We're in Nalchik! (Where the 4th GP starts tomorrow)

Flying via Moscow to Mineralnye Vody airport, from where I was picked up by the organisers, I arrived in Nalchik about two hours ago. Here, in the capital of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the 4th FIDE Grand Prix will start tomorrow. Round one pairings: Leko - Kamsky, Mamedyarov-Aronian, Akopian-Kasimdzhanov, Karjakin-Eljanov, Grischuk-Gelfand, Alekseev-Svidler and Ivanchuk-Bacrot.

Just a quick post from the hotel lobby (no internet in the room - only the players have this "luxury"), to let the readers know about this new big tourney, starting tomorrow. The standard Grand Prix schedule is followed: fourteen players, thirteen rounds, two rest days (after round 5 and 10). Nobody, including FIDE officials, are exactly sure what the Grand Prix exactly involves, and where it leads to, and the players mostly treat it as an individual, and quite good tournament. Perhaps we chess fans should do the same.

It's in Nalchik, where the Women World Championship was held last year as well. In the same hotel "Sindica". I'm the "video guy" here so that's what you can expect from my part at the official website (and, naturally, embedded here as well), where the pairings are up already.

And fyi, after a sort of short Easter break, me and the co-editors will try to catch up with the tournament news (Foxwoods, Neckar, Doeberl, etc.) as soon as possible.