Irish teenagers in Reykjavik open

Tim Harding

The Reykjavik open began this afternoon.

Mamedyarov already won his game on top board. Gawain Jones is ninth seed.

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/reykjavik-open-2016/1/1/9

http://www.reykjavikopen.com/pairingsre ... -ranklist/

http://chess-results.com/tnr190183.aspx?lan=1

In the field are two aspiring teenagers from the Dun Laoghaire Chess Club: Tom O'Gorman (2067) who is 13 years old and was on the team that won the Glorney Cup last year, with his sister Alice (1620) who is I think 15 or 16 years old. Good luck to them.

Tom is in the top half of the draw so should get a point today and a strong opponent next. Tomorrow is a double round day, I think.

235 players in all.

cdeb

Tom got a walkover against an 1100. Faces an English FM today.

Reykjavik is a tournament I must play some year.

Lucena

I thought I'd be a good tournament to play in, but the entry fee is a bit steep.

Tim Harding

Lucena wrote: »

I thought I'd be a good tournament to play in, but the entry fee is a bit steep.

How much? As the entry form is no longer online I cannot see, and I was thinking of playing this event next year. (Except I don't like the cold much but last year the Aurora Borealis was visible in the city during the event.)

I would expect everything to be expensive in Iceland, though maybe not so bad as before the crash.

Compared with Gibraltar, there are more low-rated players so after getting mashed by masters two or three times it would be easier to find your own level if you are, say, a lower board Armstrong, or Heidenfeld or Ennis player.

cdeb

Tom takes a draw off the FM, and has black against an Indian IM next.

Alice having a tougher time of it - after defeats to 2150 and 1950, she plays another 1950 in round 3!

Tim - entry fees are still on the site here. Sliding scale based on rating.

Tim Harding

cdeb wrote: »

Tom got a walkover against an 1100. Faces an English FM today.

Reykjavik is a tournament I must play some year.

Tom drew with White in round two against his 2340 opponent.
A treat in store for him as in round 3 he has Black against the lovely Tania Sachdev. Probably he's young enough to be able to concentrate on the chess...

Alice lost with Black against a 1947 rated Dane.
Next she has White against a similarly rated German. Tough but good experience. After this she will probably be playing most of her games among the more lowly rated locals of whom there are 20 or so.

Gawain Jones has White on board 5 against Bragi Thorfinsson who many readers may have met last year in Bunratty.

It's noticeable that quite a few players of all strengths (including Mamedyarov and Andreikin) opted to play only one of today's two rounds.
As in Gibraltar there are ten rounds with half-point byes allowed but in Gib there is only game a day.

Tim Harding

cdeb wrote: »

Tom takes a draw off the FM, and has black against an Indian IM next.

Alice having a tougher time of it - after defeats to 2150 and 1950, she plays another 1950 in round 3!

Tim - entry fees are still on the site here. Sliding scale based on rating.

Ah, thanks. That's a big leap if you go below 2000, I must work hard to regain those 20 points I lost in Gib. At least I can claim the OAP discount!

Tom's next opponent Tania Sachdev isn't just any old Indian IM as you'll have noted from my previous post (which I must have been writing at the same time as you). She is a quite well known chess journalist (living in London I think) and sometimes does reports for ChessBase etc. and occasionally commentates tournaments.

Lucena

Tim Harding wrote: »

How much? As the entry form is no longer online I cannot see, and I was thinking of playing this event next year. (Except I don't like the cold much but last year the Aurora Borealis was visible in the city during the event.)

I would expect everything to be expensive in Iceland, though maybe not so bad as before the crash.

Compared with Gibraltar, there are more low-rated players so after getting mashed by masters two or three times it would be easier to find your own level if you are, say, a lower board Armstrong, or Heidenfeld or Ennis player.

Entry fees are here:

http://www.reykjavikopen.com/info/prizes/

So for me, were I to go, a snip at €220.

Lucena

I just had a look at the prize money:

http://www.reykjavikopen.com/info/prizes-2/

and considering the number of GMs and IMs who've made the journey, there must be good conditions offered!

I've also noticed that, in 81st place we have the first AGM I've ever seen:

http://chess-results.com/tnr190183.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=3&fedb=IRL&fed=ISL&flag=30&wi=821

GM titles for everybody!!

Chessrookie

Tim,
An excellent result for Alice this afternoon beating a 1957 rated German opponent and maintaining the strong form she showed in Bunratty. I don't see her playing those bottom 20 type players you referred to.
She is one of our top female players and has played on the Gilbert teams the last three years.

Tim Harding

Excellent result for Alice indeed and she gets another 1900+ opponent in round 4.
It's a shame Tom lost to Sachdev but he is paired with a much lower rated woman now.

http://chess-results.com/tnr190183.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=4&fedb=IRL&flag=30&wi=821

cdeb

I thought you were setting it up that they'd drawn each other in round 4...

Tim Harding

Round 4 under way (started 5pm).
Commentary at http://www.chess.com/tv by FM Ingvar Johannesson & FM Manuel Weeks.

Follow the top 25 boards (doesn't include the Irish players) at
https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/reykjavik-open-2016/4/1/1

You will be able to check results and round five draw at bedtime on:
http://chess-results.com/tnr190183.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=4&flag=30&wi=821

Tim Harding

Fantastic result: both O'Gorman teenagers won today. Tom has 2.5/4 points and Alice has 2.
The pairings are not up yet because some games (including Shabalov-Cheparinov on top board) are still in progress.

Gawain Jones had a fine attacking win and shares the lead with A. Gupta and (probably) Shabalov in the latter can cash in his extra pawn.

Tim Harding

Top board was drawn so it is Jones-Gupta on top board in round 5 tomorrow, Friday (starts 5pm GMT I think).

Tom O'Gorman will have Black on board 44 against FM Halldor Gretar Einarsson (2245).

Alice will be White on board 68 against WFM Gudlaug Thorsteinsdottir (2047).

Tim Harding

Tim Harding wrote: »

Top board was drawn so it is Jones-Gupta on top board in round 5 tomorrow, Friday (starts 5pm GMT I think).

Tom O'Gorman will have Black on board 44 against FM Halldor Gretar Einarsson (2245).

Alice will be White on board 68 against WFM Gudlaug Thorsteinsdottir (2047).

Tom has just drawn his game. His rating performance so far is 2162. Alice lost but her Rp is still over 1900.
BTW I gave the wrong start time for the round. It was 3pm and probably will be the same tomorrow?
Several games are still in progress so the draw will probably not be available until about 9.30-10pm.

The commentators just announced that tomorrow's round starts at noon local time and I think Iceland is in the same time zone as Ireland? (If so it will be the same as the Candidates).
These wide variations in round timings seem peculiar to Reykjavik, maybe associated with special events?

Tim Harding

Pairings for Reykjavik round 6 are up now. Tom is White on board 43 against Kristjan Edvardsson (2228) and Alice has Black against another 1900 opponent.

Gawain Jones drew so there are now five leaders on 4.5. Gawain has the tough downfloat, Black against Mamedyarov.

cdeb

Tim Harding wrote: »

BTW I gave the wrong start time for the round. It was 3pm and probably will be the same tomorrow?

The schedule is on the chess-results site - so a midday start tomorrow (Sat)

Also an unusual tournament in that it doesn't run from Sat-Sat.

Tim Harding

Both the O'Gormans won, great result. Tom has 4/6 (3/5 in games actually played) and could be on a live board tomorrow (at 3pm as cdeb's link shows, thanks for that). Reykjavik is a 10-round tournament.
Movsesian beat Rapport and leads on 5.5.
Gupta-Cheparinov and Mamedyarov-Jones were drawn so they have 5 where they have been joined by Tania Sachdev (who beat Tom earlier) and probably several others.
There are still several games going so the draw will be up later.

Lucena

Good results for them so far. They must do some serious training!

Tim Harding

Round 7 pairings are up now. Tom O'Gorman won't be on a live board unfortunately as they only have 25 and he's on #29. There are many players on 4/6.

Tom has Black against Swiss IM Vuilleumier (2366). His RP is 2264 so far.

Alice's RP is 1963 so far (no draws yet!). She will play White against WFM Alessia Santeramo (Italy, 2095) who is a couple of years older.

Tim Harding

The results of the Irish games only went up about 7pm so must have been two of the longest games although there are still some in progress, including Mamedyarov.

Tom O'Gorman unfortunately lost today but his Rp is still well above 2200.
Alice O'Gorman drew with another higher-rated opponent (her first draw), a WFM, and she now has 3.5, only half a point behind her brother.

Round 8 pairings are now available:
42. Tom O'Gorman v FM Dale R. Haessel (2212)
65. Thomas Lochte (2067) v Alice O'Gorman

Top board will be Gupta v Movsesian; they are the only players on 6. Gawain Jones is in the group half a point behind.

Tim Harding

Chessrookie wrote: »

Tim,
An excellent result for Alice...maintaining the strong form she showed in Bunratty. I don't see her playing those bottom 20 type players you referred to.
She is one of our top female players and has played on the Gilbert teams the last three years.

You are certainly being proved right!
Alice drew today already, Black against a 2067 opponent. She remains on 50 per cent with two rounds to go.

LATER: Tom has won and now has 5/8. I shall post again after the round 9 pairings are available.

Tim Harding

Tom O'Gorman has a tough pairing tomorrow, Black on board 28 against IM Korley (2412).

Alice has White on board 68 against F. Diaz (France) who is 2060 and about 50 years old. The way she's been going she might well get something from that.

Gupta won today and has sole lead with 7/8. He plays Black tomorrow against Nils Grandelius whose "Swiss gambit" of blundering in the first round against a 2000 player was followed by six wins and a draw. The only other player on 6.5 is Mamedyarov. There are 16 players on 6 including Rapport, who will play Mamedyarov, and Gawain Jones who has a favourable pairing.

Two women are on 6: Elizabeth Paehtz (who commentated at Gibraltar with Simon Williams) and Tania Sachdev. Both are well on course for GM norms and perhaps only need another half point. They have very tough games with Black tomorrow but the prospect of White in the last round.

There should be some exciting games tomorrow and the start is at 3pm, three hours after the Candidates.

Tim Harding

Unfortunately the O'Gormans both lost today, the first time this has happened.
Good luck to them in the last round tomorrow at 11am.

I think a long tournament like this inevitably taxes the stamina of younger players. It was noticeable in last year's Irish championship that the younger teenagers played more weakly in the last 3-4 rounds than at the start when they were really dangerous opponents.
They will learn from this and get physically stronger, and whatever happens tomorrow they have performed excellently and will gain rating points.

Of course it will be interesting to see their actual games if they eventually become available.

Tim Harding

Tom O'Gorman won his last round game against a 2186 player to finish on 6/10 (5/9 in games actually played) and a rating performance of 2280:

http://chess-results.com/tnr190183.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=10&fedb=IRL&flag=30&wi=821

Unfortunately Alice lost again but her 4/10 was an Rp of 1907.

The tournament was won by Abhijeet Gipta of India who was a point clear after nine rounds and finished with 8.5 after drawing his last round game. Andreikin was second with 8 and then there was a big bunch on 7.5.

Tania Sachdev was top woman with 7, which was also Gawain Jones's final score after losing the last round.

brilliantboy

Serious performance when you consider the strength of the field. Can definitely see titles in the not so distant future for both of these kids.

I also can't be alone in thinking sending more juniors to strong international tournaments like this would be a better investment of ICU funds than pitting them against the best Scottish/Welsh kids and the best of the rest from England?
Send them out and see what havok they wreak

cdeb

It'd cost a lot more to go to a tournament like this than to go to the Glorney (which is basically a weekender)

Also, I guess the Glorney has the added values of representing your country (so did this tournament I guess - but more emphasised in the Glorney) and some top-level coaching too.

Not to say your suggestion's entirely without merit - it isn't, by a long shot - but I think they're some counter-arguments.

brilliantboy

cdeb wrote: »

It'd cost a lot more to go to a tournament like this than to go to the Glorney (which is basically a weekender)

Also, I guess the Glorney has the added values of representing your country (so did this tournament I guess - but more emphasised in the Glorney) and some top-level coaching too.

Not to say your suggestion's entirely without merit - it isn't, by a long shot - but I think they're some counter-arguments.

It's true you'e not going to be able to send as many kids to Reykjavik as you're able to send to England for the same coin

But I would in any case question whether the level of competition in the Glorney/Faber/Gilbert/Stokes is any greater than what you can already find within this country.
Sure it's nice to get one over on the old enemy once in a while but is it actually progressing them in a chess sense any more than the average weekender would?
I would much rather promising kids test themselves against a higher level of player in a strong open or at a world junior.

Perhaps it's something the ICU could consider. Sending a small delegation to Reykjavik or somewhere else every year, if not fully paid at least compensated in some way.
( But maybe we should wait for word from the O'Gormans. Maybe they had an absolutely terrible time and you couldn't pay them to go back )

I've also heard a few other people try to tie in the coaching with the value of the Glorney. It's an entirely seperate thing. There doesn't need to be a Glorney Cup in order to provide juniors with top-level coaching. Organizing this coaching for a wider section of the chess public would also ensure that the players who miss out when we scratch the Glorney wouldn't be hit too much.

Rathminor

Tim,
I think it may be worthwhile for some of the more experienced ICU members to prepare a suggested listing of upcoming tournaments throughout Europe that may be suitable for Irish juniors and/or normal members whole are looking for a suitable tournament to test themselves in.
Ideally if an unofficial list could come out every 6 months, to enable players to plan.
To be fair to the ICU, there was a very high level of participation by Irish juniors in International events outside of the Glorney, with strong attendance at the world's, Europeans and Mureac

sinbad68

brilliantboy wrote: »

Can definitely see titles in the not so distant future for both of these kids.

Are you Psychic ?

brilliantboy wrote: »

I also can't be alone in thinking sending more juniors to strong international tournaments like this would be a better investment of ICU funds than pitting them against the best Scottish/Welsh kids and the best of the rest from England?
Send them out and see what havok they wreak

Juniors contribute the least and get the most out of ICU funds and now you want adults ( at times treated as second class citizens by chess bodies & captains ) to fund Juniors foreign trips as well ?!

Yes, Glorney is a waste of time & money for many Juniors as depending on section and board they play on, they could face very weak scottish & welsh opponents . Irish Juniors are allowed to enter British chess championship Junior section in the summer where performance is rewarded by playing on higher board and facing much stronger opponents.