd2+ 31.Kg1 Qxe3+ 32.Kh1 Qg5 Now White has to be careful not to be worse, so he hurriedly offered a draw with 33.Re1 . 33.Re1 Qxe7 34.Qxh5 Qe6 35.Qc5 is equal but arguably easier for Black to play. However, with no idea of the time situation or the mental capacity of Black to play for a win against someone 300 points higher, it is hard to criticise accepting the draw. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Eljanov,P2713Sundararajan,K2427½–½2018A01GAMMA Reykjavik Open - Fischer Memorial2.2
Kjartansson,G2432Kamsky,G2677½–½2018B07GAMMA Reykjavik Open - Fischer Memorial2.3

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Pavel Eljanov

Pavel Eljanov was the Reykjavik Open winner of 2013 | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Round 3

The pairings brought some interesting "generational duels" to the top boards in the third round. On board one Nihal Sarin had to play black against top-seeded Hungarian 2700 grandmaster Richard Rapport. Sarin had to fight black for a long time on board one before reaching a well-deserved draw.

 
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On top board yesterday, a prodigy made a solid draw from what might have looked a nightmare pairing- Black against the top seed. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Ne5 Bb4 7.Bd2 0-0 8.Be2 c5 Due to White's quiet setup, I would say Black has already equalised. 9.0-0 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Ne4= 9...cxd4 10.exd4 dxc4 11.Nxc4 11.a3 looks like a better way to get the bishop pair (compared to the last note) but now Black uses the d5-square and long diagonal to good effect. Nxe5 12.dxe5 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Nd5 14.Bd4 Nf4 15.Bf3!? 15.Bxc4 b5! 15...Nd3 16.Bc3 Qb6 White will get enough play, but not more. 11...Nb6 12.Bg5 12.Na4!? Bxd2 13.Naxb6 axb6 14.Qxd2 fails to get an objective advantage, but the structural weakness combines well with a rating superiority. 12...Nxc4 13.Bxc4 Bd7 On principle, since White is about to question the Black bishop pair, it makes sense to question White's first: 13...h6! 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Qb3 Bd6= 14.Qb3 Bxc3 14...Be7 15.Rad1 Bc6 16.Rfe1 is not a disaster, but not fun for Black either with d5 coming soon, unless the tactics after ... Qa5 work. 16.d5!? is simpler to calculate without an engine: Nxd5 17.Bxd5 exd5 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Nxd5 Bxd5 20.Rxd5 Rad8 21.Rfd1= and Black has to play a couple more accurate moves to show his equality. 15.bxc3 Bc6 It requires great maturity from the Black player- certainly more than I have at my present age of 23- to notice that despite the White bishop pair and pin on the h4-d8 diagonal, things are actually going just fine. 16.Rfe1 Rc8 17.Bf1 a6 Thinking, presumably, of playing both ...Qd5 and ...Bb5. 18.Re3?! Now there is no hope of an advantage. 18.Bh4!? leads to a position which might not be better, but certainly demands a bit more coolness from Black. 18...Qd5 19.Bxf6 19.Bf4 Bb5! is the point behind Black's 17th. 19...gxf6 20.Qd1 b5! 21.a4 Kh8 22.axb5 axb5 23.Rg3 Rg8 24.Ra7 24.Ra5 Rxg3 25.hxg3 Kg7 26.Qb1 Qd6! doesn't give anything either, because whenever White takes b5, in the very same action c3 will drop, and there is no other White plan that makes sense. 24...e5! Protecting f7 and simplifying. 25.Qd2 exd4 26.cxd4 Rxg3 27.hxg3 Kg7 28.Qb4 Ra8! 29.Rxa8 Bxa8 30.Qxb5 30.Qc5 Qe4! is an only move, but good enough. Tactics prevent both the immediate capture of the b5-pawn and any kind of preparatory idea like f3. 30...Qxd4 There is nothing left to play for, and the requisite 30 moves have been made. ½–½
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Rapport,R2715Nihal Sarin2534½–½2018D45GAMMA Reykjavik Open - Fischer Memorial3.1

Richard Rapport vs Nihal Sarin (annotations by GM Daniel Fernandez)

Special guest Susan Polgar, who's arranged a Webster University scholarship to the top player under twenty years old, makes the first move on the board of Nihal Sarin and Richard Rapport

On board two, the second Indian youngster IM Ramesh Praggnanandhaa met the French Grandmaster Matthieu Cornette. "Pragg" was under pressure for a long time and was probably happy with a draw. Shortly before the end of the game, Cornette passed up a chance to give up two knights for a rook and pawn, but keep the initiative and a small edge.

Cornette vs Praggnanandhaa

Draws on the top boards reduce the number of players with perfect scores quite quickly. After three rounds, among the grandmasters, only the Turkish GM Mustafa Yilmaz, the Iranian GM (who now lives in the USA) Elshan Moradiabadi, and Vaibhav Suri from India remain with three points. But it's interesting to see that with the accelerated Swiss system, you could theoretically have seen a player as far down as board 41 and 42 still reach a perfect score.

Mustafa Yilmaz vs Eugene Perelshteyn (annotated by GM Daniel Fernandez)
 
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Of the round 3 games featuring people who are currently on 100%, it was a no-brainer for me to choose to annotate the Grunfeld one. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Nf3 c5 9.Be2 Bg4 9...Nc6 gives White easy play, like the game. 10.0-0 cxd4 11.cxd4 Bg4 12.d5 9...b6 is my personal favourite way to play the Grunfeld, against this and other White setups. 10.0-0 cxd4 11.cxd4 Nc6 Obviously, 9...Nc6 also led to this position. With the incisive next move White lays claim to an advantage. 12.d5 Bxf3 12...Ne5 13.Nxe5 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Bxe5 15.Rac1 Qd7 16.Rc2 13.Bxf3 Bxa1 14.Qxa1 Na5 15.Bh6 f6 16.Bxf8 It was also possible to delay the acceptance of Black's gift: 16.Bg4± 16...Kxf8 17.Bg4 17.e5!? Nc4 18.exf6 exf6 19.Qd4 Ne5 20.Rb1 17...Nc4 Now Black at least has some squares for his knight and queen and can make some trouble. 18.Be6 18.a4 a6 19.Qc3 b5 20.Rb1 18...b5 19.Re1 Qb8 20.g3 a6= The development scheme with ...Qe5 and ...Ra7 is an impeccable one. 21.Kg2 Qe5 22.Qc1 22.f4 Qxa1 23.Rxa1 Ra7= 22...Kg7 23.Qc2 Qd4 24.Rd1 Qe5 25.Re1 Qd4 26.Qe2 Ra7 27.Rd1 Qc3 28.Rd3 Qa1 29.Rd1 Qc3 30.Rd3 Qa1 31.f4 Rc7 32.Kh3 Qc1?! 32...h5 would have left the ball very much in White's court as to how he wants to push e5 through. 33.e5! Nxe5! 33...fxe5 34.fxe5 Qh6+ 35.Kg2± 34.Rd1 34.fxe5?? Rc2-+ 34...Qc4 35.Qe1 The position is really fascinating, with quite a few options for both sides. The move played by Black was sufficient. Nf3 35...Qxa2! was another way to keep the result up in the air: 36.fxe5 Rc2∞ and White could very easily get mated if he wasn't careful. 35...Nd3 36.Qe3+- 36.Qe3! Qc3 37.Rd3! 37.Qf2!? followed by Kg2 was the computer's suggested clincher, but Black has an amazing reply. Rc4‼ 37...h5 38.Kg2 Qa3! 39.d6! exd6 40.Rf1! Rc3 41.Qa7+ Kh6 42.Rxf3 Rxf3 43.Qa8‼+- 38.d6 Rd4‼ Now my computer 'wakes up' to Black's tactics. 39.dxe7 39.Rxd4 Nxd4 40.dxe7 Qc6 41.Bg4 h5= 39...Qc6 40.Bg4 40.Qxf3 Qxf3 41.e8Q Qh5+ 42.Kg2 Qe2+= 40...Rxd1 41.Bxf3 Qc8+ 42.Bg4 Rd7!= 37...Ng1+? A shame. 37...Qb2! 38.Qxf3 Rc2 39.Qh1 h5∞ still leaves everything to play for 38.Kg2 Qb2+ 38...Qc1 39.Qxc1 Rxc1 40.Bg4 Rc2+ 41.Kxg1 f5 42.Bf3 Rxa2± could be worth a try 39.Rd2 Qc1 40.Bg4‼ Returning to d1. Now White is winning with some care. Kf8 41.Bd1 Rc5 41...Rc3 42.Qf2+- doesn't help 42.Qf2 Qc4 43.Rd4 Since White is winning a piece and Black has not managed to get a bind or even a pawn for it, it was time to resign. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Yilmaz,M2619Perelshteyn,E25131–02018D85GAMMA Reykjavik Open - Fischer Memorial3.3

Today there was be the traditional Golden Circle tour, with a special Fischer program scheduled for some participants during the day, before the fourth round at 5 pm local time (18:00 CET / 12:00 EST). 

Results of round three

1 1
 
GM Rapport Richard 2715 2 ½ - ½ 2 IM Sarin Nihal 2534
 
20
2 27
 
IM Praggnanandhaa R 2507 2 ½ - ½ 2 GM Cornette Matthieu 2620
 
8
3 9
 
GM Yilmaz Mustafa 2619 2 1 - 0 2 GM Perelshteyn Eugene 2513
 
24
4 29
 
IM Christiansen Johan-Sebastian 2486 2 ½ - ½ 2 GM Lenderman Aleksandr 2600
 
12
5 13
 
GM Lagarde Maxime 2587 2 ½ - ½ 2 GM Fernandez Daniel Howard 2505
 
28
6 35
 
IM Haria Ravi 2424 2 ½ - ½ 2 GM Friedel Joshua 2562
 
16
7 17
 
GM Vaibhav Suri 2544 2 1 - 0 2 IM Bartholomew John 2477
 
30
8 19
 
GM Moradiabadi Elshan 2535 2 1 - 0 2 IM L'ami Alina 2306
 
57
9 58
 
FM Risting Eivind Olav 2304 2 0 - 1 GM Eljanov Pavel 2713
 
2
10 3
 
GM Kamsky Gata 2677 1 - 0 IM Loiseau Quentin 2427
 
34
11 33
 
GM Sundararajan Kidambi 2427 ½ - ½ GM Adhiban B. 2650
 
4
12 5
 
GM Adly Ahmed 2643 1 - 0 IM Kjartansson Gudmundur 2432
 
32
13 7
 
GM Gledura Benjamin 2632 ½ - ½ IM Kvetny Mark 2408
 
40
14 11
 
GM Can Emre 2603 1 - 0   Bick Gabriel 2416
 
38
15 43
 
IM Thorfinnsson Bjorn 2399 0 - 1 GM Grigoriants Sergey 2568
 
14
16 47
 
FM Shah Fenil 2346 ½ - ½ GM Brunello Sabino 2542
 
18
17 52
 
IM Sarkar Justin 2322 ½ - ½ GM Stefansson Hannes 2533
 
21
18 59
 
FM Stefansson Vignir Vatnar 2300 0 - 1 IM Abdusattorov Nodirbek 2518
 
22
19 23
 
GM Hjartarson Johann 2513 1 - 0 IM Kavutskiy Konstantin 2383
 
44
20 6
 
GM L'ami Erwin 2634 1 1 - 0 IM Cummings David H. 2322
 
51

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.Qc2 Nf6 7.Nf3 g6 8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nbd7 LiveBook: 40 Games 11.0-0-0N D35: Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation Find the theoretical novelty and annotate with similar games: 11.0-0 0-0 12.h3 Re8 13.Rfc1 Nb6 14.Qc2 Bd6 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.Ne5 Qe7 17.Nd3 Ne4 18.Ne5 1/2-1/2 (18) Gareyev,T (2636)-Bruzon Batista, L (2694) Las Vegas 2014 11...0-0 12.h4 b5 13.h5 The position is equal. Nxh5 14.Rxh5 gxh5 15.Qf5 f6 16.Nh4 Rf7 17.Qxh5 b4? 17...Nb6= and Black has nothing to worry. 18.Nf5+-
aiming for Nh6+. 18...Bf8 18...Qe8 was worth a try. 19.Ne2 Qa5 20.Kb1 b3 21.axb3 Qb5 22.Kc2 22.Nc1 22...a5 23.Nc3 Qb7 24.g4 And now g5 would win. White has strong initiative. c5? 24...a4 keeps fighting. 25.bxa4 Nb6 25.g5
Strongly threatening g6. 25...fxg5? 25...cxd4 26.exd4 Ne5 26.Qxg5+ White is clearly winning. Kh8 27.Rg1 Bg7 28.Nd6 Precision: White = 70%, Black = 38%.
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Rapport,R2715Der Manuelian,H22791–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Kamsky,G2677Doluhanova,E22751–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Adly,A2643Navalgund,N22751–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Gledura,B2632Kucuksari,K22711–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Yilmaz,M2619Shailesh,D22461–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Can,E2603Lorscheid,G22281–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Lagarde,M2587Roe,S22211–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Ramirez,A2568Birkisson,B22121–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Vaibhav,S2544Johannsson,O22061–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Moradiabadi,E2535Bergsson,S22011–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Kumar,N2277Eljanov,P27130–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Soham Das2275Adhiban,B2650½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Mohota,N2272L'Ami,E26340–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Pantzar,M2263Cornette,M26200–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Ragnarsson,D2236Landa,K2613½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Heimisson,H2224Lenderman,A26000–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Heimisson,H2224Lenderman,A26001–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Edvardsson,K2217Grigoriants,S2568½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Nebolsina,V2211Friedel,J25620–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Loew,G2204Brunello,S25420–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Laustsen,L2201Nihal Sarin25340–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20181
Eljanov,P2713Sundararajan,K2427½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
L'Ami,E2634Haria,R24240–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Cornette,M2620Antal,T24191–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Lenderman,A2600Norowitz,Y24121–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Friedel,J2562Pigott,J24031–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Brunello,S2542Thorfinnsson,B2399½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Brunello,S2542Thorfinnsson,B2399½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Nihal Sarin2534Abrahamyan,T23691–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Abdusattorov,N2518Fenil,S2346½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Perelshteyn,E2513Bewersdorff,O23121–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Cornette,D2447Rapport,R27150–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Kjartansson,G2432Kamsky,G2677½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Loiseau,Q2427Adly,A2643½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Loiseau,Q2427Adly,A2643½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Bick,G2416Gledura,B2632½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Thavandiran,S2399Yilmaz,M26190–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Kavutskiy,K2383Can,E2603½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Unuk,L2346Lagarde,M25870–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Cummings,D2322Ramirez,A2568½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Midoux,S2319Vaibhav,S2544½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Kantorik,M2313Moradiabadi,E25350–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
L'Ami,A2306Hamitevici,V25121–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20182
Rapport,R2715Nihal Sarin2534½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Kamsky,G2677Loiseau,Q24271–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Adly,A2643Kjartansson,G24321–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
L'Ami,E2634Cummings,D23221–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Gledura,B2632Kvetny,M2408½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Yilmaz,M2619Perelshteyn,E25131–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Can,E2603Bick,G24161–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Lagarde,M2587Fernandez,D2505½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Vaibhav,S2544Bartholomew,J24771–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Moradiabadi,E2535L'Ami,A23061–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Hjartarson,J2513Kavutskiy,K23831–02018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Praggnanandhaa,R2507Cornette,M2620½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Christiansen,J2486Lenderman,A2600½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Sundararajan,K2427Adhiban,B2650½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Haria,R2424Friedel,J2562½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Thorfinnsson,B2399Grigoriants,S25680–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Fenil,S2346Brunello,S2542½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Sarkar,J2322Stefansson,H2533½–½2018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Risting,E2304Eljanov,P27130–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183
Stefansson,V2300Abdusattorov,N25180–12018GAMMA Reykjavik Open 20183

Standings after three rounds

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Yilmaz Mustafa 3,0 0,0
  Vaibhav Suri 3,0 0,0
3 Moradiabadi Elshan 3,0 0,0
4 Eljanov Pavel 2,5 0,0
  Lenderman Aleksandr 2,5 0,0
  Sarin Nihal 2,5 0,0
  Fernandez Daniel Howard 2,5 0,0
8 Cornette Matthieu 2,5 0,0
  Grigoriants Sergey 2,5 0,0
  Friedel Joshua 2,5 0,0
  Abdusattorov Nodirbek 2,5 0,0
  Mai Aron Thor 2,5 0,0
13 Johannsson Birkir Isak 2,5 0,0
14 Davidsson Oskar Vikingur 2,5 0,0
15 Rapport Richard 2,5 0,0
  Lagarde Maxime 2,5 0,0
  Haria Ravi 2,5 0,0
18 Kamsky Gata 2,5 0,0
  Adly Ahmed 2,5 0,0
  Can Emre 2,5 0,0
  Hjartarson Johann 2,5 0,0
  Praggnanandhaa R 2,5 0,0
  Christiansen Johan-Sebastian 2,5 0,0
24 Zhou Aiden 2,5 0,0
  Sikkel Dirk 2,5 0,0
26 Jonsson Olafur Gisli 2,5 0,0
27 Perelshteyn Eugene 2,0 0,0
  L'ami Alina 2,0 0,0

... 240 players

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Commentary by Simon Williams and Fiona Steil-Antoni (when available)

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Gerd is an avid club player who enjoys competing in tournaments. He has recorded his impressions in many reports on the ChessBase news page.

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