The Reykjavik Open 2026 started Wednesday in Iceland's capital with 340 players from 62 countries, one of the largest fields in the event's history. Iranian GM Amin Tabatabaei is among the top seeds alongside a deep mix of European and Central Asian grandmasters looking to kick off the spring season with a title.
Reykjavik is a fixture on the chess calendar for a reason. The playing hall in the Harpa Concert Hall is beautiful, the Icelandic audience genuinely follows the sport, and the nine-round Swiss format ensures that every pairing in the final rounds matters. There are no soft games at the top.
Tabatabaei enters in strong form after a run of top-ten finishes in European opens over the past year. His classical approach, built on deep opening preparation and clean technique, suits the longer time controls at Reykjavik better than the rapid events that have dominated the early part of 2026.
The field also includes several young IMs hunting grandmaster norms. With 340 players across a wide rating range, norm opportunities appear in rounds seven through nine, and the event typically produces a dozen or more new norms each year. Round one began Tuesday evening at 17:00 local time.