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Background
This category 20 event (average rating = 2748) was the 78th annual incarnation of the tournament. It was first staged in 1938 in Beverwijk, which is geographically adjacent to and slightly inland from the coastal village of Wijk aan Zee where the tournament is now held, and has been held annually since. (1)
Where:
Eleven rounds were staged in De Moriaan in Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. Round five was staged in the Science Center NEMO in Amsterdam and round ten in the Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht.
When:
This year it took place between January 15 and January 31, 2016. Rest days were on January 20, 25 and 28.
Time control:
100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves. Then 15 minutes for the remaining moves with 30 seconds cumulative increment for each move starting from the first move.
Format
The event was a round robin tournament featuring fourteen players, and therefore thirteen rounds of play.
Prizes:
1st Ђ 10,000
2nd Ђ 6,500
3rd Ђ 3,000
4th Ђ 2,500
5th Ђ 2,000
6th Ђ 1,000
7th Ђ 500
About the Winner:
This was World Champion Magnus Carlsen’s fifth win at this event, equalling the record set by Anand in 2006.
Comments
Carlsen kicked off with his traditional slow start, drawing his first four games. However he picked up the pace winning three successive games in rounds five, six and seven at which point he was joint leader with Caruana. He led outright from round eight, securing two more wins in the last five rounds. As the tournament drew to a close, Caruana and Ding Liren strongly challenged for the lead with first prize up for grabs between Carlsen and these two players.
Going into the last round and leading by half a point from Caruana and a point from Ding Liren, Carlsen drew with Ding Liren (2) while Caruana lost to Tomashevsky, giving Carlsen an outright win in this event for the fourth time and a fifth win overall. (3)
Footnotes:
(1) https://www.google.com.au/maps/plac...; (2) Carlsen vs Ding Liren, 2016; (3) (Tomashevsky vs Caruana, 2016)
Official site and source:
http://www.tatasteelchess.com
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