say what you wan`t!!! It`s gonna be a walk in tha park for Carlsen, kramnik and anand...... Can`t guess who`s gonna finish on top though...

Looking forward to it. Like every year I will be present several days.

I'm still wondering why Aronian is not there. I had a long conversation with him last year. This is his favourite tournament!

Such a shame Aronian won't be playing. They apparently had to choose between Kramnik and him because they couldn't afford them both. I personally would have chosen Aronian, not only because he's charismatic, but his games are among the most interesting of the contemporary grandmasters.

Nice guy, playing chess brilliantly and has won the tournament a few times.

Whats your soruce for that? Previously the organizers stated they were choosing 2 out Anand, Kramnik and Topalov. I was unaware it was 2/4 including Aronian? Aronian charges less than Kramnik so it would be strange that was the choice. Is there any evidence of is that hearsay?

My alternative suggestion: Aronian himself "chose to choose" between Corus and the World Team Championship. While he likes Corus, he LOVES team events for Armenia - and it may be too much to play two events directly after each other. Now only Nakamura does it, initially Karjakin had the same plans but wasn't yet eligible for the Russian team.
Conversely, this could also explain why Kramnik and Anand didn't play in Bursa?

I can't wait! :)

I await a surprise win from Leko...

It's gonna be a great tournament, there are all sorts of playing styles. I wonder if Anand can win this. Carlsen & Kramnik, usual suspects to leading.

Nice group A

In 2015 the organizers will maybe have Maxime Vachier Lagrave if his Elo is about 2880...Otherwise, they got more Dutch players!

Let's hope we'll have a great tournament nonetheless!

Only a small correction: the oldest participant is Nigel Short (and you don't have to give this "honour" to a female player ;-))

By the way, I hope Short will show us his best chess

Dont expect too much from Nigel Short. Instead of preparing some openings of opponents, he is blitzing all day long on playchess...

Maybe this is part of his opening preparation? Which openings does he play in Internet blitz games?

All kinds of crap.

Chances for Carlsen for an other 3000+ performance?

@ CAL|Daniel:

I read it in "Schaakmagazine", the official magazine of the Dutch Chess Association. There was an interview with one of the organisers, who said that they had to choose between Aronian and Kramnik.

@Labelled: I will say something else ... : Don't forget the #s 4-7 and their best result in 2009:
- Ivanchuk was shared first in Linares ahead of Carlsen and Anand
- Karjakin won Corus ahead of Aronian and Carlsen
- Shirov won MTel ahead of Carlsen and Topalov
- even Leko was tied with Carlsen in Dortmund, and - before the last round - with Aronian at the Nalchik Grand Prix.

At the very least, your scenario of Carlsen, Kramnik and Anand finishing 1-3 (in whichever order) and a clear gap to the rest - while corresponding to the ratings of all players - is just one possibility. I would give it a 50% probability. "Walk in the park" is something else!?
Of course it is rather unlikely (1% probability?) that _none_ of those three at least competes for tournament victory.

i can`t find any information about tickets on the official website. do anyone know the price for a day ticket? And is it possible to travel by train from Amsterdam to Wijk aan zee? thanks for answers.

@klaas: Entry is free - at least it was like that in the past ... . To get there: take a train to Beverwijk, then a bus to Wijk aan Zee - get off where many people "looking like chess players" do (at least 90% of the passengers) and follow the crowd. See you there? :)

@ thomas thanks a lot. see you there!

@Klaas: I cannot imagine it will ever cost money. The tournament is much more than the 3 grandmaster groups. There are hundreds of players playing chess in the playing hall. From absolute amateurs to masters.

You cannot miss it if you arrive by train in Beverwijk. Just follow the crowds! ;-)

Brilliant drawing of lots for Anand who has white against Carlsen, Kramnik and Ivanchuk.

Anand is the one having the most difficult tournament, IMHO. He'll love to impose his authority as World Champion and start the year with a major win after a discrete 2009 performance. But he must also be careful not to give Topalov too much information about his opening preparation for the upcoming World Championship Match.

I would probably advise him to focus on middlegame play and strive for double edged positions as that's what he should expect from Topalov.

For a change: Carlsen didn't draw nº 1 this time :)

No, this time Karjakin got the #1 - does this mean anything? :)