📅 Date: April 13, 2025
📍 Venue: Harpa Concert Hall, Reykjavík
♟️ Rounds Played: 6 & 7
🔝 Five Players Share the Lead After Seven Rounds
Following a grueling double-round Sunday, five players now share the lead at the Reykjavik Open 2025 with 6 points out of 7:
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GM Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) defeated Muradli in the morning round and held Ivanchuk to a draw in the evening.
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GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (UKR) kept pace with a win over Velimir Ivic followed by a draw with Maghsoodloo.
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GM Mahammad Muradli (AZE) bounced back from his earlier loss to Parham with a strong win in round 7.
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GM Eltaj Safarli (AZE) scored an important victory over Icelandic legend Jóhann Hjartarson.
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GM Shreyas Royal (ENG) continued his impressive performance with back-to-back wins against GM Brandon Jacobson and GM Vitaly Sivuk.
The tournament is now finely poised heading into the final two rounds.
🇮🇸 Top Icelandic Performance – Jóhann Leads the Local Pack
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GM Jóhann Hjartarson defeated French IM Kevin Terrieux in round 6 before losing a tense battle to Eltaj Safarli. He remains the top Icelandic scorer with 5 points and will play FM Havard Haug (NOR) in round 8.
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IM Dagur Ragnarsson had a stellar day, winning both of his games to reach 5 points, and now faces GM Sebastien Maze in round 8.
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GM Guðmundur Kjartansson also climbed up the standings and is paired against IM Elliot Papadiamandis.
📊 Standings After Round 7 (Top 5)
| Player | Title | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parham Maghsoodloo | GM | IRI | 6.0 |
| Vasyl Ivanchuk | GM | UKR | 6.0 |
| Mahammad Muradli | GM | AZE | 6.0 |
| Eltaj Safarli | GM | AZE | 6.0 |
| Shreyas Royal | GM | ENG | 6.0 |
🔮 Round 8 Preview – Clashes at the Top
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Parham Maghsoodloo vs Shreyas Royal – Board 1 thriller between leader and rising star.
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Muradli faces Ivanchuk on board 2 – classic youth vs. experience.
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Eltaj Safarli takes on Lu Shanglei on board 3.
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IM Dagur Ragnarsson will test himself against GM Sebastien Maze on board 11.
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GM Jóhann Hjartarson meets FM Havard Haug on board 15.
The tournament, held in honor of Iceland’s first Grandmaster Friðrik Ólafsson, is heading into its final stretch with plenty of excitement still to come. Stay tuned!
Results, Standings and Pairings on Chess-Results
