Reykjavik 2024

[LawrenceCooper]

Dan Bisby will be aware that GMs are difficult to beat! 3/4 is a good start though.

He now finds himself facing Andrea Botez so his game is being streamed to more than 15000 viewers on the BotezLive Twitch channel with commentary by GM Jon Ludvig Hammer.

Should he have the right to refuse to take part in that? I think he should if he doesn't want to.

I'm not sure about this specific event but, in general, opponents of streamers can ask not to be on camera and I can remember at least one case of a streamer's game not being broadcast because the opponent requested it not to be.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Bodhana plays a French IM tomorrow. Her first titled player since round 1. No more double-round days. Three more rounds to go. Dan Fernandez leading the England pack with 4.5/6. Both on a run of 3/3. Elsewhere, Nigel Povah plays the undefeated Ifan Rathbone-Jones (WLS).

[Kevin Thurlow]

"(Can the live-stream be watched back later, with the commentary? Would like to see that!)"

https://m.twitch.tv/videos/2094441566

[Kevin Thurlow]

Shortly after the session starts, (about 21 minutes in to the video) Andrea turns up with laptop and a mile of cables and sets up the camera, whilst Dan looks slightly bemused. She doesn't make a move until after she's set it up though. I cam imagine some players would get irritated by that.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Jon Ludvig Hammer's reaction to the draw being agreed is worth watching as well. Nice playing venue.

[Ian Thompson]

Shortly after the session starts, (about 21 minutes in to the video) Andrea turns up with laptop and a mile of cables and sets up the camera, whilst Dan looks slightly bemused. She doesn't make a move until after she's set it up though. I cam imagine some players would get irritated by that.

If they weren't irritated by that then they might well be by her adjusting the camera while they were thinking about their second move.

[LawrenceCooper]

Shortly after the session starts, (about 21 minutes in to the video) Andrea turns up with laptop and a mile of cables and sets up the camera, whilst Dan looks slightly bemused. She doesn't make a move until after she's set it up though. I cam imagine some players would get irritated by that.

If that means she set it up with her own clock running, rather than moving first and then fiddling around with the camera in his thinking time then it sounds preferable.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"If that means she set it up with her own clock running, rather than moving first and then fiddling around with the camera in his thinking time then it sounds preferable."

Agreed - I was emphasizing that she didn't use the laptop once the game had started. Nice hat as well.

[LawrenceCooper]

A dramatic moment in Bodhana's game on move 54: https://www.chess.com/events/2024-reykj ... l_Thibault With a little more time she may have found it.....

[Mike Gunn]

Sadly there doesn't seem to be a "proper" commentary this year (i.e. one in which a pair of commentators look at the games of the leading players). Is this down to the demise of chess24 or something else?

[Mick Norris]

I see Matthew Wadsworth has black against Moussard in the last round

[Christopher Kreuzer]

He has performed well. Hopefully he can finish with a draw or win.

Is it just me, or have the other results from ENG players been underwhelming? (A good performance from the Welsh player I have highlighted a few times, but that seems to be about it).

Well, Bodhana missing a mate in two against an IM was certainly dramatic, as Loz pointed out. Some players have gained rating points.

Theoretically a 14-way tie for first still possible.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Looking at my old team-mates, Peter Large is gaining about 36 elo so far, and now he's playing again, he's getting his rating back. A nice defence of R vs vs R+2 (on h+f) yesterday. Dan Bisby is going up 10, and has +1=1-1 vs GMs.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Fair points, Kevin. That is the same ending Dan Fernandez managed to lose, though the slip came when it had simplified to KRP vs KR. I think my perspective of the results by Peter Large and Dan Bisby (and others) are slightly coloured by the nature of their losses. Both results are overall actually good ones. It does feel like a few points and half points were 'left out there', but that all adds to the drama and angst. Early start today. Hope all the ENG players do well! (Plus the SCO and WLS compatriots, and apologies for missing out the IRL contingent!)

PS. Junior (about 12 or 11) Nitish Arun (IRL) is gaining 86 rating points so far and faces IM John Pigott (ENG) in the final round.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I meant to comment that the venue is great. I went in 2018 and was impressed that the bar had a "Happy Hour" during the tournament, where beer was half-price (bringing it down to roughly London prices...). But the definition of "Hour" was "throughout the playing session, and beyond", to ensure that the last two players could unwind as well. (This assumes they were not juniors of course!)