Or, in short:
Aronian +13
Nakamura +4
Caruana +2
Kramnik -2
Anand -7
Karjakin -10
Zurich 2015
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I went for Caruana as the winner, he has been playing a lot lately but I think he is the clearly strongest player in the field, especially when Aronian isn't playing at his best.
I'm going to say Aronian ends his slump and wins this one.
I really wonder how Aronian will do in ZCC. I guess he will finish on +0 (regarding wins and loses in C and R).
Can't wait for this one! I am backing Nakamura to win this one, with Kramnik second.
My prediction for the classical tournament:
1) Nakamura
2) Kramnik
3) Caruana
4) Karjakin
5) Aronian
6) Anand
I'd just change Caruana and Nakamura.
Four of these players won at least one super strong tournament last year. Caruana won Sinquefield Cup, Karjakin Norway Chess, Aronian Wijk and Anand Candidates. Nakamura hasn't won a round robin since 2012, Kramnik not since 2011. The latter did win the World Cup in 2013, but that was a knockout where he didn't play anyone in the top 20, so it's been unusually long since his last traditional tournament win against top opposition, five-ten years ago one could count on him winning one or two every year. Nakamura has finished second in a couple of strong Grand Prix tournaments the last years, but just missed out on winning them.
Here Nakamura and Kramnik have the advantage of being more rested than Anand, Aronian and Caruana who all played in Baden-Baden (without looking in top shape), so maybe it's finally time for one of them to get that long overdue victory. The blitz tournament will be quite important since a top half finish there means getting an extra white in classical, and in a tournament of only five rounds the difference is big between two or three whites. Nakamura and Karjakin would normally get their extra whites that way, and my guess is that Aronian will be the third player with three whites.
Is it reversed for the rapid?
Yes, but the classical games count more.
anand
The blitz tournament will be played Friday 13th, classical 14-18th and then all the rapid games Thursday 19th.
Kramnik dominates.
Early lead for Anand:
Edit: Hikaru & Fabiano drew.
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Just after Baden-Baden finished it's time for the next super tournament, in Zurich
www.zurich-cc.com
Carlsen won it last year (or didn't he?)
www.chess.com/forum/view/general/did-magnus-really-quotwinquot-zurich
Anyway he isn't playing now
www.chess.com/forum/view/general/no-carlsen-in-zurich-2015
Nothing wrong with an event without him after Wijk and Baden-Baden, especially not one as strong as this one.
Head to head stats of the players:
Nakamura
vs Anand 4-0
vs Kramnik 5-4
vs Aronian 5-10
vs Caruana 3-1
vs Karjakin 6-4
Total 23-19
Anand
vs Nakamura 0-4
vs Kramnik 9-7
vs Caruana 1-2
vs Karjakin 2-0
vs Aronian 3-9
Total 15-22
Kramnik
vs Anand 7-9
vs Nakamura 4-5
vs Karjakin 1-4
vs Caruana 2-2
vs Aronian 7-3
Total 21-23
Karjakin
vs Anand 0-2
vs Kramnik 4-1
vs Nakamura 4-6
vs Caruana 1-4
vs Aronian 3-9
Total 12-22
Aronian
vs Anand 9-3
vs Karjakin 9-3
vs Kramnik 3-7
vs Caruana 4-4
vs Nakamura 10-5
Total 35-22
Caruana
vs Kramnik 2-2
vs Anand 2-1
vs Karjakin 4-1
vs Aronian 4-4
vs Nakamura 1-3
Total 13-11