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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Reykjavik Chess Festival in March, 2012: Go play in Fischer city!

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Hi everyone,

It's great fun that we already have the chess calendar for 2012 beginning to take place. One very popular event - the Reykjavik Chess Festival takes place from March 6 to March 13, 2012.

* Total prizes of €15000
* World-class playing conditions
* Extraordinary depth and width of chess talent
* Many side events: sightseeing, Fischer-Spassky exhibit, soccer and pub quiz

The Reykjavik Open 2012 will be held for the 27th time from March 6 to March 13, 2012 in a spectacular new venue in Reykjavik, which will be announced in September. The 2012 tournament is expected to be very strong. In 2011, 166 players from 30 countries participated, including 27 grandmasters, 11 of which with a ELO rating of 2600 and higher. Total prizes in 2012 will be €15000, including many special prizes for various age and rating categories, in addition to the traditional top women prize.

The 2011 Reykjavik Open saw six joint winners, Yuriy Kuzubov (2627), Vladimir Baklan (2602) and Illya Nyzhnyk(2563), all of Ukraine, Kamil Miton (2600) of Poland, Jon Ludwig Hammer (2606) of Norway and tournament regular Ivan Sokolov (2643) of Bosnia.

The City of Reykjavík has sponsored the tournament since its inception in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won it with a record 12½ points out of 13. The tournament was initially held every two years, but has since 2008 taken place every year. It was closed in its early years, but has been an open event since the 1980s.



Throughout its history the Reykjavik Open has featured many of the strongest chess players in the world at the time, including Mikhail Tal, Nona Gaprindashvili, David Bronstein, Vassily Smyslov, Bent Larsen, Friðrik Ólafsson, Mark Taimanov, Lev Polugaevsky, Ulf Andersson, Jan Timman, Victor Korchnoi, Samuel Reshevsky, Anthony Miles, Nigel Short, Magnus Carlsen and Alexander Grischuk.

As in earlier years, several chess-related events will take place at the same time as the tournament, including the now famous the Reykjavík Open Chess Pub Quiz and the Golden Circle sightseeing tour that includes stops at Geysir and Bobby Fischer's final resting place in the southern part of Iceland. And given the favorable exchange rate of the Icelandic króna, Iceland is one of the most attractive places in the world to visit and play in chess tournaments.

During the Reykjavik Open in 2012, there will be an exhibition in the National Museum of Iceland commemorating the 40th anniversary of “The Match of the Century” between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. The museum is within a 5-minute walking distance from the playing venue. The exhibition will feature, among others, the board and chess sets from the match, and of course much more. Check the official website to register.







From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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3 comments:

  1. He shall return

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  2. The city that never sleeps

    Reykjavik has got to be one of the most unique capital cities in the world. Young and vibrant, Iceland’s capital is bursting with colour and culture, whatever time of year you visit. In the summer, the sun hardly goes down; everything comes alive and people enjoy staying out late. In the autumn and winter the city takes on a romantic ambience with the spectacular Northern Lights to entertain you, not to mention all the relaxing spas and swimming pools plus exciting winter activities.

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