As we mentioned in our 2014 Chess Calendar this event had been rumoured for some time and has finally been officially announced. The line-up for the single round-robin tournament is a little more eclectic than we’re used to, with China’s Ding Liren in particular facing a tough challenge. In last year's Alekhine Memorial he finished second last, though he did inflict the only defeat on the winner, Levon Aronian.
The full line-up, and it's hard to suppress a moment of shock at seeing Aronian and Kramnik as "only" world no. 5 and 11, is as follows:
The tournament is partly a replacement for the Tal Memorial, which explains why Ernesto Inarkiev plays, since qualification for the 2014 Tal Memorial was the main prize for winning the 2013 Higher League. Inarkiev recently won the Baku Open, while Boris Gelfand of course shared first place at the Baku Grand Prix, as well as winning the 2013 Tal Memorial.
The event is sponsored by the Tashir Group owned by Russian-American businessman Samvel Karapetyan, and is held to mark the 85th anniversary of the birth of the Armenian 9th World Chess Champion, Tigran Petrosian.
The official website can be found here, although there’s currently little to see. The venue will be the Moscow City Novotel and the prize fund is €100,000.
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