Here is the list of participants:
| Seed | Name | Country | Rating (1/11/2011) | World Ranking (1/11/2011) | Age | Classic 2009 | Classic 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnus Carlsen | NOR | 2826 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Viswanathan Anand | IND | 2811 | 2 | 41* | - | 2= |
| 3 | Levon Aronian | ARM | 2802 | 3 | 29 | - | - |
| 4 | Vladimir Kramnik | RUS | 2800 | 4 | 36 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Hikaru Nakamura | USA | 2758 | 10 | 24 | 6= | 4 |
| 6 | Michael Adams | ENG | 2734 | 17 | 40 | 3= | 6 |
| 7 | Nigel Short | ENG | 2698 | 48 | 46 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | Luke McShane | ENG | 2671 | 74 | 27 | 5 | 2= |
| 9 | David Howell | ENG | 2633 | 139 | 21 | 3= | 7 |
*Anand will be 42 on the 11th of December.
A nine-player round robin is unusual as it means that in each round one of the players will be having a bye. The idea is that the 'resting' player will help out in the commentary room. An excellent novelty!
The pairings have already been made.
The first round:
| White | Rating | Vs. | Black | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Kramnik | 2800 | Hikaru Nakamura | 2758 | |
| Levon Aronian | 2802 | Luke McShane | 2671 | |
| Magnus Carlsen | 2826 | David Howell | 2633 | |
| Michael Adams | 2734 | Viswanathan Anand | 2811 | |
| Nigel Short | 2698 | bye - assisting the commentary |
Rate of play: 120'/40, then 60'/20, and finally 15' + 30" KO.
Playing schedule (local time):
Rounds 1 to 3, the 3rd to 5th of December at 2pm.
Round 4 on the 6th of December at 4pm.
(Rest day on the 7th of December)
Rounds 5-8, the 8th to the 11th of December at 2pm.
Round 9 will be on the 12th of December at 12 noon.
For Los Angeles subtract eight hours.
For New York subtract five hours.
For Paris and Madrid, add one hour.
For Moscow add three hours.
For Mumbai add five-and-a-half hours.
For Sydney add eleven hours.
More information from the official site: http://www.londonchessclassic.com/classic.htm
