2012 Tata Steel

GM Teimour Radjabov

Goddess, he's so damn cute!  Too bad his face is covered in smut.  Honestly, wouldn't you think that by now men would have come up with a better look than Miami Vice from 1986???  Although I do have to say that Don Johnson - what a smoking hot hunk he was back then, wooo woooo!  This photo, and all of the photos below, are from the official website and done by Fred Lucas. 

He finished in 4th place overall(although it's called joint 2nd place) in the A Group at the just-concluded 2012 version of the Tata Steel Chess Festival. 

Standings after round 13 A Group:

1.	Aronian, L.	9
2.	Carlsen, M. Caruana, F. Radjabov, T.	8
5.	Ivanchuk, V. Nakamura, H.	7½
7.	Kamsky, G.	7
8.	Karjakin, S.	6½
9.	Van Wely, L.	5½
10.	Gashimov, V. Gelfand, B. Topalov, V.	5
13.	Giri, A. Navara, D.	4½

The USA contingent of Nakamura (out of the Chess and Scholastic Center of St. Louis a/k/a St. Louis Chess Club) and Kamsky performed well, given the competition!  Kudos, dudes.

How'd the ladies finish?

GM Kateryna Lahno finished in 11th out of 14 in B Group
2012 Tata Steel.

GM Viktorija Cmilyte, 13 out of 14 in B Group.

B Group:

1.	Harikrishna, P.	9
2.	Bruzon, L. Motylev, A.	8½
4.	L'Ami, E. Tiviakov, S.	8
6.	Nyzhnik, I. Reinderman, D.	7½
8.	Potkin, V.	6½
9.	Timman, J.	6
10.	Ernst, S.	5
11.	Lahno, K.Vocaturo, D.	4½
13.	Cmilyte, V.	4
14.	Harika, D.	3½

The ladies bombed.  Damn! 

C Group:

1.	Turov, M.	10½
2.	Tikkanen, H.	10
3.	Adhiban, B. Brandenburg, D.	8½
5.	Grover, S. Paehtz, E. Sadler, M.	7
8.	Tania, S.	6
9.	Danielian, E.	5½
10.	Goudriaan, E.	5
11.	Ootes, L.	4½
12.	Hopman, P. Schut, L.	4
14.	Haast, A.	3½

A mixed bag for the ladies in the C Group. GM Elizabeth Paehtz finished above 50% and IM Tania Sachdev finished just below 50%.  I'm sure GM Elina Danielian is very disappointed with her overall performance.  She has proven to be a male GM-killer in the past, as has Paehtz, who earned her final GM norm competing against the big boys in an European Individual Chess Championship!  Not for the faint of heart.

IM Tania Sachdev.  Except I'm neither so young nor so beautiful,
this is pretty much what I look like at a tournament!