Friðrik Ólafsson and Jan Timman Share First Place

Friðrik Ólafsson and Jan Timman finished tied for first place in the Reykjavík Chess Tournament, although the Icelandic grandmaster had the higher rating. The newspaper Tíminn reported on the tournament on 16 September 1976 and briefly interviewed the winners. The article from Tíminn follows below.

Grandmasters Friðrik Ólafsson and Jan Timman finished tied for first place in the 7th International Reykjavík Tournament, which concluded yesterday morning when the adjourned games from the fifteenth and final round were completed. Friðrik won his adjourned game against Ingi R. Jóhannsson, which came as something of a surprise. Friðrik’s sealed move, however, is said to have been very strong. With this result, he has once again demonstrated his brilliance at the chessboard, and Tíminn congratulates him on his achievement.

The other adjourned games ended as follows: Tukmakov managed to hold Helgi Ólafsson to a draw by perpetual check. Tukmakov therefore finished tied for third and fourth place with Najdorf, confirming the result previously predicted by Tíminn on the pages of the newspaper.

Westerinen also managed to draw against Björn Þorsteinsson, although Björn had held the better position before the game was adjourned.

As can be seen from the table on this page, Friðrik and Timman finished equal at the top with 11 points. Friðrik, however, had a considerably higher rating.

Guðmundur Sigurjónsson’s result was not as good as many had expected before the tournament began. It should nevertheless be remembered that Guðmundur tried his utmost to play for a win against Timman, but overreached and lost.

Ingi R. Jóhannsson’s result does him and everyone else great credit. Ingi has played very little chess recently, which makes his performance all the more impressive.

Björn Þorsteinsson was the highest-placed untitled Icelandic player. He started the tournament poorly, having faced strong opponents in the opening rounds. It also mattered that he had a large number of adjourned games early in the event, and this probably affected his play, since Björn was apparently working full-time during the tournament. His result must therefore be considered highly creditable. It is noteworthy that he drew with Timman, Najdorf, Antoshin and Westerinen, all of whom were grandmasters. In addition, he defeated Vukevich.

Helgi disappointed many people’s expectations, although he still performed with distinction and could easily have defeated both Najdorf and Tukmakov. He also had a winning position against Gunnar Gunnarsson, but allowed it to slip into a draw. This undoubtedly affected his play later in the tournament.

Margeir can be satisfied with his performance, as is also clear from the interview with Timman published elsewhere on this page.

Among the foreign participants, Najdorf’s strong performance was a source of satisfaction to everyone. Keene scored approximately as many points as had been expected, while Westerinen has often performed better. Salvatore Matera earned the international master title at the tournament, as reported in Tíminn yesterday.

Jan Timman: “I Cannot Complain!”

“Yes, this was a very difficult tournament,” Jan Timman said in a brief conversation with a Tíminn reporter yesterday, “and I can only say that I am satisfied with the result. At least I cannot complain.”

As previously reported, Timman was one of the tournament’s two winners. After congratulating the young Dutch grandmaster on his achievement, Tíminn asked him for his opinion of the Icelandic participants.

“Ólafsson, Friðrik, and Sigurjónsson, Guðmundur, are of course world-class chess players, and Jóhannsson, Ingi R., is a very solid player and quite remarkably strong, considering how little he has played recently. Margeir Pétursson has a promising future ahead of him. He is extremely patient and never gives up, even when things go against him, which is rare among such young players. And he has no reason to complain about his result in this tournament—the first strong event in which he has participated.”

Which game did you feel you played best in the tournament?

“That is difficult to answer. There were several interesting games, such as the one against Margeir.”

Timman will leave Iceland on Saturday. His next event will be the Chess Olympiad in Israel, where he will play on first board for the Dutch team.

Friðrik: “Very Satisfied with This Tournament”

“Yes, there is no denying that I am very satisfied with this tournament,” grandmaster Friðrik Ólafsson told a Tíminn reporter yesterday evening, shortly before the prize-giving ceremony at a reception hosted for the players and tournament officials by Minister of Education Vilhjálmur Hjálmarsson at the Ministerial Residence.

“It was a difficult tournament, especially the final stage, during which Vukevich was kind enough to take half a point from Timman.”

Which game do you consider your best performance in the tournament?

“There were several good ones, but the games against Keene and Najdorf come first to mind. Both were enjoyable.”

What is next on your schedule?

“I am taking part in a tournament in Yugoslavia beginning on 29 September, so I will hardly have recovered from this one before it starts,” Friðrik said in conclusion.