6. “Shak” Mamedyarov (2757)(13) Chance: 7%
Shakhriyar (Shak) qualified for this tournament by narrowly edging out Caruana on points in the FIDE 2012-2013 Grand Prix. I think of the players I have placed towards the bottom of my list he is the one who could potentially shake things up the most. Of course it’s also possible for him to flame out horribly and finish on the bottom. I am optimistic about his chances and if he can start off well. With a field this strong I believe Mamedyarov is going to have a difficult time maintaining a high standard of play over a long period of time. Here is a game that was a runner up from my “10 Games from 2013” post:
Here are his results against the field:
| Opponent | Result (W-L-D) | Last 5 Games |
|---|---|---|
| Levon Aronian | 3-2-10 | 0-0-5 |
| Vladimir Kramnik | 0-2-7 | 0-2-3 |
| Veselin Topalov | 3-3-6 | 1-1-3 |
| Viswanathan Anand | 0-2-8 | 0-0-5 |
| Sergey Karjakin | 4-4-9 | 2-1-2 |
| Peter Svidler | 2-2-4 | 2-1-2 |
| Dmitry Andreikin | 0-0-2 | 0-0-2 |