TOP seed GM Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson opened the final match of the 2021 Icelandic Cup-World Cup Qualifier in Reykjavik, Iceland, with a crushing victory with the black pieces against 2nd seed GM Hannes Hlífar Stefánsson over the weekend.
The two top seeds earlier won their respective semi-final matches in dramatic wins over their respective rivals IM Guðmundur Kjartansson and GM Helgi Áss Grétarsson after the two equalized and brought the semi-final match into overtime. Both top seeds pulled through, however, albeit in contrasting fashion – Hjörvar breezing through the first rapid tiebreak against Kjartansson, and Stefánsson winning it in the blitz tiebreaks.
In the first finals game, Grétarsson employed the Sicilian Najdorf and played seamlessly to earn the point in just 25 moves. Now all he needs is a draw to wrap up the match, while Stefánsson needs to win to bring the match into a tiebreak face-off.
Stefansson, H (2536)-Gretarsson, HA (2440) [C41]
Reykjavik (2.2) 2021
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 h6 8.Re1 Qc7 9.h3 a5 10.Be3 g5 11.Bf1 Nf8 12.Nd2 g4 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Nc4 gxh3 15.gxh3 Be6 16.Bb6 Qb8 17.Qd2 Bb4 18.f4 N8d7 19.Bf2 Rg8+ 20.Kh1 exf4 21.e5 Nh5 22.Kh2 Kf8 23.Re4 Qc7 24.Be2 Ng3 25.Qxf4 Nxe4 26.Qxh6+ Ke8 27.Nxe4 Nxe5 28.Bg3 Rxg3 29.Qh8+ Bf8 30.Ncd6+ Kd7 31.Qxe5 Rxh3+ 32.Kg2 Bxd6 33.Rd1 Rg8+ 34.Kf2 Rh1 35.Rxd6+ Kc8 36.Rxe6 Qb6+ 37.Nc5 Rh2+ 38.Kf1 Rh1+ 39.Kf2 fxe6 40.Qxe6+ Kb8 41.Qxg8+ Ka7 42.Qg5 Qxb2 43.Nb3 Rh2+ 44.Kf3 Qh8 45.Qf5 Qc3+ 46.Bd3 Rxc2 47.Qxa5+ Qxa5 48.Nxa5 Ra2 49.Be4 Ra3+ 50.Kf4 Rc3 51.Ke5 0-1
Kjartansson, G (2483)-Gretarsson, HS (2578) [B40]
Reykjavik (2.2) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.e5 Ng4 6.0-0 Ngxe5 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.d4 cxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc6 10.Qa4 d6 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.Qxc6+ Bd7 13.Qc3 h5 14.h4 Be7 15.Nd2 Rc8 16.Qd3 Qb6 17.b3 Qc6 18.c4 g5 19.hxg5 h4 20.Ne4 hxg3 21.fxg3 d5 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Nf6+ Kd8 24.Nxd7 Qxd7 25.Rf5 Rh3 26.Bf4 d4 27.Qe4 Ke8 28.Re1 Rc6 29.Re5 Re6 30.Rxe6 fxe6 31.Qg6+ Kd8 32.Qg8 Qe8 33.Qe6 1-0
Gretarsson, HS (2578)-Kjartansson, G (2483) [D10]
Reykjavik (2.4) 2021
1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bf4 Nc6 6.e3 a6 7.Bd3 Bg4 8.Nge2 e6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Rc1 0-0 11.f3 Bh5 12.Bg3 Bg6 13.Nf4 Bxd3 14.Nxd3 Na5 15.Na4 Rc8 16.Qe2 Nh5 17.Bf2 Bd6 18.b3 Rxc1 19.Rxc1 Qb8 20.g3 Nf6 21.Nac5 Bxc5 22.Nxc5 Rc8 23.g4 Nd7 24.Bg3 Qa8 25.Qd2 Nxc5 26.Qxa5 Nd3 27.Rc7 Rxc7 28.Qxc7 Nb4 29.a4 Nc6 30.Kg2 h6 31.h4 a5 32.Qd7 g6 33.Bf4 h5 34.gxh5 gxh5 35.Bd6 Kg7 36.Kg3 Kg6 37.Bf4 Qd8 38.Qxb7 Nb4 39.Qc7 Qg8 40.Qe5 f6 41.Qc7 Kf5+ 42.Kh2 Kg6 43.Bd6 1-0
Stefansson, H (2536)-Gretarsson, HA (2440) [C41]
Reykjavik (2.4) 2021
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 Qc7 8.Re1 h6 9.h3 g5 10.Be3 Rg8 11.Nh2 h5 12.Be2 h4 13.d5 Nf8 14.a5 a6 15.Bf3 cxd5 16.exd5 Bf5 17.Ra4 Qd7 18.Ng4 Bxg4 19.hxg4 Rc8 20.Rb4 Bd8 21.Qa1 N8h7 22.Qa3 Kf8 23.Ra1 Kg7 24.Qb3 Rc7 25.Bb6 Rc8 26.Ba7 Re8 27.Rxb7 Rc7 28.Rxc7 Bxc7 29.Qa4 Qe7 30.Be3 Rb8 31.Ra2 Qd8 32.Be2 Qc8 33.Qc4 Qb7 34.f3 Ra8 35.Kh1 Bb8 36.Qc6 Qxc6 37.dxc6 d5 38.Bb6 d4 39.Ne4 Nd5 40.Bc4 Nb4 41.Ra4 1-0
Stefansson, H (2536)-Gretarsson, HS (2578) [B96]
Reykjavik (3.1) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Nbd7 9.Be2 Be7 10.0-0 Qb6 11.Bf2 Qxb2 12.Qd3 Nc5 13.Qf3 e5 14.Nf5 Bxf5 15.exf5 Rc8 16.Bc4 b5 17.Rab1 Qxc2 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.Rfc1 Qd2 20.Nxb5 axb5 21.Bxb5+ Kf8 22.Ba6 e4 23.Qg3 Rd8 24.Bxc5 Bxc5+ 25.Rxc5 Qd4+ 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Bf8!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Bxb2 2.Bxh6#; 1…Kxb2 2.Qa3#; 1…Sc2 2.Qxc2#./PN
