Half a century on from 1972, the Bobby Fischer v Boris Spassky series in Reykjavik remains the most famous of all world championship matches. It triggered a global chess boom, not least in Britain where for a brief period a galaxy of talent made England the No 2 chess nation behind the Soviet Union.
Reykjavik has another tradition, its annual international open first staged in 1964 when the legendary Mikhail Tal outclassed the field with 12.5/13. The 2022 edition at the Harpa Conference Centre from 6-12 April has a tight schedule of nine rounds in seven days, zero Covid restrictions, and morning excursions which include a visit to Fischer’s grave.
