$50 million Chess Palace

Candidates matches opening day LIVE!
Minute by minute updates on the events from Kazan (by our friends at Chessdom)

Welcome to the live blog coverage of the opening day of the Candidates matches 2011 on Chessdom.com! Today we will be following the opening ceremony and preliminary events from Kazan, with minute by minute updates that will appear in chronological order (note: refresh the page for the latest info).

Tomorrow we start with live games commentary, bookmark the pages for game 1 commentary by GM Naiditsch, GM Bacrot, GM Bauer, and many more invited guests:

Topalov – Kamsky live

Aronian – Grischuk live

Kramnik – Radjabov live

Mamedyarov – Gelfand live

And do not forget to follow the daily live video here

17:10 CET

The Candidates matches participants and their pairings are known. Topalov – Kamsky, Kramnik – Radjabov, Aronian – Grischuk, and Gelfand – Mamedyarov.

The previous version of the pairings, with Carlsen participating, was Veselin Topalov – Gata Kamsky, Magnus Carlsen – Teimour Radjabov, Vladimir Kramnik – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Levon Aronian – Boris Gelfand.

According to FIDE regulations, substituting players come from the Grand Prix. Thus, Magnus Carlsen was replaced by Alexander Grischuk.

Viewing exactly this, Dimitry Jakovenko is next in line for substitution in case any of the players cannot participate. Asked if he will be in Kazan, Jakovenko commented the day before the matches, “Why should I be? There is no chance for changes in the last moment.” He also commented on the possibilities of the candidates, and believes that Kramnik should be a clear favorite in the first part of the matches.

17:03 CET

This is the official board and pieces on which the Candidates matches will be played (image from Kazan by Tatchess)

16:57 CET

The most interesting topic discussed before the Candidates Matches opening ceremony was certainly the announced construction of a chess palace in Kazan. It will be in the form of chess king and will be between 20 and 25 floors high. Official information is still expected, but the construction site designated is already known.

The “chess palace” will include a large chess academy and will also play a key role for chess in the University 2013 in Kazan. The value of the project is rumored to be around $50 million, and the construction time is 1.5-2.5 years.

16:55 CET

Among the other interesting predictions from the last days: the President of the chess federation of Azerbaijan favors his players Radjabov and Mamedyarov, praising their solid preparation before the match. GM Danielsen expects hard battle in all matches, but believes experience might be more valuable than youth in these encounters. GM Artur Jussupow qualifies the matches as a “Russian roulette”, but points Aronian, Topalov, and Kramnik as slight favorites. Levon Aronian himself did not enter in predictions, but stated that “he expects to stay in Kazan for a while”.

16:35 CET

In the last days multiple important chess figures have given their predictions for the Candidates matches. Among them was GM Nikita Vitiugov for the sports column of Alexander Kentler

Aronian – Grischuk

Perhaps the most interesting quarter-final match. Although the odds of Levon Aronian’s overall victory in this tournament are high enough, this match it will be very difficult. Grischuk’s zeitnots will be testing for both players. Given the most powerful coaching team, Aronian’s chief advantage will be in the openings. If Grischuk can surprise him in this initial stage, then his chances are not worse. Tiebreaks could be particularly pleasing for the observers as both players are excelling in the fast time controls.

Kamsky – Topalov

Semi-finalists from the previous world championship cycle are both, for different reasons, in the shadow of their younger colleagues. Kamsky played in many massive Swiss tournament, while Topalov just got married and somewhat distanced from practical games. I think the match will be very productive and is likely to end within the regular games, without tiebreak. Naming the favourite is extremely difficult.

Kramnik – Radjabov

Initially, considering Kramnik’s huge experience in matches, is looked easy to predict the outcome of this match. However, Kramnik form in the recent times is not so convincing. It is not easy to predict how will Radjabov perform. Strong nerves of the Azerbaijani Grandmaster, coupled with a good opening preparation and short duration of the match, are telling that his chances should not be underestimated. I think the match will be very tense, and its outcome will be determined with one decided game.

Gelfand – Mamedyarov

Gelfand’s positive score from their earlier games can turn to be a detriment to either player. It is also unclear how will Mamedyarov’s six-months break reflect on his play. Perhaps the most unpredictable match.

16:30 CET

The opening ceremony of Kazan Candidates Matches 2011 starts in 30 minutes. It will be held at the Balnii hall of Korston, the venue of the Candidates in the presence of the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, many official guests from Tatarstan region, the players and their teams.