shapenaji wrote: Unfortunately, with the exception of yourself and Merlijn Kuin, I must confess myself ignorant of the scene... and find myself voting for the person with the most excellent name... there are just too many choices, fantastic language.
How's the matchup at the top? Who's weak against whom?
Some background info one a few of the players:
Gilles van Eeden: Dark horse candidate. He has been inactive for close to 10 years. He won the championship in 1995, just after Ronald Schlemper (7d) had moved to Japan. From 1996 onward Guo Juan (5p) was eligible to play and won 7 years straight (once after a play-off against Gilles, which she won 2-1). So the big question here is what level Gilles can currently play at.
Geert Groenen: Reigning Champion after winning for the first time in 2010. Before that, he scored 2nd place very often, behind Guo Juan and behind others. Finally winning may have made him less nervous about it, but title defense can be stressful. Still, the man to beat.
Merlijn Kuin: The up and coming player from a few years ago. He won three times in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Did not do well last year, which probably has something to do with the stress and lack of time surrounding finishing college and starting on a new job.
Frank Janssen: Long time contender. First won it in 1989 and 1991, and most recently in 2005 and 2006. Always a contender, but sometimes vulnerable to getting too nonchalant and making blunders when leading.
Emil Nijhuis: Won it in 2003 and 2004, when Guo Juan stopped playing and his insei training was still fresh in his memory. Not very active in tournaments currently, so perhaps he lacks a bit of rhythm.
Michiel Eijkhout: Never won the championship yet. Although currently weakest of the participating 6 dan, he's plenty strong enough to beat any of them, and has even beaten Guo Juan in the past.
Peter Brouwer: Another up and coming player, likely to make 6d soon. He was has a dual Dutch/Danish passport and was Danish Champion in 2003, earning him a place iun the 2004 WAGC. Scored 7/8 last year to tie with Geert, then lost the play-off 2-1. Plays on KGS as danoontje.
Filip Vanderstappen, Willem-Koen Pomstra, Robert Rehm, Rudi Verhagen (the other 5 dans): All established names. Strong enough to win against the 6 dan, but outsiders for the title. Robert won it in 1977 and played in the 1981 WAGC. With the points system, Filip would have represented at the 2009 WAGC if he had a Dutch passport.
Bram Koster, Alexander Eerbeek: Up and coming younger players. Not strong enough yet, probably, but they may be strong contenders in the future.
Andreas Drost, Herman Hiddema: Strong 4 dan, but too old to really be considered "up and coming" anymore 
Siu Hong Chung: The only 3 dan this year. Although definitely the weakest participant, he is also up and coming. He first qualified for the Dutch Championship 2008 as a 1st kyu, which was an exceptional feat (first time in 20 years or so that a kyu player qualified).
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