Vladimir Kramnik - "Mr. Dortmund" - won't be playing, but it's a very strong all the same. The action begins tomorrow, Saturday, with the following first round pairings in this eight player round-robin:
Richard Rapport (2735) - Ian Nepomniachtchi (2775)
Leinier Dominguez Perez (2760) - Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (2667)
Teimour Radjabov (2759) - Radoslaw Wojtaszek (2737)
Daniel Fridman (2644) - Kaido Kulaots (2574)
The elite events never stop! If the draw disease strikes once again in Riga, just change the channel to Dortmund (or vice-versa).