European Team Chess Championship 2011

Edit 2011 11 26: Chessbase article  http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7633

Edit 2011 10 14: Team rosters available.

http://www.chess-results.com/tnr57856.aspx?art=8&lan=1&turdet=YES&flag=30

http://www.chess-results.com/tnr57855.aspx?art=8&lan=1&turdet=YES&flag=30

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The teams are being announced.

Armenia: http://www.chessdom.com/armenian-lineups-for-the-european-team-chess-championship

England: http://www.chessdom.com/confirmation-of-england-teams-for-the-european-team-championship

Germany: http://www.chessdom.com/germany-set-for-the-european-team-championship

Iceland: http://www.chessdom.com/iceland-team-for-the-etcc-in-greece

Montenegro: http://www.chessdom.com/montenegro-lineups-for-the-european-team-chess-championship

Norway: http://www.chessdom.com/norway-at-the-european-team-championship

Russia: 2011 09 20 - Not Kramnik, not Karjakin, Svidler has not been asked yet.  http://www.whychess.org/node/1961 from fabelhaft

Serbia: http://reports.chessdom.com/news-2011/serbia-teams-etcc

Any more team lineups?

So far Aronian is the flag bearer for the top players. No Norway information yet but Is Carlsen too big now to play in this tournament?

2007: Played - http://greekchess.com/euro2007/photos6.html

2009: Withdrew - http://www.chess.com/news/european-team-chess-championships-4865  "... Magnus Carlsen was a last minute withdrawal from the Norwegian team on the advice of Garry Kasparov, in order to prepare for the powerful upcoming Tal Memorial in Moscow."

Keep the topic in mind. Please do not ask why non-European players and countries are not playing.

England steps up.  http://www.chessdom.com/confirmation-of-england-teams-for-the-european-team-championship

Surely chessdom is not the first to know. Someone has to tell them.

Something is rotten in the state of ... Norway.

http://www.chessdom.com/norway-at-the-european-team-championship

http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml?ina=1&country=NOR

Carlsen is playing, Ellen Øen Carlsen.

http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml?tops=1&ina=1&country=NOR

Carlsen is playing a lot this autumn, first Sao Paulo/Bilbao on two continents, ending in the middle of October, and then Tal Memorial starting in the middle of November. It's tough to play another event between those two, and the motivation is probably lacking as well when the other Norwegian top players are absent. Kramnik and Karjakin declined both Sao Paulo/Bilbao and European Team Championship to be able to prepare the better for Tal Memorial (Svidler mentions the ETC in this interview):

http://www.whychess.org/node/1961

Svidler is shown as the top board for Russia. Topalov makes his return.

Looks like everyone is in except Carlsen and Kramnik. Oh and Judit Polgar is missing as well.

http://www.chess-results.com/tnr57856.aspx?art=8&lan=1&turdet=YES&flag=30

http://www.chess-results.com/tnr57855.aspx?art=8&lan=1&turdet=YES&flag=30

Indeed, many very strong players in the field. Gelfand doesn't play for Israel but he wouldn't be ranked higher than maybe tenth of the participants anyway so there will be many top players present. Highest rated participants (Radjabov will be 2781 on the November list, some others will drop a few places):

Nice game by Aagaard I think.

excellent game by aggard