Prior to the start of this tournament, everyone could rest assured that the top seeds would stick around for awhile. Certainly most of the top seeds are still standing and the trio of Veselin Topalov, Michael Adams and Alexander Grischuk  have not suffered a loss thus far.

In these types of tournaments, there is always the shocking story that ripples throughout the tournament hall. In the 2001 contest, it was IM Olivier Touzane's fifteen minutes of fame with his win over GM Viswanathan Anand. In this tournament, the story has been the performance of 16-year old GM Hikaru Nakamura. 

Nakamura has continued to impress the chess world with his gritty style of play and his prowess at quick thinking. This may go a long way in his "Sweet Sixteen" matchup with super-GM Michael Adams (2737). This will be an interesting matchup with a young, agile mind against a seasoned GM with a methodical style. 

Not many give the young GM a chance, but if he can get to the tiebreaks, he may pull off one of the biggest upsets in championship history. No doubt we will see some of the most exciting chess in the Nakamura-Adams showdown!

Editor's Note: GM Lenier Dominguez joins Nakamura in the "Sweet Sixteen" and has played magnificently. The 20-year old Cuban certainly has the support of chess fans, his country, and his President and chess enthusiast, Fidel Castro. Dominguez, along with his compatriot, GM Lázaro Bruzón have proudly represented Latin America and will certainly be a fixture in future tournaments. The legacy of maestro José Raúl Capablanca lives on!

Posted by The Chess Drum:  25 June 2004