Returning to Rekyjavik

We might hold on to the idea that variety's the very spice of life. But we are humans and humans are creatures of habit. I know I am, as in the past couple of years I became a regular at the Reykjavik Open. Shockingly, I am not the only one.

Back to take what's his: seated number one, ended number one (click to enlarge)

Faithful customers are flying in year after year, joined by ambitious newcomers, young talents, plus experienced and legendary names. The starting list is very compact, making it a tough affair for both the top players and the driven-yet-less-famous-ones.

It takes a lot of chocolate to withstand all those tough guys...

...and many hours to travel all the way from the US, but GM Joshua Friedel knows it is worth the effort

The packed venue

Why the Reykjavik Open?

Only five seconds are needed to scan the players' list and to conclude that indeed, the event is formatted to suit a wide variety of participants.

No introduction required - Beliavsky

Yet another Indian prodigy – Nihal Sarin

The women section gold was claimed by Harika Dronavalli...

...under the close watch of another regular: Tatev Abrahamyan.

It is a professional tournament, sewed for the professionals, yet 'ama-touristic' enough to mellow out the inevitable rush of blood to the head, commonly seen in the chess scenes.

Chess can be pretty cool

As if all the players morphed into pros, the desire to perform well is visible in nearly any game. However, the chilaxed Icelanders can't allow for grumpy faces thus a wide range of side activities are available as well.

If for any reason you can't join the excursions, there will always be a friend to show you around. After all, Fischer's legacy is calling.

The tournament's signature

When I am playing in a stunning building I feel that chess is respected and that I am respected as a chess player too.

Harpa, the tournament venue

The organizers can't go wrong with Harpa, Reykjavik's Concert Hall and one of its greatest landmarks. True, given the musical rehearsals above the playing hall, one time the players were accompanied by slightly more distinguishable sounds than a harp could produce. But for those who can't work on music, the arbiters promptly presented an alternative: earplugs.

Your author in jealous mode: some can focus no matter what

And yet, no efficient antidote against the Icelandic weather has been found. Even though the organizers shifted the usual March dates into April, the starting of the Icelandic 'summer' didn't coincide with Nature's plans.

The steaming 2 degrees are not quite convincing. But with the Icelanders' spirit and colorful walls the thermometer reaches...30°C.

Truth be told, it would be a bit dull to have a hot land in Iceland. It is much more fun to watch the clouds through your window and get amazed by how quickly a rain can change into snow, then hail, then rain again, all within a one minute frame. Of course the sun and the wind will make sure you will reconsider your outfit and plans a zillion times before going out as well.

What changed

When the standards are high it becomes more challenging to make visible progress. But Reykjavik Open does it every year. It is all in the details, from the organizational smoothness to the tailored attention of each individual's specifications.

A wide selection of restaurants are available to make you feel special, pampered and forget about that 64 board.

A more noticeable change implies the tiebreak rules:

1. direct encounter,
2. the greater number of wins,
3. the greater number of games with black

For those who thought this would disadvantage Anish Giri, he convincingly proved the unbelievers wrong.

Sole winner with a remarkable 8.5/10. Allow me to adjust the saying: beside (and not behind) every strong man there is a powerful woman.

The King's Day was a true celebration on the boards of the Dutch players: 27th April brought Anish Giri 1st place and Jorden van Foreest 2nd.

behind every successful tournament there is a big team of hard working people. Thank you all for yet another great edition of the Reykjavik Open.

Final standings

Click for complete standings

Links

• Official tournament site
• All games in PGN or Replay them directly here (many analyzed)

You can use ChessBase 14 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to replay the games in PGN. You can also download our free Playchess client, which will in addition give you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.