30-04-2012, 01:19 PM
I'd like to express my thanks to the organisers as well.
To answer Joe's earlier post about why they let a GM and an IM take part: I can't speak for Jacob but I myself have - until yesterday - never had the opportunity to face anyone of Topalov's calibre. My strongest ever opponent in a serious game has been Adams, and over the years I've faced maybe three or four players in the mid-to-high 2600s. To compete against a recent World Champion, even in a simul, has so far been a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
To answer Joe's earlier post about why they let a GM and an IM take part: I can't speak for Jacob but I myself have - until yesterday - never had the opportunity to face anyone of Topalov's calibre. My strongest ever opponent in a serious game has been Adams, and over the years I've faced maybe three or four players in the mid-to-high 2600s. To compete against a recent World Champion, even in a simul, has so far been a once-in-a-lifetime chance.