The starting field is an interesting mix of legends, young stars on the rise and top players:
- GM Anatoly Karpov, Russia, World Champion 1975-1985 and 1993-1999
- GM Nils Grandelius, Sweden, number one on the Swedish rating list
- GM Alexei Shirov , Spain, former World Championship challenger
- GM David Navara, Czech Republic, one of the strongest chess players in Europe
- GM Liêm Quang Lê, Vietnam, the current Asian champion
- GM Harika Dronavalli. India, one of the world’s strongest female players
- GM Jorden Van Foreest, the Netherlands, winner of the 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament
- GM Nihal Sarin, India, a chess prodigy who, at 14, became India’s youngest grandmaster
The tournament will offer live commentary by GM Ivan Sokolov and GM Stellan Brynell.