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Mar 27, 2026

Chess History Resurfaces as Reykjavik Tournament Draws Elite Players

AI Summary
The Reykjavik Open, an iconic chess tournament with historical connections to Bobby Fischer's 1972 match against Boris Spassky, has begun with 422 players competing. Top seeds include Iran's Amin Tabatabaei, with notable English players also participating. The author shares a personal anecdote about an unsuccessful 1973 attempt to organize a match with Fischer that could have boosted English chess.

The Reykjavik Open, a prestigious nine-round chess tournament commencing at the Harpa Conference Centre, carries significant historical weight as it takes place near the site of the legendary 1972 Bobby Fischer versus Boris Spassky match. First established in 1964 with Mikhail Tal as the inaugural winner, this year's event has attracted a substantial field of 422 players.

The top seed is Iran's Amin Tabatabaei, the sole 2700-rated competitor in the tournament, followed by Romania's Bogdan-Daniel Deac (2655) and veteran Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk (2654) as the fourth seed. England has dispatched a contingent of over 20 players, though most are amateur competitors. Grandmaster Matthew Wadsworth (2522) is seeded 21st, while Grandmaster Simon Williams (2443) holds the 39th position. Notably, 11-year-old Women's International Master Bodhana Sivanandan is pursuing her second Women's Grandmaster norm.

In the opening rounds, the English trio secured victories, including Williams' impressive 20-move triumph. Sivanandan drew against a 2484-rated Chinese International Master in the second round.

For the author, any chess event in Reykjavik evokes memories of 1973, when Fischer was anticipated to return to competitive play following his victory over Spassky. The author recounts an ambitious plan to organize a match involving Fischer, which included a two-game match against British champion William Hartston and an eight-board simultaneous exhibition against England's junior players. Despite personal connections to Fischer—including participation in a BBC-recorded consultation game in 1960—the proposed event never materialized after a negative response from Fischer's representatives.

The author speculates that had the match occurred, it would have significantly advanced English chess, with Fischer likely prevailing 6-2 to 7-1 against the promising English juniors who would later achieve grandmaster status.

The article concludes with a chess puzzle solution for position 4017, demonstrating the tactical complexity that characterizes high-level chess competition.