Erlendu Keppendurnir

There has sometimes been discussion about whether it would be possible to make use of the Icelandic Team Chess Championship by organizing an international chess tournament alongside this popular team competition, thereby creating worthwhile opportunities for our strongest players. The international tournament in Kópavogur emerged from considerations of this kind. We have had good cooperation with individuals connected to their respective teams in the Premier Division: Helgi Árnason, Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson, Margeir Pétursson, and Oddgeir Ottesen. The four chess players participating in the Kópavogur Tournament compete for TV, TR, and Fjölnir in the 2025–26 Icelandic Team Chess Championship. They are:

Jaime Santos Latasa is from Spain, born on July 3, 1996, and will turn thirty later this year. He has a current rating of 2626 Elo, and his peak rating is 2680 Elo. He is currently the fifth-highest rated Spanish player. He became the European Individual Rapid Chess Champion in 2022. From the large number of games he has played, it can be inferred that he is strong in the opening phase and in most aspects of the game, especially in technical positions. He competes in team championships across Europe, and one of his games from the German league is shown here:

German Bundesliga 2024:

Jaime Santos Latasa – Nihal Sarin

Sicilian Defense

1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 b5 8. Bf4 Bb7 9.O-O-O Nf6 10. f3 Qc8 11. Qa7 Bc6 12. Ne2 Nh5 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Qxc7 Qxc7 15.e5 f5

16. Ng1 g6 17.Nd4

17. … Bc5 18. Nxf5 Bxe3+ 19. Nxe3 Ke7 20. Rd4 Rf8 21. Kd2 Rf4 22. Rxf4 Rxf4 23. g3 Nd5 24. f4 Nb6 25. Bd3 Na4 26. b3 Nc5 27. Ng4 d6 28. Re1 a5 29. exd6+ Kxd6 30. Ne5 Be8 31. a3 Ke7 32. Bf1 Rc8 33. Nf3 Hd8 34. Ke3 Kf6 35. Nd4 b4 36. axb4 axb4 37. Ra1 e5 38. fxe5 Kxe5 39. Nf3 Kf6 40. Ra5 Rc8 41. Nd2 Kg7 42. Bc4 Kh6 43. Nf3 Bd7 44. Ne5

– and black resigned.

Team captain Helgi Árnason has built his team around former students from Rimaskóli and national team players from Lithuania. Helgi has mentioned how positive the cooperation with the Lithuanians has been, as they were the first to confirm their participation in the Kópavogur Tournament. Valery Kazakovskiy was born on July 14, 2000, in Belarus, but in recent years he has represented Lithuania.

Chess Olympiad, Chennai 2022:

Valery Kazakovskiy – Vladimir Onischuk

King’s Indian Defense

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Be3 c6 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. g4 c5 9. Bg2 He8 10. Qd2 Nc7 11. Rd1 b6 12. Bh6 Re8 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. d5 f6 15. h4 Rf8 16. Ne2 Ne5 17. Nxe5 dxe5 18. g5 Qd6 19. h5 fxg5 20. Qxg5 Qf6 21. Qg3 g5 22. h6 Kh8 23. Rh5 Rg8 24. Rd3

24. … g4 25. Qxe5 Re8 26. Qc3 Qxc3+ 27. Nxc3 Nd6 28. b3 Hb8 29. e5 Nf5 30. Nb5 Bd7 31. e6 Bxb5 32. Rxf5 Be8 33. Rg3 b5 34. Rf4 Bh5 35. cxb5 Rxb5 36. f3 Ra5 37. a4 c4 38. fxg4 cxb3 39. Rxb3 Bxg4 40. Kf2 Rc5 41. Be4 Rc4 42. Rg3 a5 43. Rgxg4 Rxg4 44. Rxg4 Rc2+ 45. Kg3 Rg2+ 46. Kf4 Rf2+ 47. Kg5

– og svartur gafst upp.

Paulius Pultinevicius má heita þrautreyndur á Íslandsmóti skákfélaga enda harður í horn að taka og var auðvitað í sigurliði Fjölnis á síðasta Íslandsmóti. Hann varð stórmeistari aðeins 18 ára gamall, fæddur 24. nóvember 2001, og hefur átt fast sæti í ólympíuliði Litháa undanfarið.

Ólympíumótið í Chennai 2022:

Paulius Pultinevicius – Rasmus Svane

Drottningarbragð

1. d4 Rf6 2. c4 e6 3. Rf3 d5 4. Rc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e3 c5 8. Bxc4 cxd4 9. exd4 Rc6 10. O-O O-O 11. He1 Rh5 12. Bxe7 Rxe7 13. Db3 a6 14. a4 Rf6 15. Had1 Rc6 16. d5 exd5 17. Rxd5 Rxd5 18. Bxd5 Df6

19. Rd2 Rd4 20. Dc3 Rf5 21. Dxf6 gxf6 22. Rc4 Hb8 23. Rb6 Kg7 24. b4 Hd8 25. a5 Be6 26. Bxe6 Hxd1

27. Hxd1 fxe6 28. Hd7+ Kg6 29. Kf1 e5 30. Ke2 Rd4+ 31. Kd3 Kf5 32. Kc4 Rb5 33. Kd5 Hg8 34. g3 Hg4 35. Kc5 Hd4 36. Rd5 Rc3 37. Re3+ Ke4 38. Hxb7 Kd3 39. Kb6 Hxb4+ 40. Kxa6 Hd4 41. Hb3 Kd2 42. Kb6 Hd8 43. Kc7 Ha8 44. Kb7 He8 45. a6 He7+ 46. Kb6 Re4 47. a7 He8 48. Rc4+ Kc2 49. Ha3 Rxf2 50.Rd6 Hd8 51. Ha2+ Kd1 52. Hxf2 Hxd6+ 53. Kc7

– og svartur gafst upp.

The Ukrainian player Mykhaylo Oleksienko has not played much recently. He lives in one of the capitals of chess, Lviv in western Ukraine, but the city has, like other places, not been spared from Russia’s war of aggression. Oleksienko is a mathematician by education, but in recent years he has focused on chess teaching and coaching, where he enjoys great respect. He is the oldest participant in the Kópavogur tournament, born on September 30, 1986.

German Bundesliga 2018:

Mykhaylo Oleksienko – Nils Grandelius

Sicilian Defense

1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 Nf6 3. Nbc3 d6 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 e6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. O-O Be7 9. Nce2 Nxd4 10. Hxd4 Hc8 11. Qd3 Ng4 12. Qe2 Qb6 13. Qxg4 Qxd4 14. c3 h5 15. Qf3 Qc4 16. Be3 a6 17. Rfc1 e5 18. b3 Qc7 19. Qd1 h4 20. c4 hxg3 21. hxg3 Bc6 22. b4 Qd7 23. Qd3 b5 24. cxb5 Bxb5 25. Rxc8 Qxc8 26. Qd5 O-O 27. Rc1 Qd7 28. Kh2 Qg4 29. Rc7 Qh5+ 30. Kg1 Bd8 31. Ra7 Bg5 32. Bxg5 Qxg5 33. Hc7 Qd8 34. Qb7 Qg5 35. a4 Bxa4 36. Qxa6 Qd8 37. Qb7 Bb5 38. Bh3 Ba6 39. Qa7 Bd3 40. Rc8 Qf6 41. Rxf8+ Kxf8 42. Qa8+ Ke7 43. Qb7+ Kf8 44. b5 g6 45. Bf1 Bxf1 46. Kxf1 Qf3 47. Kg1 f5

48. Qd5 Ke7 49. b6 f4 50. gxf4 Qg4+ 51. Kf1 Qh3+ 52. Ke2 Qg4+ 53. Kd3 Qf3+ 54. Kc4 Qe2+ 55. Kb4 Qxf2 56. b7 Qb2+ 57. Qb3 Qd4+ 58. Kb5 Qc5+ 59. Ka6 Qc6 60. Qb6 Qc4+ 61. Qb5 Qa2+ 62. Kb6 Qf2+ 63. Kc7 Qa7 64. fxe5 dxe5 65. Kc8

– og svartur gafst upp.