The 11th edition of the International tournament dedicated to the memory of the 8th world chess champion Mikhail Tal was officially opened in the Museum of the Russian Impressionism in Moscow on March 1.

Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Arkady Dvorkovich, Chief Executive Officer of the Museum of the Russian Impressionism Yulia Petrova, grandmaster Boris Gelfand, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group of Construction Companies "Don" Vladimir Kirsanov gave speeches at the ceremony.

A pre-start press conference took place as well: the speakers were the founder of the Museum Boris Mints, Chief Executive Officer of the Museum Yulia Petrova, Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation Mark Glukhovsky, grandmasters Vladimir Kramnik and Sergey Kajakin.

Arkady Dvorkovich: "We support the tradition of organizing large-scale chess tournaments in beautiful places. Tal Memorial is being held in the Museum of the Russian Impressionism for the second time. We thank Boris Mints for giving us the opportunity to organize our tournament here. I hope that everybody will enjoy not only chess but also the creations of wonderful artists whose works are represented in the Museum. I hope that the press will cover this event worthi-ly".

Boris Mints: "We are very glad that the Russian Chess Federation and the strongest world grandmasters have accepted our offer for the second time, and Tal Memorial is held in the Muse-um of the Russian Impressionism again. We are doing our best to improve the conditions and the atmosphere which are necessary for such a good chess tournament. I hope that there will be a se-rious struggle on the chessboards, because the line-up is just fantastic. I wish all of you good luck".

Yulia Petrova: "Mikhail Tal was a person with a brilliant sense of humor and he was admired by many. I would like everyone to sense his spirit in the Museum during the tournament and to feel good and excited".

Vladimir Kirsanov: "It is a great honor for our company to be one of the sponsors of the tourna-ment held under the patronage of Arkady Dvorkovich for the second time. It is pleasant to see that the chess movement among the youth is on the rise, and, in general, this sport is regaining its popularity. I am very glad to be part of this movement, and I am grateful to the RCF President Andrey Filatov for engaging me in the chess world".

Vladimir Kramnik: "To play in Tal Memorial before the Candidates Tournament is a great oppor-tunity to get in shape. Moreover, if a participant of the Candidates doesn't perform here well, it doesn't mean anything, but if he does - it means he is in a pretty good shape. I will try my best in every game".

Sergey Karjakin told about his previous participations in Tal Memorials. "I like this tournament very much and I have always played here quite successfully. I took part in the very first Tal Me-morials and even had to qualify for them", says Karjakin.

Boris Gelfand told about his participation in tournaments with Mikhail Tal. "Tal exerted an enormous influence upon the development of chess as a game. I am very glad that the tradition continues with the tournament in memory of this great chess player and a fine person. I always take part in it with great pleasure", says Gelfand.

Mark Glukhovsky reminded regulations and told about the tournament's history. Chief arbiter Anatoly Bykhovsky carried out the drawing of lots. The participants got the following starting numbers:

1. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 2. Peter Svidler, 3. Viswanathan Anand, 4. Hikaru Nakamura, 5. Sergey Karjakin, 6. Alexander Grischuk, 7. Boris Gelfand, 8. Daniil Dubov, 9. Ian Nepomni-achtchi, 10. Vladimir Kramnik

Round 1 pairings:

Mamedyarov – Kramnik, Svidler – Nepomniachtchi, Anand – Dubov, Nakamura – Gelfand, Kar-jakin - Glishuk.

In conclusion, Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra with its founder, conductor & soloist Yury Bashmet performed several pieces of classical music.

The super tournament is organized with support of the Avtodor Group of Companies, the Chari-table Foundation of Elena and Gennady Timchenko, JSC Russian Railways, PhosAgro, Art Russe, and Building and Construction Group of Companies "Don".

Grandmasters will play 9 rounds in rapid chess and 13 rounds in blitz (both tournaments are round-robin events). Four more participants, whose names will be announced later, will join the blitz tournament, which will take place in the Central Chess Club in Moscow (Gogolevsky Boulevard, 14, bld. 1).

The total prize fund is $ 150,000.

The match days: Rapid – March 2-4 (Museum of the Russian Impressionism, three rounds per day, the games begin at 3 p.m.), blitz – March 5 (Central Chess Club, the games start at 2 p.m.). The Closing Ceremony will be held in the Central Chess Club on March 5 at 7 p.m. (Moscow time).