TAL MEMORIAL I

Big day.
I am so looking forward to seeing how Magnus Carlsen holds up against the creme-de-la-creme of the chess world.





The Tal Memorial starts today in Moscow. Ten players taking part, including Kramnik, who is the first opponent Carlsen has to face as White today.

The second half of the Round Robin tournament takes place in the Moscow version of Harrods. Called GUM, it is a splendid department store in the hear of the city.
The first four games are held in some sort of palace I have not yet seen a picture of.

Good luck, Magnus and congratulations on being the top seed with the highest ranking. 2801 no less. What a treat.

The collaboration with the retired WC champion Gary Kasparov, seems to have paid off already: Carlsen's showing in China was phenomenal: victory by an incredible margin.



Let's hope it will be a happy tournament for him. After all he is still a teenager.