THREE rating favorites advanced to the next round of the ongoing 2021 Icelandic Cup-World Cup Qualifier in Reykjavik, Iceland, but one got extended to a tiebreak match after suffering defeat in the second game of their regulation best-of-two games.
Advancing to the next round are top seed GM Hjorvar Gretarsson, 2nd seed GM Hannes Stefansson, and 4th seed IM Gudmundur Kjartansson who all booted out their respective opponents FM Vignir Vatnar Stefansson, GM Bragi Thorfinsson, and GM Margeir Petursson, respectively in the second game of their matches for a 2-0 count. Only 3rd seed GM Johann Hjartarson got stalled after GM Helgi Gretarsson evened the score with a 47-move victory in a slam-bang Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Their game is truly fascinating and replaying their game will make you realize – like I did – that QGA games can also get this violent. The two will play a rapid match to determine who advances.
Gretarsson, Hj (2578)-Stefansson, V (2330) [A06]
Reykjavik (1.2) 2021
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.d3 c5 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.b3 0-0 8.Bb2 Qc7 9.c4 d4 10.e3 e5 11.a3 Bf5 12.Qc2 Rad8 13.exd4 exd4 14.Rae1 Rfe8 15.Ng5 Qc8 16.Bc1 Nd7 17.f4 Nf6 18.Nge4 Ng4 19.Nf3 Bg6 20.h3 f5 21.hxg4 fxe4 22.dxe4 Qxg4 23.Qf2 Qd7 24.Kh2 Bh5 25.e5 Bg4 26.Nd2 g6 27.Rh1 d3 28.Bb2 Qe6 29.Re3 Rf8 30.Ne4 Rf5 31.Nd6 Rxd6 32.exd6 Qxd6 33.Qd2 Be2 34.Bd5+ Kf8 35.Kg1 Nd4 36.Rxh7 Rxd5 37.cxd5 Bf6 38.f5 g5 39.Rh6 Kf7 40.Rh7+ Kg8 41.Rh6 Qd8 42.Kf2 Kg7 43.Rg6+ Kh7 44.Re4 Qf8 45.Qc1 Bf3 46.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 47.Rxd4 1-0
Petursson, M (2450)-Kjartansson, G (2483) [D43]
Reykjavik (1.2) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 b5 8.Be2 Qb6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Ne5 Bb4 11.f4 Nbd7 12.Nxf7 Kxf7 13.e5 c5 14.exf6 cxd4 15.Bh5+ Kg8 16.Kh1 Rh7 17.f7+ Kf8 18.Bg6 Rh8 19.Ne4 Be7 20.Bf2 e5 21.Qh5 Rd8 22.Ng5 Nf6 23.Qh3 Bc8 24.f5 e4 25.Rfe1 e3 26.Bg1 Rd5 27.Bxe3 dxe3 28.Ne6+ Bxe6 29.fxe6 Re5 30.Qf3 Rxe6 31.Rad1 Qc6 32.Qf4 Bd6 33.Rxe3 Bxf4 34.Rd8+ Ke7 35.Rxh8 Nd7 36.Re8+ Kf6 0-1
Gretarsson, He (2440)-Hjartarson, J (2525) [D24]
Reykjavik (1.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.Nxb5 Nb6 8.Be2 Nc6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Qd2 0-0 11.Rd1 Rb8 12.Nc3 Nb4 13.Qf4 Nc2 14.Rb1 Nd5 15.Qd2 Nxc3 16.Qxc3 Na3 17.Ra1 Bb4 18.Qe3 Nc2 19.Qe4 Nxa1 20.Ng5 g6 21.Qh4 h5 22.Bxh5 Qe7 23.Be2 f6 24.Ne4 fxe5 25.Qg3 exd4 26.Bh6 Bb7 27.Qxg6+ Kh8 28.Bxf8 Rxf8 29.Ng5 Nc2 30.Bxc4 Bd5 31.Rd3 Ne3 32.Rxd4 Nf5 33.Rd3 Qg7 34.Rh3+ Kg8 35.Qxe6+ Bxe6 36.Bxe6+ Rf7 37.Bxf7+ Qxf7 38.Nxf7 Kxf7 39.g4 Ne7 40.f4 Bd6 41.f5 Kf6 42.Kg2 Nd5 43.Kf3 Nb4 44.Rh6+ Kg7 45.g5 Nd3 46.f6+ Kf7 47.Ke4 Ke8 1-0
Thorfinnsson, B (2439)-Stefansson, H (2536) [E25]
Reykjavik (1.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.dxc5 Qa5 9.e4 Ne7 10.Be3 0-0 11.Qb3 Qc7 12.Bb5 Nec6 13.Ne2 Na5 14.Qb1 e5 15.0-0 Be6 16.Qe1 Bc4 17.Rb1 Bxb5 18.Rxb5 Nc4 19.Qf2 Nxa3 20.Rb3 Nc4 21.Rfb1 Nd7 22.Rxb7 Qc6 23.Ng3 g6 24.Bh6 Nxc5 25.Bxf8 Nxb7 26.Bh6 a5 27.f4 a4 28.fxe5 a3 29.e6 Nd8 30.e7 Ne6 31.Qf6 a2 32.Rf1 Qc5+ 33.Kh1 Ne5 34.Be3 Qxc3 35.Nf5 gxf5 36.exf5 a1Q 37.fxe6 Qxf1+ 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qa8!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…g3 2.Qc8#; 1…Qh5 2.Rxh5#; 1…Qh6 2.Rxh6#; 1…Qh7 2.Rxh7#; 1…Qxh8 2.Qxh8#; 1…Rg2/h1 2.Q(x)g2#./PN
