2017 Reykjavik Open

[Chris Rice]

The 2017 Reykjavik Open is due to start tomorrow with a very strong field as usual, this time headed up by Anish Giri, Andreikin, Jobava, Almasi, Shirov etc. There are 99 players 2200+. Gawain is in action again after his recent success in Dubai. There are also a number of other ENG players on the starting list.

[Tim Harding]

Kamsky is here too. Last year's winner Gupta is 14th seed and 2015 winner L'Ami is 11th seed.

WCM Lynda Smith is the only entry from Wales; nobody from Scotland it seems. Four from Ireland including yours truly.

Round 1 starts 3pm Icelandic time (4pm BST).

I expect to be playing a 2500+ GM if it's a normal top v bottom draw.
Some late arrivals will be taking a half point bye and there are usually late drop-outs (according to the organiser Gunnar Bjornsson) so predicting the pairings is impossible. Registration closes at noon tomorrow and the pairings should be posted at about 1330 BST.

http://chess-results.com/tnr234895.aspx?lan=1

Thursday is a double round day: 9am and 5pm local time with probably several amateur players taking a half point bye in the evening or morning.

Most other days we start at 3pm local time but at 5pm for round 7 (of 10) because of a tour, and the final round starts in the morning.

[Leonard Barden]

deleted

[Leonard Barden]

I expect to be playing a 2500+ GM if it's a normal top v bottom draw.

Tim's forecast proved prescient. He is Black against 2584-rated Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest. Good luck in the lion's den, old friend!

[Mick Norris]

round 1 pairings

7 137 Saren Bjorn 2067 0 0 GM Jones Gawain C B 2671 7

17 147 Peat Matthew 2014 0 0 GM Can Emre 2578 17

and good luck to my fellow Manchester Manticore
33 163 Mulleady Peter J 1949 0 0 GM Lemos Damian 2471 33

[Geoff Chandler]

Good Luck Tim,

Look out for the 1227 rated Icelandic player Armann Petursson he beat Martin Wecker (German) rated 2134.

White (Wecker) to play

rn1qkb1r/p4ppp/1pp1pn2/4N2b/2P5/1Q2P2P/PP2NPP1/R1B1KB1R w KQkq - 0 1

White played 10. Ne2-f4 and this was answered with 10...Bb4+ White resigned.

News is in the Kamsky won by default:

Was it a mobile phone or did his opponent do a Game 2 Fischer in Reykjavik and not turn up?

[Mick Norris]

English players

[Chris Rice]

Great effort yesterday by Tim. Simon and Fiona analysed the game while it was going on and were full of praise. After 25 moves Simon thought that Van Foreest had nothing and was looking at 25...Ra5 instead of 25...Re5 which apparently would have led to Black's advantage. So close but that's the problem against these top rated guys. You make one mistake and they are all over you. Good luck to Tim today in Rd 2.

Van Foreest, Jorden - Harding, Tim D Reykjavik Open 2017 round 011. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bd3 Ngf6 7. Nxf6+ Bxf6 8. c3 b6 9. Be4 Rb8 10. O-O Bb7 11. Bxb7 Rxb7 12. Bf4 O-O 13. Qe2 Qc8 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Be7 16. Rad1 c6 17. Rd3 Rd8 18. Rh3 g6 19. c4 Rbd7 20. b3 Rd4 21. Be3 Re4 22. Qf3 Rxe5 23. Rxh7 Rf5 24. Qh3 Bf6 25. g4 Re5 26. Qh6 Re4 27. h3 Qc7 28. Bg5 Bd4 29. Qxg6+ fxg6 30. Rxc7 Re2 31. Bxd81-0

[Matt Mackenzie]

Bit of an unfortunate error at the end, assuming that score is accurate.

[Brian Towers]

Presumably it is 27 ... Qc7 which loses as that sets up white's Qxg6. Perhaps if black had instead moved the d8 rook out of the way, perhaps d3, black may even have had winning chances with a plan to play the queen to d8 and then d4 followed by bishop back to g7, driving the queen away and opening up the possibility of winning the white rook stuck on the h file? A bit hopeful, I know. Every time black gets a move white gets one too so maybe pie in the sky, but if the mating threats go away that rook is vulnerable.

[Chris Rice]

Presumably it is 27 ... Qc7 which loses as that sets up white's Qxg6. Perhaps if black had instead moved the d8 rook out of the way, perhaps d3, black may even have had winning chances with a plan to play the queen to d8 and then d4 followed by bishop back to g7, driving the queen away and opening up the possibility of winning the white rook stuck on the h file? A bit hopeful, I know. Every time black gets a move white gets one too so maybe pie in the sky, but if the mating threats go away that rook is vulnerable.

Having had a second look that seems to be right, 27...Qc7 is a blunder (25...Re5 isn't so bad at all) and Stockfish 8 gives instead 27...Rd3 with a big plus for Black although again I'm finding it difficult to know quite why its so good. White missed Qxg6+ the first time on move 28, which shows that it wasn't that easy to see and it looks as though Black would have still been better after 28 Bg5 if he plays 28...Qe5. Interesting game.

[Chris Rice]

After rd 2 we have 44 players on 2/2. Notable results:

GM Kunte Abhijit 2491 (1) ½ - ½ (1) CM Walton Alan J 2199
WIM Maroroa Sue 2148 (1) ½ - ½ (1) IM Saptarshi Roy 2425
FM Pigott John C 2381 (1) ½ - ½ (1) Burrows Martin P 2113
Daly Patrick 1804 (½) ½ - ½ (½) Kauch Markus 2193
CM Harding Tim D 2017 (0) 1 - 0 (0) Gudmarsson Olafur 1721
FM Van Leent Dimitri 2230 (1) 1 - 0 (1) GM Blomqvist Erik 2548
GM Harika Dronavalli 2521 (1) ½ - ½ (1) FM Doknjas John 2216
GM Lemos Damian 2471 (1) ½ - ½ (1) FM Dougherty Michael 2171

[Chris Rice]

Rd 3 pairings

and within those these are the ENG pairings, Irish pairings and Welsh pairing

It's a double round day and round 3 starts at 6pm BST

[LawrenceCooper]

Gawain facing the Torre Attack, against Torre

[Tim Harding]

Gawain facing the Torre Attack, against Torre

Not the same Torre of course!