The former World champion, Vladimir Kramnik, becomes the fifth player to confirm his invitation for the 4th London Chess Classic, at Kensington Olympia, 1-10 December, 2012.
Kramnik, who will be back to defend his title, having won the 2011 edition of the London Chess Classic, joins World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, World Champion Vishy Anand, World No 2 Levon Aronian and the UK No 1 Mickey Adams as the five players confirmed so far in a line up that’s shaping up to be the mega event of the year.
And London is becoming something of a happy hunting ground for Kramnik. Not only did he win here last year, but back in 2000, he shocked everyone by beating Garry Kasparov in a title match at the Riverside Theatre that saw him being crowned the 14th World Champion in a heritage line that stretches back to Wilhelm Steinitz in 1886.
Another happy hunting ground for Kramnik is Dortmund in Germany, where today (Friday, 13 July) he starts the defence of his Sparkassen Chess-Meeting title.
Vladimir Kramnik
