With only 2 rounds to go, the action is reaching a climax here at Reykjavik Open!
Yesterday’s 8th round saw Erwin l’Ami further increase his lead as he profited from a time trouble blunder by Granda Zuniga to decide the game in his favour. On board 2 Naroditsky managed to hold Eljanov to a draw with the black pieces, while on board 3 Hansen did the same against Mamedyarov with the white pieces.
So after 8 rounds Erwin l’Ami has a commanding 1-point lead over his closest competitors, as he stormed to an impressive 7.5/8. A group of 7 players follow him on 6.5: Eljanov, Fier, Naroditsky, Jones, Hansen, Melkumyan and Hammer.
Today’s 9th round top pairing is l’Ami-Melkumyan, where Erwin could already secure tournament victory in case of a win! On boards 2-4 we will have the clashes Eljanov-Hansen, Naroditsky-Hammer and Fier-Jones.
As usual, the games will start at 3pm GMT and you can follow them live on http://www.reykjavikopen.com/round-9-2/ and our live show on www.chess.com/tv. Make sure you don’t miss out on the action as the tournament enters its decisive phase!
Fiona Steil-Antoni
