Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08′ N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. Reykjavík has a population of around 140,000 as of 2023. The Capital Region has a population of around 248,000.
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster. He is the world #1 ranked player. He is a five-time World Chess Champion, the reigning five-time World Rapid Chess Champion, the reigning seven-time World Blitz Chess Champion, and the reigning Chess World Cup Champion. He trails only Garry Kasparov in time spent as the highest-rated player in the world, while holding the record for longest consecutive reign. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak at an elite level in classical chess at 125 games.
The Besta deild karla is the top level men's football league in Iceland. The competition was founded in 1912 as the Icelandic Championship. Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer. It is governed by the Football Association of Iceland (KSI) and has 12 teams. By end of season 2022–23, UEFA ranked the league No. 48 in Europe.
The Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is largely restricted to Australian chess players, although it is common to allow a small number of strong overseas players to compete. The highest-scoring eligible player holds the title of Australian Chess Champion until the next tournament is held. The tournament format is normally a restricted Swiss system, and in case of a tie for first place, a playoff match or tournament is conducted.
Shahriyar Hamid oghlu Mammadyarov, known internationally as Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster. As of December 2023, he is Azerbaijan's highest rated chess player. His personal best rating of 2820 makes him the sixth-highest-rated player in chess history.
Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur, commonly referred to as Víkingur or Víkingur Reykjavík and internationally known as Vikingur F.C., is a professional Icelandic sports club based in the Fossvogur neighbourhood of Reykjavík. It is one of the oldest sports clubs in Iceland, founded on 21 April 1908. Originally founded as a football club, it is now a multi-sport club that also operates divisions in handball, tennis, table tennis, karate and skiing. All sports include both male and female teams.
Wang Hao is a Chinese chess grandmaster. In November 2009, Wang became the fourth Chinese player to break through the 2700 Elo rating mark.
Wesley Barbossa So is a Filipino and American chess grandmaster and three-time U.S. Chess Champion. He is also a three-time Philippine Chess Champion. On the March 2017 FIDE rating list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2822, making him the fifth-highest-rated player in history.
Hannes Hlífar Stefánsson is an Icelandic chess grandmaster. He has won the Icelandic Chess Championship a record thirteen times.
Sports in Iceland are very popular. Popular sports include football, handball, athletics, basketball, chess, golf, volleyball, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, swimming, rock climbing, mountain climbing, horseback riding, archery, strongman, powerlifting and crossfit. In some of those sports, namely football, handball, basketball and strongman, Iceland is extremely successful, considering its population. It manages to compete at comparable level with countries that have 10-200 times its population.
The Icelandic Chess Championship is usually held in Reykjavík. It is organised by the Icelandic Chess Federation (ICF), the body responsible for holding national chess events and for representing Icelandic chess at the World Chess Federation (FIDE). The ICF was founded in 1925 and its main activities include the national chess championship and the annual 'Reykjavik Open' tournament.
Jóhann Hjartarson is an Icelandic chess grandmaster and lawyer. He is a six-time Icelandic Chess Champion and a two-time Nordic Chess Champion. With occasional brief interruptions, he was the highest-rated Icelandic player from July 1991 to March 2015.
China–Iceland relations formally began on 8 December 1971, when Iceland recognised Beijing. Prior to the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries in 2013, diplomatic activities between them were relatively few in number. However, since this event, political cooperation has increased. There is growing number of economic and cultural ties, as their political partnership has expanded.
The Grand Slam Chess Association was a series of annual chess tournaments since 2007 till 2012.
Eugenio "Eugene" Torre is a Filipino chess grandmaster. In 1974, at 22 years old, he became the first Filipino and non-Soviet Asian to qualify for the title Grandmaster. Torre did this by winning the silver medal in the 21st Chess Olympiad in Nice, France. He is considered the strongest chess player the Philippines produced during the 1980s and 1990s, and played for the Philippines on board 1 in seventeen Chess Olympiads. In 2021, Torre was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame.
Constantin Lupulescu is a Romanian chess grandmaster and a five-time Romanian Chess Champion. He has competed in the FIDE World Cup in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019, 2021.
Harpa is a concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavík, Iceland. The opening concert was held on 4 May 2011. The building features a distinctive colored glass facade inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland.
The Bilbao Chess Masters Final is an annual chess tournament which between 2008-12 brought together the strongest players from the previous year's "Grand Slam" events. Series organisers Grand Slam Chess Association (GSCA) became defunct in 2012 due to the demise of the Grand Slam hosts and scheduling problems but the Bilbao Masters continued as an annual invitational event until 2016.
Iceland–Palestine relations refers to the relations between Iceland and Palestine. Iceland was the first Nordic country to recognise the independence of Palestine. Full diplomatic relations exist between the two sides. Iceland's representative to Palestine is a non-resident based at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Reykjavík, while Palestine's ambassador to Iceland is also a non-resident based in Oslo, Norway.
Adhiban Baskaran is an Indian chess grandmaster. He was the 2008 World Under-16 Champion and the 2009 Indian champion. He is currently the 21st highest rated player in India.
Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)
Friðrik Ólafsson (Iceland)
Florin Gheorghiu (Romania), 
Vlastimil Hort (Czechoslovakia)
Jan Timman (Netherlands)
Walter Browne (United States)
Predrag Nikolić (Yugoslavia)
Erling Mortensen (Norway)
Alexei Shirov (Latvia)
Vadim Zvjaginsev (Russia), 
Predrag Nikolić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), 
Jaan Ehlvest (Estonia), 
Emil Sutovsky (Israel) ,
Levon Aronian (Germany), [3] 
Igor-Alexandre Nataf (France),
Robert Markuš (Serbia and Montenegro)
Gabriel Sargissian (Armenia), 
Ahmed Adly (Egypt), 
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan),
Pentala Harikrishna (India)
Wang Hao (China), 
Yuriy Kryvoruchko (Ukraine), 
Kamil Miton (Poland), 
Fabiano Caruana (Italy)
Wesley So (Philippines), 
Nils Grandelius (Sweden) [6] 