Sydney International Open

With just seven days to go before the SIO lifts Australian chess another notch up the world ladder, the excitement is already building.

The 152 entries include 9 GMs, 10 IMs, 6 FMs and a swag of Rooty Hill members.

GM Rogelio Antonio Jr of the Philippines had entered but his flight is unconfirmed and it is assumed that he will not be attending. Of the nine remaining GMs all except Murray Chandler will play in the Doeberl Cup at Canberra over Easter.

While I was away there was a flood of entries at the lower end of the rating spectrum but the standard remains very high indeed with the average rating being 2142. There are a number of overseas players who have neither FIDE nor ACF rating but who are likely to be quite highly rated according to the systems in place in their own countries. They'll be given a provisional rating before the tournament starts based on their performances at home, and that's likely to lift the mean rating even higher.

Among the later entries is media favourite, and Dancing with the Stars finalist, Arianne Caoili. She hopes to keep a low profile during the event but is bound to attract media attention.

It's too late to enter the SIO if you haven't already done so but if you have any time to spare during the event (it runs from April 10-14) why not pop in to see what's happening and share in the excitement.

Even if you can't join in the tournament at this late stage you'll be able to play at one of the tables set up in the Parramatta Mall outside the town hall, or on the giant chess set by the fountain.

Click here to view the list of entrants: http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/open/index.cfm?p=section&a=Entries

During the event the results can be viewed here: http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/open/index.cfm?p=section&a=Results