Alexandra Kosteniuk and Evgeny Alekseev top seeded in the respective groups
The traditional chess festival “Moscow Open” will be held from January 28th to February 7th, 2011, in the usual playing venue at the Russian State Social University (RSCU), 4 Pik street (metro Botanical Garden).
One of the main events of Moscow Open 2011 will be a new competition – an international tournament of 12 Young Grandmasters.
The top-rated player of the tournament is Evgeny Alekseev from Russia, a member of the second Russian Olympic Youth National Team. Another tournament participant is Sanan Sjugirov who was the captain of the fourth Russian national team at the Olympiad.
Four representatives of Russia will be playing in the buildings of their own university being either students or graduates of the Russian State Social University. They are Ernesto Inarkiev, a bronze prize winner of Moscow Open 2010, Nikolai Chadaev, Moscow Chess Champion, Grandmaster Alexander Rakhmanov, and International Master Mikhail Krylov.
Evgeny Alekseev
Foreign competition includes Sergei Zhigalko, a top chess player from Belarus, Ukrainian Yuriy Kuzubov, Eltaj Safarli from Azerbaijan, and American Robert Hess – all the strongest junior chess players in their countries.
One thing to note is that all the participants are under 25 years old. The tournament prize fund is 500 000 RUB. The winner will get 120 000 RUB.
Alekseev Evgeny RUS 2701
Inarkiev Ernesto RUS 2673
Zhigalko Sergei BLR 2671
Cheparinov Ivan BUL 2665
Grachev Boris RUS 2660
Safarli Eltaj AZE 2629
Sjugirov Sanan RUS 2626
Kuzubov Yuriy UKR 2624
Rakhmanov Aleksandr RUS 2590
Hess Robert USA 2572
Chadaev Nikolai RUS 2568
Krylov Mikhail RUS 2499
Alexandra Kosteniuk will take part in Moscow Open 2011
Alexandra Kosteniuk, former Women’s World Chess Champion, Olympic champion as a member of the Russian national team, will take part in a women’s round-robin tournament of Moscow Open 2011. Despite this competition being new for the festival programme, it has immediately attracted the star players.
Apart from Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina, another Olympic champion, and a student of the Russian State Social University, will play at the tournament along with Olga Girya, the member of the second Russian national team at the Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk.
Alexandra Kosteniuk
As for the foreign participants, the main opposition to the Russians will be represented by Zhao Xue, one of the strongest Chinese chess players, Mongolian Batkhuyag Munguntuul, a graduate of the Russian State Social University, Jolanta Zawadzka, a Polish national team member, and Lilit Galoyan representing Armenian national team.
GM Kosteniuk Alexandra RUS 2498
GM Xue Zhao CHN 2496
WGM Gunina Valentina RUS 2471
WGM Girya Olga RUS 2429
WGM Munguntuul Batkhuyag MGL 2410
IM Galojan Lilit ARM 2385
WGM Zawadzka Jolanta POL 2371
WIM Ambartsumova Karina RUS 2332
WGM Kashlinskaya Alina RUS 2327
WIM Fominykh Maria RUS 2306
