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Johann Hjartarson

Number of games in database: 1,300
Years covered: 1979 to 2025
Last FIDE rating: 2461 (2395 rapid, 2374 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2640
Overall record: +424 -282 =457 (56.1%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 137 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Sicilian (93) 
    B93 B42 B32 B92 B72
 Ruy Lopez (52) 
    C92 C78 C84 C95 C60
 King's Indian (51) 
    E97 E98 E80 E94 E60
 French Defense (38) 
    C18 C11 C19 C05 C09
 Nimzo Indian (32) 
    E32 E43 E49 E30 E38
 English (32) 
    A15 A10 A13 A17 A12
With the Black pieces:
 Queen's Indian (82) 
    E12 E15 E17 E14 E19
 Ruy Lopez (81) 
    C92 C97 C95 C80 C77
 Sicilian (76) 
    B42 B90 B40 B20 B52
 Nimzo Indian (57) 
    E32 E48 E41 E20 E39
 Ruy Lopez, Closed (53) 
    C92 C97 C95 C93 C90
 King's Indian (41) 
    E97 E83 E60 E94 E98
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Hjartarson vs Korchnoi, 1988 1-0
   R Hardarson vs Hjartarson, 1991 0-1
   Hjartarson vs M Andersen, 2022 1/2-1/2
   Smyslov vs Hjartarson, 1995 0-1
   Hjartarson vs Kasparov, 1988 1/2-1/2
   G Veltkamp vs Hjartarson, 2020 0-1
   Kasparov vs Hjartarson, 1988 1/2-1/2
   R Martin del Campo vs Hjartarson, 1990 0-1
   Korchnoi vs Hjartarson, 1988 0-1
   J Yoos vs Hjartarson, 1996 0-1

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Szirak Interzonal (1987)
   Reykjavik (1992)
   Greenland Open (2003)
   10th Lloyds Bank Masters Open (1986)
   Canadian Open (1997)
   Eikrem Memorial (1996)
   World Junior Championship (1982)
   Reykjavik Open (2017)
   Politiken Cup (1996)
   Dubai Olympiad (1986)
   Manila Interzonal (1990)
   Xtracon Open (2019)
   Reykjavik Open (2025)
   Gibraltar Masters (2020)
   Pro Chess League (2018)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   Tilburg Interpolis 1988 by suenteus po 147
   Vestmannaeyjar 1985 by Tabanus
   Belgrade 1989 by suenteus po 147

RECENT GAMES:
   🏆 Reykjavik Open
   Hjartarson vs V Ivic (Apr-15-25) 0-1
   H Haug vs Hjartarson (Apr-14-25) 0-1
   Hjartarson vs K Terrieux (Apr-13-25) 1-0
   E Safarli vs Hjartarson (Apr-13-25) 1-0
   T Migot vs Hjartarson (Apr-12-25) 0-1

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Johann Hjartarson
Search Google for Johann Hjartarson
FIDE player card for Johann Hjartarson

JOHANN HJARTARSON
(born Feb-08-1963, 62 years old) Iceland

[what is this?]

Jóhann Bjarni Hjartarson was born in Reykjavik. Awarded the IM title in 1984 and the GM title in 1985, he was Icelandic Champion in 1980, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2016. He became a World Title Candidate in 1987 when he finished 1st= at the Szirak Interzonal. He was victorious over Viktor Korchnoi (+3, =3, -2) in the quarter final but lost to Anatoly Karpov (+0, =3, -2) in 1989 in the semi-final. He played on four Icelandic Olympiad teams from 1980 to 1986 and in tournaments he was 1st at Reykjavik 1984 and 1st at Gjøvik 1985.

Wikipedia article: Jóhann Hjartarson

Last updated: 2018-04-11 02:34:29

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 52; games 1-25 of 1,300  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. I Asmundsson vs Hjartarson  0-1521979ISL-chB40 Sicilian
2. M Santo-Roman vs Hjartarson  ½-½551979European Junior Championship 1979/80B16 Caro-Kann, Bronstein-Larsen Variation
3. Hjartarson vs T van der Heijden  ½-½371979European Junior Championship 1979/80B97 Sicilian, Najdorf
4. M Rivas Pastor vs Hjartarson  1-0311979European Junior Championship 1979/80A48 King's Indian
5. Hjartarson vs J Yrjola  0-1271979European Junior Championship 1979/80B96 Sicilian, Najdorf
6. K Merchiers vs Hjartarson  0-1431979European Junior Championship 1979/80B20 Sicilian
7. Hjartarson vs T Karolyi  0-1411979European Junior Championship 1979/80E12 Queen's Indian
8. M Buechi vs Hjartarson  0-1461979European Junior Championship 1979/80A89 Dutch, Leningrad, Main Variation with Nc6
9. Hjartarson vs I Gazik  1-0551979European Junior Championship 1979/80E92 King's Indian
10. Hjartarson vs Lobron  1-0311979European Junior Championship 1979/80A33 English, Symmetrical
11. J O Fries-Nielsen vs Hjartarson  ½-½261979European Junior Championship 1979/80E91 King's Indian
12. Plaskett vs Hjartarson  1-0431980European Junior Championship 1979/80D91 Grunfeld, 5.Bg5
13. Hjartarson vs D Radziejewski  1-0291980European Junior Championship 1979/80B67 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 7...a6 Defense, 8...Bd7
14. E Curtin vs Hjartarson  ½-½491980European Junior Championship 1979/80D94 Grunfeld
15. L Day vs Hjartarson  1-05219808th World OpenB10 Caro-Kann
16. Hjartarson vs G Kirsch  1-0331980Valletta OlympiadA90 Dutch
17. Z Li vs Hjartarson  0-1411980Valletta OlympiadA37 English, Symmetrical
18. Hjartarson vs M Rivas Pastor  0-1421980Valletta OlympiadA04 Reti Opening
19. Hjartarson vs P Jigjidsuren  ½-½611980Valletta OlympiadD58 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst
20. Hjartarson vs C McNab  ½-½311980Valletta OlympiadA21 English
21. Hjartarson vs A Pacis  1-0461980Valletta OlympiadE66 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav Panno
22. Mohamed Hassan vs Hjartarson  0-1351980Valletta OlympiadA34 English, Symmetrical
23. Hjartarson vs Lobron  1-0511980Valletta OlympiadE69 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Classical Main line
24. Marjanovic vs Hjartarson  1-01051980Valletta OlympiadC67 Ruy Lopez
25. J Pinter vs Hjartarson  1-0311980Valletta OlympiadA57 Benko Gambit
 page 1 of 52; games 1-25 of 1,300  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Hjartarson wins | Hjartarson loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-03-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: LOL. Cheers <Brad> Yes that should have been Icelandic champion but sometimes the brain is well ahead of the fingers. He's probably making more money being a lawyer than he ever did from chess.
Jul-18-05  Lord.Dracula: This guy was 1st= in an Interzonal and has beaten Korchnoi in a match! Why isn't he more known?
Jul-18-05  mymt: <Lord.Dracula> get your teeth into this Korchnoi vs Hjartarson, 1988
Jul-18-05  mymt: he is well known but mostly by older players who were around in the "80s"
Aug-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Joshka: <halldor> Do you know Johann? He just attended a Fischer lecture! Wonder if he has an ICC account?
Aug-21-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Joshka: Did Johann qualify for the Reykjavik championship that is going on? Believe the final round is today?
Aug-21-05  Halldor: <Joshka> Yes, and I think he's still the strongest player here. He sometimes plays in blitz tournaments for fun. He quit his professional chess career when a flood of good but poor chessplayers came to the West after the fall of communism and times became hard for the western chessplayers. - I don't know if he has an ICC account. (Once I was a member there but I was too irregular player to justify the fee, idle for months. Still I miss it, esp. the direct broadcasts, maybe I start again later.)

The final round of the Reykjavík championship is today (wish I had time to go but I have to work). Jóhann is not playing, but today he will be in the showroom analyzing for the spectators.

Aug-23-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Joshka: <Halldor> Allright thanks for the update on the championship! Yes we all know only too well the phrase "but I have to work":-)....PS Thinking of travel to Iceland in 06 sometime, peak daylight hours are June 21st? and peak darkness is Dec. 21st?..thanks again for sharing!
Jan-04-06  karlth: Hjartason was probably the strongest of the group of Icelandic Grandmasters that surfaced in the post Olafsson/Fischer vs Spassky era.

His successful match against Korchnoi was a huge event in Iceland at the time.

Today he works as director of legal affairs at Decode, a biopharmaceutical company.

Jan-13-06  schnarre: <karlth> Does he still play from time to time?
Jan-13-06  BIDMONFA: Johann Bjarni Hjartarson

HJARTARSON, Johann B.
http://www.bidmonfa.com/hjartarson_...
_

Jan-13-06  karlth: Yes he plays occasionally.
Feb-15-06  schnarre: <karlth> Anything recently?
May-31-06  Halldor: A comeback for Jóhann? He's now playing on the Icelandic Olympiad team in Turin.
Jul-27-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  lostemperor: We all know about the longest winning streak. Fischer holds that record of 20 (and if we go back Steinitz has an even longer streak). But for the record; who has the longest losing streak of a grandmaster or better yet a former world champion candidate. This strong GM it seems. Johann Hjartarson has had a losing streak of 10 classical games. In 1989 he lost the last six games of Linares followed by the first 4 games of VSB Amsterdam tournament. I hope that, unlike some of his less fortunate colleagues, Hjartarson will be remembered for his successful wins rather than his losses!
Jul-27-08  percyblakeney: <Johann Hjartarson has had a losing streak of 10 classical games. In 1989...>

That's almost impressive looking at his other results from those days. In 1988 he won a Candidates match against Korchnoi (in his last eight Candidates matches the latter had won seven and only lost against Kasparov). Then Hjartarson lost his next Candidates match against Karpov, but at least he only lost two games. In Reykjavik Hjartarson finished shared fourth after Kasparov, Beliavsky and Tal but ahead of more than a dozen others in a very strong field.

Then comes a great start in Linares 1989... followed by ten losses in a row. Strange.

Jul-28-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  lostemperor: I have been able to track down the 10 consecutive games Johann Hjartarson lost. The Linares part of six games, thanks to a post of <nescio> for a possible game collection of <suenteus po 147>. For the record:

Ljubojevic vs Hjartarson, 1989

Hjartarson vs Karpov, 1989

Portisch vs Hjartarson, 1989

Hjartarson vs Ivanchuk, 1989

Timman vs Hjartarson, 1989

Hjartarson vs Short, 1989

Salov vs Hjartarson, 1989

Hjartarson vs Timman, 1989

Short vs Hjartarson, 1989

Hjartarson vs Salov, 1989

Sep-07-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: Hjartarson finished =3rd at Tilburg in 1988 (+2, =7, -2). He was a last-minute replacement player, and had to abandon his honeymoon to take part.

Source: David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, "Oxford Companion to Chess", 2nd edition, OUP, 1992

Dec-04-08  waustad: If I played the 10 he lost to consecutively, I'd be scarred for life. He had about 900 rating points on me so shouldn't have been quite as traumatized but that lineup is not full of weakies.
Feb-08-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  ketchuplover: Happy Birthday Young Man :)
Feb-08-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Happy Birthday to GM Johann Hjartarson.
Feb-08-16  TheFocus: Happy birthday, GM Johann Hjartarson.
Jun-14-16  ndg2: He won again the Icelandic championships.
Jul-04-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: https://live.schack.se/nordic-champ..., congrats with 2017 Nordic Champion title! No Norwegians participated though ;)

Hjartarson made a kind of come-back a couple of years ago.

Jul-07-17  sonia91: <Tabanus: https://live.schack.se/nordic-champ..., congrats with 2017 Nordic Champion title! No Norwegians participated though ;) Hjartarson made a kind of come-back a couple of years ago.>

He also qualified to World Cup 2017 thanks to this victory (on tiebreak from Nils Grandelius). This is his 2nd Nordic championship title, the first being in 1997 (20 years ago!).

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