2017 Reykjavik Open

The very latest International round up of English news.
Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Chris Rice » Tue Apr 25, 2017 12:16 am

Tough day for Gawain who got ground down by the Turkish GM Emre Can. In Round 8 he's got White against Praggnanandhaa. Top boards:

1 GM Grandelius Nils 2641 6 6 GM Jobava Baadur 2712
2 GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2670 6 6 GM Gupta Abhijeet 2607
3 GM Almasi Zoltan 2696 5½ 6 GM Can Emre 2578
4 GM Donchenko Alexander 2554 5½ 5½ GM Giri Anish 2771
5 GM Kamsky Gata 2668 5½ 5½ GM Friedel Joshua E 2524
6 GM Hjartarson Johann 2536 5½ 5½ GM L'ami Erwin 2614
7 GM Harika Dronavalli 2521 5½ 5½ GM Yilmaz Mustaf 2614
8 IM Hambleton Aman 2434 5½ 5½ GM Van Foreest Jorden 2584

After that there are another 28 players, including Gawain, on 5 who could still have a say before this 10-rounder is finished.

LawrenceCooper
Posts: 7175
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:13 am

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by LawrenceCooper » Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:15 am

Chris Rice wrote:Tough day for Gawain who got ground down by the Turkish GM Emre Can.
To my untrained eye his 21st move seemed the critical moment. 21....g5 looked playable (albeit giving up the f5 square) but there was obviously a reason that he didn't play it. Hopefully he can bounce back and have a strong finish after a good first six rounds.

User avatar
Christopher Kreuzer
Posts: 8806
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:34 am
Location: London

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:32 am

Chris Rice wrote:
Steven DuCharme wrote:A 1227 player beat a 2134 in 22 ply
Geoff Chandler posted about this a few days ago Steven, see page 1 of this thread for that Round 1 game.
If you click on the header for a post, you can copy the URL and link to it:

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php ... 65#p198658

Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Chris Rice » Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:07 pm

Gawain lost to Praggnanandhaa. It certainly looked like he might have been winning after the enterprising 48 Rxf7 but he wasn't and the tactics didn't work out for him. Not sure where this leaves Praggnanandhaa in his quest for a GM norm though.

LawrenceCooper
Posts: 7175
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:13 am

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by LawrenceCooper » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:00 pm

Chris Rice wrote:Gawain lost to Praggnanandhaa. It certainly looked like he might have been winning after the enterprising 48 Rxf7 but he wasn't and the tactics didn't work out for him. Not sure where this leaves Praggnanandhaa in his quest for a GM norm though.
It must have been very frustrating for Gawain, having avoided various repetitions and with his young opponent finding only moves with no time on his clock. I suspect that we will be hearing the opponent's name a lot in future events.

Tim Harding
Posts: 2318
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Tim Harding » Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:55 pm

Top honours now seem to lie between the six players on 6.5/8 who are paired for the penultimate round as follows:

JOBAVA-GIRI
ALMASI-VIDIT
GUPTA-GRANDELIUS

John Pigott is flying the flag now with 5/5/8 but has a tough pairing as Black v Indian GM Panchanathan Magesh Chandran
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Tim Harding
Posts: 2318
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Tim Harding » Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:14 pm

The combined ages of the two players on my board today in Reykjavik was almost 140 years. I wonder if that's a record for an international open (as opposed to a seniors tournament).

I tried for nearly five hours but the ancient Icelandic geezer held on for a draw. Unusually for an Icelander, he knew no English.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

User avatar
IM Jack Rudd
Posts: 4819
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 am
Location: Bideford

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:35 pm

Tim Harding wrote:The combined ages of the two players on my board today in Reykjavik was almost 140 years. I wonder if that's a record for an international open (as opposed to a seniors tournament).
It's not, no. Per Tveten (b.1942) played Stewart Reuben (b.1939) at Gibraltar this year for a combined age of at least 151 years.

Tim Harding
Posts: 2318
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:26 pm

Thanks for the info, Jack.
Fantastic result for FM John Pigott (born 1956 if the FIDE website is right) who today beat a GM with Black to reach 6.5/9 with one round to go. (His score includes a half point bye in round 3.)

Tomorrow he plays Shirov with White. I don't think a norm is possible as he would have to have met five titled opponents; is that right?
John has played 2xGM, 1 x IM, 1xFM, 1 x WFM but I don't think the WFM counts towards the quota for male players?

I have a vague recollection of playing John in a tournament in London in the late 1970s but am not certain and don't have the game score.

Gawain won quickly today as in on 6.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:37 pm

Tim Harding wrote: Tomorrow he plays Shirov with White. I don't think a norm is possible as he would have to have met five titled opponents; is that right?
The bye rules him out for Norm chances.

There were many promising players born in the middle to late 1950s, some of whom made it to GM and world standard GM at that. John Pigott is one of those who took a different career path.

Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Chris Rice » Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:57 pm

Really enjoyed watching the Jobava-Giri game today and Giri's great finish puts him in sole first place going into the last round which starts at noon. However if he doesn't win there are 10 players half a point below who could catch him (or overtake him if he loses) which would significantly affect the amount of prize money he might get so he's got a decision to make as to whether to go for a halve out or just go for it, which to be fair he has been doing in this tournament up to now. Could be a very exciting finish:

Round 10 pairings with the top boards and a look at how our guys are doing below :

1 GM Giri Anish 2771 7½ 7 GM L'ami Erwin 2614
2 GM Grandelius Nils 2641 7 7 GM Almasi Zoltan 2696
3 GM Movsesian Sergei 2677 7 7 GM Yilmaz Mustafa 2614
4 GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2670 7 7 GM Van Foreest Jorden 2584
5 GM Kamsky Gata 2668 7 7 GM Can Emre 2578
6 GM Gupta Abhijeet 2607 7 6½ GM Jobava Baadur 2712
7 FM Pigott John C 2381 6½ 6½ GM Shirov Alexei 2693
13 IM Christiansen Johan-Sebastian 2429 6 6 GM Jones Gawain C B 2671
31 GM Thorhallsson Throstur 2423 5½ 5½ FM Webb Laurence E 2271
44 WGM Nebolsina Vera 2285 5 5 WIM Maroroa Sue 2148
54 Haraldsson Haraldur 1941 5 5 CM Walton Alan J 2199
59 Hill Alistair 2209 4½ 4½ Baldvinsson Loftur 1971
66 Fridjonsson Julius 2126 4½ 4½ Mulleady Peter J 1949
68 Doknjas Neil 1784 4½ 4½ Burrows Martin P 2113
75 Baliuniene Margarita 1897 4 4 Spence David J 2168
76 Murray Jim G. 1896 4 4 Persson Anders 2078
81 Timmermans Adri 1861 4 4 CM Harding Tim D 2017
84 Byrne Alex 1976 4 4 Holm Fridgeir K 1726
97 WCM Smith Lynda 1849 3½ 3½ Njardarson Daniel Ernir 1378
99 Steingrimsson Karl Egill 1664 3½ 3½ Daly Patrick 1804
120 Smith Chris P 1504 2 2½ Nielsen Suni I Horni 1167
135 Peat Matthew 2014 3 0 not paired
Last edited by Chris Rice on Thu Apr 27, 2017 12:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

Ian Thompson
Posts: 3551
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:31 pm
Location: Awbridge, Hampshire

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Ian Thompson » Thu Apr 27, 2017 12:01 am

Tim Harding wrote:Tomorrow he plays Shirov with White. I don't think a norm is possible as he would have to have met five titled opponents; is that right?
John has played 2xGM, 1 x IM, 1xFM, 1 x WFM but I don't think the WFM counts towards the quota for male players?
I don't see anything in the regulations saying WFMs don't count. They do say CMs and WCMs don't count.

He'll get a norm if he draws or wins against Shirov. As the tournament website says he's gaining 10 rating points already, a win would push his rating over 2400 and get him the IM title as well.

Richard Bates
Posts: 3338
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:27 pm

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Richard Bates » Thu Apr 27, 2017 6:54 am

Ian Thompson wrote:
Tim Harding wrote:Tomorrow he plays Shirov with White. I don't think a norm is possible as he would have to have met five titled opponents; is that right?
John has played 2xGM, 1 x IM, 1xFM, 1 x WFM but I don't think the WFM counts towards the quota for male players?
I don't see anything in the regulations saying WFMs don't count. They do say CMs and WCMs don't count.

He'll get a norm if he draws or wins against Shirov. As the tournament website says he's gaining 10 rating points already, a win would push his rating over 2400 and get him the IM title as well.
I think he needs to win. He has an average opposition of 2279 (after raising round 1 opponent to rating floor) which makes the norm 7/9. The chess results software seems to be miscalculating his current performance for some reason.

Incidentally it doesn't apply here but how long has 141c been in the regulations? I had never noticed it before but it seems to imply that you can get an 8 round norm in a 9 round tournament even if you take a bye (also if you receive a win by default). I had never realised that and it feels like a recent addition because it doesn't fit it with the tables in 1.72. 141c says you have to play "the required mix of opponents" but beyond that it is not clear if that is the implied mix for 8 games i.e. 4 Titled players (50%) or the required mix for 9 games which is shown in the 1.72 tables.

LawrenceCooper
Posts: 7175
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:13 am

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by LawrenceCooper » Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:21 am

Tim Harding wrote: John has played 2xGM, 1 x IM, 1xFM, 1 x WFM but I don't think the WFM counts towards the quota for male players?.
Whatever gave you that idea? :?

Mick Norris
Posts: 10330
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: 2017 Reykjavik Open

Post by Mick Norris » Thu Apr 27, 2017 11:53 am

Ian Thompson wrote:
Tim Harding wrote:Tomorrow he plays Shirov with White. I don't think a norm is possible as he would have to have met five titled opponents; is that right?
John has played 2xGM, 1 x IM, 1xFM, 1 x WFM but I don't think the WFM counts towards the quota for male players?
I don't see anything in the regulations saying WFMs don't count. They do say CMs and WCMs don't count.

He'll get a norm if he draws or wins against Shirov. As the tournament website says he's gaining 10 rating points already, a win would push his rating over 2400 and get him the IM title as well.
Interesting when he got his other IM norms FIDE website

I see his previous high rating was 2395
Any postings on here represent my personal views