Wednesday
Jan132016
Tata Steel (Wijk aan Zee) Starts Saturday
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 1:17AM
It's time for the first super-tournament of the year, the near-annual event in Wijk aan Zee that always brings together a hefty chunk of the world's absolute elite, together with a number of young stars and many of the best and brightest players in the Netherlands. This year's main event is as impressive as usual, and features the following lineup:
- Magnus Carlsen (2844)
- Anish Giri (2798)
- Fabiano Caruana (2787)
- Wesley So (2773)
- Sergey Karjakin (2769)
- Ding Liren (2766)
- Pavel Eljanov (2760)
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2747)
- Michael Adams (2744)
- David Navara (2730)
- Evgeny Tomashevsky (2728)
- Wei Yi (2706)
- Hou Yifan (2673)
- Loek van Wely (2640)
There is a second event, the Challengers, which counts a couple of ex-2700s in the field (Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu and Alexey Dreev; rising star Sam Sevian is also playing). The winner of this event will receive an automatic invitation to the top group in 2017.
Play starts on Saturday. Predictions?
tagged Wijk aan Zee 2016
Reader Comments (8)
I think I know what most people will say, but I want an interesting final winner's press conference and go for Aronian. Ah wait, he doesn't participate this year!? Then Giri.
Question #2: What will be Wei Yi's result? I go for less than 50%, like most players the first time in the crown group (Carlsen included, to still mention his name).
Or, nearest context of "Predictions?", does Dennis want to know the winner of the B group? Form permitting, it could be Nisipeanu.
P.S.: Why "near-" annual event in Wijk aan Zee? Because it took place in nearby Beverwijk until 1967, or because it was - the only time since 1938 - not held in 1945?
It is a pity that Nakamura does not play here.
Predictions? 1. Giri, he is finally going to win a big tournament, let it be at home for him. 2. Carlsen 3. Wei Yi.
I love how Loek van Wely occasionally creeps back into the A-group despite his low-ish rating. I guess you can't keep such an exciting player down for long!
@Sorenzo: In van Wely's case, "occasionally" means every year since 1992 - but 2011 when he took some sort of sabbatical. That year, he skipped Wijk aan Zee ("too tough") but played many other events, e.g. an open in Curacao ("for you it might be a chess tournament, for me it was a trip to Curacao") - quotes from his answer to my question in a press conference last year.
It certainly plays a role that he is Dutch, and probably plays a role that he is an exciting player.
1) Fabiano Caruana
2) Magnus Carlsen or tied for first
3)-4) Anish Giri and Wesley So
Giri should be a more serious choice for first but still draws too many games.
Giri was super solid and strong (and hyper prepped) for the last few years, but he seems to be reaching another level in the last year or so. I think he might take it this year, with Carlsen second, perhaps.
"I love how Loek van Wely occasionally creeps back into the A-group despite his low-ish rating"
Occasionally? He plays the A-group for the 23rd of the last 24 years...
Pleased to see some more comments have been moderated. I was starting to worry about Dennis's unannounced silence.
[I pick Karjakin, by the way - always]