Linares chess 2010
presentation at the opening ceremony
Veselin Topalov noted, “It will be very important to enter the World Chess Championship match against Anand with a victory in Linares. However, it will not be easy, as the competition is very strong. Paco Vallejo was happy returning to Linares 5 years after his last participation and shared, “It is an honor for a Spanish player to participate in the most prestigious tournament in the world.”
Video from the opening ceremony here
Juan Fernandez underlined at the opening ceremony that he is happy the tournament has a category XXI despite the economic crisis and expressed the desire the competition to share venue with Morelia, UAE, or another city in 2011.
The drawing of lots gave the following pairings for round 1: Gelfand – Topalov (live on Chessdom), Vallejo – Gashimov, and Aronian – Grischuk.
This will be an exciting tournament.