Organized chess in Iceland dates back to 1900 with the founding of the Reykjavík Chess Club.[1] The game grew significantly in popularity following the 1972 World Chess Championship, held in the capital Reykjavík, between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.[2] Fischer later became an Icelandic citizen in 2005. Today, Iceland remains active in the international chess community and hosts annual tournaments such as the Reykjavik Open.[3] Chess Grandmaster and Icelandic citizen Friðrik Ólafsson is widely credited with the development of chess in Iceland.[4]
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Reykjavík City Council would like to thank Friðrik for his achievement in chess, which is popular in Iceland. No one is considered to have had a bigger impact on the development of chess in Iceland than Friðrik, a press release states.