[Editor’s note: Lula started playing chess in December 2020 and quickly became a Chess.com streamer. Since then, she’s cultivated a following of tens of thousands of fans and has been improving ever since. She earned her WCM title in 2024. The following article is about her personal experience at the 2024 Reykjavik Open, on and off the board, and a short recap of the top-board results.]

The primary time I ever performed an over-the-board chess event was March 2022, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Within the two years since then, my chess improved, I performed an Olympiad, I began streaming my tournaments… but additionally, I received far more cynical about chess, I fell out of affection with chess, I fell again in love with chess… you recognize, that cycle all of us undergo as chess gamers.

Returning to Iceland in 2024 for the Reykjavik Open is one thing I did not understand I wanted till the occasion was already over, and it turned obvious to me that I had fallen again in love with chess… correctly.

On my flight from Paris to Iceland, I anxiously solved nearly 200 puzzles with the hope that it will make up for the time I did not have between this and my final chess event to really study from my errors. My puzzle binge could not make up for actual preparation, but it surely was higher than nothing. I am not used to taking part in “severe chess” each month, and so the blunders of my February classical event had been nonetheless recent in my thoughts.

Though I simply began taking part in classical chess once more, I hadn’t really performed an open event since October 2022. Since then, I might primarily performed minor sections, they usually cannot start to match. In Reykjavik, I solely performed one individual decrease rated than me, that means I went into each recreation with a real problem—nothing to lose, and all the things to achieve. 

In my solely recreation in opposition to a lower-rated participant, I transformed cleanly after profitable a pawn from  my opponent’s opening mistake. My opponent tried to go for a last-resort king hunt, however I performed precisely to safe the win:

This time, I drew with two gamers rated over 1800 FIDE, and missed some possibilities in opposition to different higher-rated gamers. This may occasionally not sound like a giant deal, or all that constructive, however it’s to me, as a result of it means I am beginning to get possibilities in opposition to gamers near 2000 FIDE. 

My first journey to Iceland was simply over a 12 months after I had discovered to play chess, and now I am over three years into my chess journey and in a position to stubbornly maintain minor-piece endgames in opposition to guys nearly 200 factors increased rated than me. I might name that progress.

In some methods, I used to be nervous to return to Reykjavik. Final time, I went with an enormous group of on-line chess buddies and we explored town collectively, cooked meals from our residence nations, and watched The Shining for the primary time. This time, I went alone, I stayed in a lodge, and I did not watch any Kubrick movies. 

I must get up at 3am for my flight residence so as a substitute my buddies and I are staying up and watching all of the Shrek movies (at present on Shrek 2)

— lula (@lularobs) March 22, 2024

Fortunately, quite a lot of my buddies had been going to Reykjavik too, and so I wasn’t really alone. Final month, I performed a chess event by myself in Cannes, France, and located it to be a extremely isolating expertise. In Reykjavik, my buddies and I ready for our video games collectively, went memento buying, and mastered the artwork of driving electrical scooters within the snow (though I’ve some bruises that may say in any other case).

Again and again, it’s the superb folks I meet by way of chess that preserve me motivated and excited to play these occasions. This event was additionally the primary time I might been surrounded by different streamers at a event. I lastly met WFM Alexandra Botez, Andrea Botez and TheChessNerd, and I reunited with the opposite streamers whom I hadn’t seen since TwitchCon 2023! Enjoying all my video games within the streamer nook was a change, and it is nice to see the organizers embracing Twitch and YouTube getting used to share their event with the world.

Nothing in life is ideal, and sadly one among my opponents defaulted on me within the second spherical of the occasion. If you have not performed an in-person event earlier than, this implies they did not present as much as the sport. I used to be planning on taking a bye within the afternoon of the double-round day, so I ended up taking part in solely one among two video games anyway, and not less than I wasn’t so exhausted on the finish of the day. I stand by my assertion that double-round days are inhumane, and my coronary heart goes out to the People who’ve by some means discovered themselves taking part in triple-round days over throughout the Atlantic.

Through the event, there isn’t a scarcity of enjoyable happening; I might say Reykjavik is likely one of the most social tournaments I’ve ever been to. On the opening celebration, we performed bughouse (my favourite chess variant) and, as all the time, there was a mid-tournament pub quiz and a blitz occasion!

The primary time I went to Iceland to play chess, I believed it was going to be actually severe, as a result of it is such a prestigious and well-known occasion, however the organizers like to have enjoyable, and Reykjavik has some vigorous bars for such a small metropolis. There’s a spot referred to as “The English Pub,” and you’ll pay to “spin the wheel” with the prospect of profitable an pointless variety of beers. I do not like beer, so I did not spin the wheel, however I did contribute to different folks doing so. I as soon as noticed anyone win a whole yard of beer.

Gained the @ReykjavikOpen blitz with – in in all probability the one time I’ve achieved such a rating in my life – an ideal 9/9! Clearly extraordinarily proud of the end result, however no relaxation for the depraved as tomorrow brings a double-round day, so time to get some sleep 😴

— Alexander Katz (@IMCryptochess) March 18, 2024

Reykjavik is such a social occasion that even my opponents needed to talk earlier than and after the video games, with one telling me that he and his buddies would spend one other week after the event travelling round Iceland. One in every of my opponents really instructed me he had taken the week off sick from work to be able to come to the event (and if his boss requested, he completely wasn’t there).

I had accomplished quite a lot of the vacationer actions two years earlier than, together with a visit to the Bobby Fischer museum and Fischer’s grave, in addition to visiting the Icelandic “golden circle” and the Blue Lagoon. This time, I had come strictly to play chess… and go to Reykjavik’s cat café.

Amongst my opponents, I additionally performed in opposition to a folks musician from the Faroe Islands, and the Swiss system even paired me with the one Guernsey participant on the complete event. For these of you who do not know, I am from Jersey, one of many Channel Islands between England and France. Guernsey is the second-largest Channel Island, after Jersey, and so in fact we have now a fierce rivalry.

Fortunately, our two nations had been in a position to make peace as I drew with the 1834-rated Guernseyman Garth Owen within the seventh spherical of the Reykjavik Open. Warfare averted.

In my second draw in opposition to a higher-rated participant, I defended a bishop endgame with a worse pawn construction. On this recreation, I performed 1.d4! in classical chess for the primary time for the reason that Olympiad: 

In addition to boasting probably the most lovely all-glass event corridor, the Reykjavik Open is the sort of event the place you might be positive to see chess legends and gamers of all ages and nationalities. I counted no fewer than 27 chess grandmasters signed up for the occasion, together with legends like Ukrainian GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, in addition to up-and-coming skills.

This 12 months, I used to be following the video games of WCM Bodhana Sivanandan, a younger English expertise who was very near getting her first win over an IM. Sadly she missed a forcing sequence and traded right into a shedding place. Additionally very near a formidable win was fellow Brit Oscar Pollack, who was crushing a GM till exhaustion received the higher of him and he hung a rook. Classical chess is an endurance battle, and typically issues come all the way down to stamina.

Heartbreak for Oscar Pollack who got here so near one of many greatest upsets of the rounds solely to have momentary lack of focus to depart his rook hanging. #ReykjavikChess24 pic.twitter.com/VpBbWb60mf

— ReykjavikOpenChess (@ReykjavikOpen) March 15, 2024

I used to be amazed by WGM Miaoyi Lu from China, who received her fourth (and unneeded) IM norm this event, and drew with 4 grandmasters, and beat a fifth one. 

The winner of this 12 months’s Reykjavik Open was high seed Romanian GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac, who scored 7.5/9. In second place was event common GM Sebastien Maze, who was very near profitable however misplayed his closing spherical endgame, taking it from a win to a draw, and scoring 7/9. GM Paulius Pultinevicius got here third, additionally on 7/9.

Closing Outcomes | Prime 10

Ultimately, I scored 3.5/9, the identical rating as the primary time I got here to Reykjavik. Solely this time, I had a lot more durable opponents, and I’m actually proud of my efficiency. Though I lose one thing like 5 ranking factors, I feel I performed at a a lot increased stage than all of my earlier over-the-board occasions, and I am proud to say I did not make any massive blunders. I additionally had SO MUCH FUN, which is, let’s be sincere, the principle factor about going to a chess event as an beginner chess participant.

On my approach again to the airport at 4 a.m., I noticed Sundhnukur, Iceland’s volcano which had erupted that exact same week, spouting lava into the pitch black night time. Even from eight miles away, the glowing lava was spectacular and I ended my already extraordinary journey to Iceland with seeing an energetic volcano for the primary time. 

The Reykjavik Open 2024 is over!

Thanks a lot to @ReykjavikOpen, @chesscom, and everybody who made my return to Iceland so particular!

It was my first open event in a very long time 😅 and has renewed my love for OTB chess!! ♟️ pic.twitter.com/rhwlLR84qY

— lula (@lularobs) March 23, 2024

The Reykjavik Open event was a nine-round Swiss with a time management of 90 minutes for the primary 40 strikes plus half-hour for the remainder of the sport, with a 30-second increment from the primary transfer. It was held from March 15-21 2024.