As the 2009 World Cup reaches its culmination, the London Chess Classic is about to get underway. It starts tomorrow, with the following participants (ratings given are from the Live Top List, where available):
Magnus Carlsen 2805.7
Vladimir Kramnik 2785.7
Hikaru Nakamura 2715
Nigel Short 2707
Michael Adams 2698
Ni Hua 2665
Luke McShane 2615
David Howell 2597
Full pairings can be found here; meanwhile, here are the first-round pairings:
Carlsen - Kramnik (what a terrible first-round pairing!)
Howell - Adams
McShane - Short
Nakamura - Ni Hua
Predictions? I'm going to say it will be determined by the Carlsen - Kramnik wins. Whoever wins the game wins the tournament, and if they draw they'll also tie for first. Play starts at 2 p.m. London time = 9 a.m. ET in the USA and 3 p.m. CET. Friday is a rest day, and the games all start at the same time except for the last round, when they begin two hours earlier. Tournament site here.