Lev Alburt Wins the First Open Reykjavík Tournament

Lev Alburt of the United States won the Reykjavík Chess Tournament, which was held as an open event for the first time, scoring 8½ points out of 11. Boško Abramović of Yugoslavia scored 8 points, while Dmitry Gurevich of the United States finished with 7½. Guðmundur Sigurjónsson was the highest-placed Icelandic player, scoring 7 points and sharing 4th–11th place. Friðrik played in a major tournament for the first time in three years and had to be content with 5 points, finishing in a tie for 33rd–39th place among 54 participants. The following is an interview with Friðrik published by Morgunblaðið at the conclusion of the tournament on 23 February. The interviewer was Hallur Hallsson.

“It was an enjoyable innovation to hold the Reykjavík Tournament as an open event, and I believe that it will continue in this form in the future,” said Friðrik Ólafsson, president of FIDE, in an interview with Morgunblaðið. “Open tournaments reach a wider group of players and give young chess players with promising futures an opportunity to compete against older and more experienced opponents. In that way, open events benefit more people, and I thought the Reykjavík Tournament was successful in every respect. On the other hand, Kjarvalsstaðir is not entirely suitable for staging a competition of this kind when so many participants are gathered together.”

What would you say about the standard of play in the tournament?

“It is clear that the players left the tournament with very different results. In my opinion, Alburt, Abramović and Gurevich played the sharpest and best chess, and they received their proper reward for their efforts.”

What about the performance of the Icelandic players?

“We did not manage to make a major impact. Guðmundur Sigurjónsson upheld the honour of the Icelandic players, and it is clear that he is returning to his former level, which is gratifying after the decline he has experienced. Sævar Bjarnason and Jóhann Hjartarson also performed reasonably well.”

Our international masters did not perform as well as had been hoped.

“Yes, people had expected them to finish higher. But one must not overlook the fact that the tournament had a strong field and that a considerable effort was required to achieve a respectable result. Playing in a tournament of this kind demands emotional stability and thorough preparation, physically, mentally and, not least, theoretically. Players must retain their composure when things go against them. They must remain firm and avoid taking excessive risks. The field was strong, and the difference between the leading and lower-ranked players is not as great as it was in earlier years. It is therefore difficult to pass through a tournament like this without setbacks, and it is essential to remain steady even when circumstances are unfavourable. For that to be possible, the preparation must be sound.”

Your own performance caused considerable disappointment.

“From a rational point of view, it is a serious question whether players do themselves or others any favour by entering a tournament without proper preparation. By that I mean all three aspects: physical, mental and theoretical preparation. Such an approach is unlikely to end well. I have played in only one major tournament since 1978, in Buenos Aires in 1980. This creates a lack of confidence at the chessboard; it is rather like going into an examination without having studied.”