The 2nd Jón Þorsteinsson Memorial Tournament

The 2nd Jón Þorsteinsson Memorial Chess Tournament will be held in Reykjavík, Iceland on the weekend of 21st and the 22nd of February, 2009, in honour of his 85th birthday.  Jón Þorsteinsson was a Member of Parliament, a lawyer and a widely respected chess player in Iceland.  The weekend tournament features prizes totalling ISK600,000 (US$5000).

The Memorial Tournament is organized by The Reykjavík Chess Club (Taflfélag Reykjavíkur) and Hellir Chess Club (Taflfélagið Hellir), together with Jón Þorsteinsson's family.

The tournament is expected to attract Iceland's strongest players as well as several international players, like it did in 2004 when it was first held.

The format of the tournament is highly innovative.  The participants will begin each game from a position, which occurred in actual play and selected by a special tournament committee, and provided at the beginning of each round.

There will be nine (9) rounds, Swiss System, in the tournament, each comprising two 15-minute games where participants play each position with both white and black.

The positions will be selected to test the versatility and positional skills of the players rather than their knowledge of opening theory.

Icelandic players will be ranked according to Icelandic ELO ranking, but international players according to international ELO ranking or their local ranking, if not ranked internationally.

The tournament will be held at Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð.  The first four rounds will be played on Saturday 21st, beginning at 2:00 PM.  The final five rounds will be played on Sunday the 22nd, beginning at 1:00 PM. Entrance fees are ISK1,000 (ISK500 for children 15 & under).  Registration details are above.

Prizes

Prizes (in ISK).  Currency converter can be found here. 

Top Five (All Players):
1. 150.000
2. 100.000
3. 75.000
4. 50.000
5. 25.000

ELO Rank 1901-2200:
1. 22.000
2. 20.000

ELO Rank 1601-1900:
1. 19.000
2. 17.000

ELO Rank 1600 & Under:
1. 16.000
2. 14.000

50 Years & Over:
1. 20.000
2. 15.000

16 Years & Under (Born 1993 or later):
1. 15.000
2. 10.000

Special Prize for Most 2-0 Wins:
1. 30.000

Prizes will be prorated for two or more qualifying players.