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!

2012 Tata Steel

Chess femme standings after R5:

Group B:

1.	Harikrishna, P.	4
2.	Motylev, A.	3½
3.	L'Ami, E. Timman, J.	3
5.	Bruzon, L. Nyzhnik, I. Reinderman, D. Tiviakov, S. Vocaturo, D.	2½
10.	Cmilyte, V. Lahno, K. Potkin, V.	2
13.	Ernst, S. Harika, D.	1½

Group C:

1.	Turov, M.	5
2.	Tikkanen, H.	4
3.	Adhiban, B.	3½
4.	Grover, S. Sadler, M.	3
6.	Brandenburg, D. Goudriaan, E. Schut, L.	2½
9.	Ootes, L. Paehtz, E. Tania, S.	2
12.	Danielian, E. Haast, A. Hopman, P.

2012 Tata Steel Invitational Line-Ups Announced!

The line-up for the 2012 edition of the famous tournament at Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, has been announced!  It all begins in January:  14th Jan - Sun 29th Jan 2012.
A record-number of chess femmes (I'm soooo excited!):  None in the A Group (were Judit Polgar, Hou Yifan and Koneru Humpy busy? Were they asked?); in the B Group three of the top female players in the world: 

Ti	Name	FED	Rtg	DofB

GM	Lahno, Kateryna	UKR	2554	1983
GM	Cmilyte, Viktorija	LIT	2525	1983
GM	Dronavalli, Harika	IND	2505	1991

In the C Group, five female players:

Ti	Name	FED	Rtg	DofB

GM

Danielian, Elina

ARM

2517

1978

WGM	Paehtz, Elisabeth	GER	2461	1985
WGM	Sachdev, Tania	IND	2419	1986

WIM	Schut, Lisa	NED	2290	1994
WIM	Haast, Anne	NED	2264	1993