Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Viking Chess Club has won the 2012 blitz club chess championship in Iceland

The Viking Chess Club has won the 2012 blitz club chess championship in Iceland. The finals took place on the 20th of September. The Viking Chess Club beat Godinn in a thrilling final match. This was a 6 board match with 12 rounds being played. After round 12, the teams were tied 36-36 after The Viking Chess Club had squandered a relatively comfortable lead going into last round, needing only 1.5 points to secure the title. According to the championship rules, the teams had to play a sudden death match to determine the winner. This has only happened once before in the 18 year history of the championship. In the sudden death match, The Viking Chess Club came out victorious, beating Godinn 3.5-2.5

The blitz club chess championship is one of the two main chessclub competitions in Iceland, the other one being the Chess Club League Competition which takes place twice a year and standard time controls are used.

The two teams that competed in the blitz final are arguably the two strongest Icelandic chess clubs at the moment. Having said that, they are both relative newcomers to the Icelandic elite club chess scene. Just over 2 years ago, they were both in the 4th division, but have since then skyrocketed up the leagues, winning promotion in every season. This year they will both compete in the first division for the first time and both clubs have great ambitions to do well and establish themselves as true contenders for Championship title in the years to come.

Both clubs have enriched the variety on the Icelandic chess club scene. Godinn has its origins from the north-east of Iceland and they have been successful luring many chess veterans, that had been inactive for years, back to the chess table.

The Viking Chess Club was originally founded in Reykjavik back in 2007 with the main purpose to play a different version of chess called „Vikingchess“. Since all the members had background in classical chess, they also started competing in the classical chess league the same year and the rest is history as the saying goes.

Despite its success in classical chess, the club still continues to put the main emphasis on the more complex „Vikingchess“, both organising tournaments and participating in team competitions.  

Death match

Viking Chess Club - Godinn 3.5 - 2.5

(GM) Stefán Kristjánsson- (GM) Þröstur  Þórhallsson 0.5-0.5
(IM) Björn Þorfinnson- (GM) Helgi Áss 1-0
Magnús Örn -  Þröstur Árnason 1-0
Davíð Kjartansson - Ásgeir Ásbjörnsson 1-0
Gunnar Fr. Rúnarsson - Einar Hjalti Jensen 0-1
Stefán Þór Sigurjónsson - Kristján Eðvarðsson 0-1

Individual results Viking Chess Club

Stefán Kristjánsson 8.5 v af 12
Björn Þorfinnsson 8. v af 12
Magnús Örn Úlfarsson 8. v af 12
Davið Kjartansson 5.5 v. 12
Gunnar Freyr Rúnarsson 3.5 v af 12
Stefán Þór Sigurjónsson 2.5.v af 8
Lárus Knútsson 1 v. af 4

Individual results Godinn:

Þröstur  Þórhallsson 7. v af 12
Helgi Áss Grétarsson 8. v af 12
Sigurður Daði Sigfússon 4. v af 11
Ásgeir Ásbjörnsson 5.5 af 12
Einar Hjalti Jensson 5. v. af 10
Kristján Eðvaldsson 4.5 af 12  
Þröstur Árnason 1.5 v. af 5

The Viking Chess Club road to the final:

Víking Chess Club beat Godinn in the final hear:
Viking Chess Club beat Hellir in the semi final hear:
Viking Chess Club beat TR in the third round  hear:
Viking Chess Club beat Reykjanesbær in the second round hear:
Viking Chess Club beat Vestmannaeyjar in the first round hear:

Introduction to Viking Chess

The game of  „VIKING CHESS“  is relatively new and was invented in Iceland only a few years ago.  It is played on an unusual board, which is similar to a classical chess board, but instead of squares, it has hexagons.  The hexagons are of three different colours (see figure 1.)


The standard VIKING CHESS playing board is of the size of 17 x 21 inches, made up of 85 hexagons.  The hexagons are divided into 9 columns, 5 of them having 9 hexagons and the remaining 4 columns 10 hexagons.

The VIKING CHESS pieces are of two different colours just as in classical chess.  They include 9 pieces and 9 pawns.  The additional piece or the 9th piece, is the VIKING.  The remaining 8 pieces are exactly the same as in classical chess.
The pieces are moved analogical to classical chess, but obviously the movement of the Viking is new.

In classical chess, the game is divided into three parts:  Opening, middle game and endgame.  In VIKING CHESS on the other hand, the game is divided into 4 parts:  Arranging the pieces, opening, middle game and endgame.

In the classical chess game, there are two directions.  The Great chess Champion, Grandmaster    Friðrik Ólafsson has acquainted himself with the Viking chess and gives the following comments:  "The Viking chess is obviously much more complicated than classical chess, because there are three directions on the board and there are more pieces and more hexagons than there are squares.  The moving abilities of the pieces in Viking chess are easy to learn, but it takes a little time to make out the directions.  I suppose that there has to be build up an entirely new Viking chess theory from the beginning.  Still, there are some principles from the classical game which remain.  For example to have a strong center, to develop the pieces quickly and not to weaken the position of the King, but the method of doing this is quite different in Viking chess.

In Viking chess there are generally more moves and more time needed.  The game is more complex than classical chess and therefore there are more possibilities.  The moving of the pieces is also slower than in classical chess.

In spite of the nobility of the classical chess game, efforts have been made from time to time  to change the principle of the game such as by adding or reducing the number of pieces or by making it three dimensional in order to find a new principle,  but usually without satisfactory result, simply because the principles of the classical chess are principles of SQUARES and they remain the same and are unaffected by the number of squares.

With the introduction of Viking chess there has been found a new principle of chess which is the principle of the HEXAGON, but with the chessboard remaining rectangular.

This new principle has been studied by chess players of all levels and the general consensus is that the best way to describe it would be the „ principle of HEXAGONAL CHESS“.


Figure 1.  The Viking chess game is a game played on an unusual chessboard consisting of hexagons instead of squares.  The hexagons have 3 different colours.


Figure 2.  Each set of pieces consists of the usual set of chess pieces used in classical chess with the addition of one piece, which is called the Viking and is placed between the King and the Queen. and one pawn in front of the Viking.  The starting  position of the pieces is shown in figure 2 below.  Note, that the white Viking is on a white hexagon and the black Viking on a black hexagon.



Figure 3 shows the movement of the Viking, which moves hexagonally on the white hexagons only and only in the direction to the corners of its own hexagon



Rules of Viking Chess  hear:
Viking Chess Club home  hear:
Play Viking Chess online hear:
For further information about Víking Chess, please contact
Gunnar Fr. Rúnarsson:  Vikingaklubburinn@gmail.com


Fig. 4.  Many strong players have compeate in the Icelandic Championchip for the Viking Chess Club, like WGM Bianca Muren from Netherlands.   


Figures 5-8.  The final match of the 2012 Icelandic team blitz chess championship was a thrilling encounter.  The Viking Chess club didn´t field its strongest team, but nevertheless it included GM Kristjánsson(2470) and IM Björn Þorfinnsson  who both had an excellent match and their contribution was vital in the  match and of course the sudden death victory.  The opponents in the final, Goðinn, also had a strong team including GM‘s Grétarsson and Þórhallsson.  On the picture below, FM Róbert Lagerman is making the first move in the game between WIM Þorfinnsson and GM Þórhallsson.  The rest of the pictures show the euphoria of the Viking chess club players after clinching victory in the sudden death.


















Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Viking-Chess



VIKING CHESS:  Fig. 1.  The Viking chess is a chess play on an unusal chessboard consisting of hexagons instead of squares, arranged in three differnt colours according to fig. 1.

The VIKING CHESS is an new game invented in Iceland.  The tool for playing VIKING CHESS consists of a playing board of the sie 17 x 21 mede up of a 85 hexagons, divided into 9 colums and having three different colours.

A set of chequers consists of 9 chequers and 9 pawns.  The two sets of chequers are having different colours.  Thechequers nemes are the same as in classical chess except one, which is Viking.

The moving abilities are quite analogical to the classical chess and are easy to learn.  Only the moving of Viking is new.

The game in the classical chess is divided into three parts:  Beginning, midplay and end, but in Viking chess the game is divided into 4 parts: Arranging the chequers, beginning, midplay and end.

In the classical chess there are two directions.  The Great chess Champion Mr. F. Ólafsson has acquainted himself with the Viking chess and gives the following comments:  "The Viking chess is obviously much more complicated than classical chess, because there are three directions in the board and there are more chequers and more hexagons than there are squares.  The moving abilities in Viking chess are easy to learn, but it takes a little time to make out the directions.  I suppose that there has to be build up an new Viking chess theory from beginning.  Still there are some principles from the classical chess which remains as for example to have a strong centre, to evolve the officers quickly and not to weake the position of the King, but the method for doing thes will be quite different in Viking chess.

In Viking chess there are more moved needed, more time needed, there are more possibilities and the moving of the chequers is slower than in classical chess. 

In  spite of the nobility of the classical chess thete have from time to time been mede efforts to change the principle by adding or reducing the number of chequers or by making it three dimensional in order to find a new principle, but always without result, simply because the principles of the classical chess is a principle of SQUARES and it remains the same and unaffected by the number of squares.

With the Viking chess there has been found a new priciple of chess, the princeple of the HEXAGON with the chess-board remaining rectangular.

This new principle has been studied by chess-players of all classes and found to be a principle HEXAGONAL CHESS.

The Viking Chess has been found much developing for the chess player's sense of the square board.  He makes out the two directions more easily after having been doing with tree.  Thus it is supposed, that chess players of all classes will play Viking chess along with classical chess.

Once a new principle is found it certainly has advanges over the older ones for compare the intelligence of the player, bacause the theoreetical knowledge will not affect the real ability of the player to direct the chequers.  The Viking Chess is thus supposed to be A NEW TOOL FOR COMPARING INTELLIGENCE - A NEW TOOL FOR CHESS PLAY.

Fig. 2.  Each set of pieces consists of the usual set of chess pieces with the addition of one piece, which is called the Viking and is placed between the King and the Queen, and one pown in front of the Viking.  This beginning position of hte pieces is shown in fig. 2.  Note, that the white Viking is on a white hexagon.












Fig. 3 shows the movement of the Viking, which moves hexagonally, on the white hexagons only and only in direction of the corners of its own hexagon.















Fig. 4 shows the movement of the Rook.  The Rook can move vertically and horizontally along ghe a c e g an i lines of the board.  Accordingly the Rooks can never enter the b d f and h lines.  Rooking is allowed by the same rules as in usual chess.















Fig. 5 shows the movement of the Knight, which is preferably defined by the figure.  As in usual chess, the Knight is the only piece, which can jump over other pices.
















Fig. 6 shows the movement of the Bishop, which moves along two diagonals.

















Fig. 7 shows the movement of the Queen, which moves vertically and horizontally on all lines of the board and along two diagonals.
















Fig. 8 shows the movement of the King, which can only move to the adjacent hexagons.

Castle: 
White Kf1-h1 and Ri9-g9, or to the other side:  Kf1-b1 and Ra1-c1.
Black:  Kf10-h10 and Ri9-g9, or to the other side:  Kf10-b10 and Ra9-c9.