Tata Steel - Opening Ceremony for the A and B groups

The tent seen from outside; commentaries
will be given here later on.

Today, at 16 o'clock, the drawing of lots for the A and B groups took place in the same tent as usual. But this time, the red colour from Corus was replaced with the blue theme of Tata Steel Company.
You are here, in Wijk aan Zee, a seaside village, kind of windy and rainy but than you enter this big chess house: you are immediately surrounded by the blue colour, suggesting the sea and the peace before the storm. The peace before the tournament starts!



The people in charge of this image change did a great job, which you instantly feel: you are in a tent, next to all these Top Grandmasters, but still...you are not really in a tent. Maybe in the middle of the sea, as all the posters suggest?! The blue colour, the lights, the sounds, they all merge in creating and offering you a memory to remember! Tomorrow we will see how the playing hall looks like; for now, this is where the official opening ceremony took place:

The speeches of the people in charge for
this great event to take place! Hopefully I will
come back with my own video tomorrow, with a better internet
connection from the press room.

The Grandmasters of the B-Group: anxiously
waiting to draw their numbers! More Whites or more Blacks?!

And now: what we were all waiting - the Grandmasters
of the A-Group! Black suits, ties, are these people really
chess players?!? Yes, they are! Models as well: Carlsen is wearing G-Star clothes!

I am wondering if they used photoshop for this...or is
it real?! I am going to ask:)

TRIVIA:
Do you recognize the position on the board? 


Small hint: it is a famous and absolutely incredibly beautiful game, taken from the archive of this tournament, when it was called: Hoogovens. I highly recommend you to make some research: you will be rewarded with a fantastic chess experience:)

On the left is the entrance in the playing hall.
For 2 weeks, this building will be the center of the chess world.
GM's, amateurs, parents or just visitors, they will all
enter through the same door. We will do the same tomorrow!

Tata Steel is everywhere!

A symbol of this famous tournament and
the subject of a Trivia question for later...:)

A chess board in a house's window: yes, this
is a common theme in Wijk aan Zee. See the next photos!

The show window of a book shop: does it look familiar?

See you all tomorrow! For the schedule of the A and B groups, visit the Official Website!
Good night!