Due to the generous donation of the Kowitz Family Foundation, financial support may be available for U21 players wishing to play at the Hastings ICC. If you would like to be considered please contact Stewart Reuben – stewartreuben@aol.com
You can read the H&SL Observer’s article here
69 players had entered by 3 December, including —
| Rodshtein | Maxim | ISR | GM | 2676 |
| Edouard | Romain | FRA | GM | 2659 |
| Mista | Alexandr | POL | GM | 2614 |
| Fier | Alexandr | BRA | GM | 2592 |
| Bogner | Sebastian | SUI | GM | 2586 |
| Zhao | Jun | CHN | GM | 2585 |
| Lagarde | Maxime | FRA | GM | 2576 |
| Sengupta | Deep | IND | GM | 2566 |
| Hawkins | Jonathan | ENG | GMe | 2552 |
| Hebden | Mark | ENG | GM | 2523 |
| Vakhidov | Jahongir | UZB | GM | 2502 |
| Gormally | Daniel | ENG | GM | 2499 |
| Arkell | Keith | ENG | GM | 2489 |
| Cherniaev | Alexander | RUS | GM | 2481 |
| Flear | Glenn | ENG | GM | 2460 |
| Gledura | Benjamin | HUN | IM | 2450 |
| Hunt | Adam | ENG | IM | 2437 |
| Galyas | Miklos | HUN | IM | 2428 |
| Bates | Richard | ENG | IM | 2349 |
| Mannion | Stephen | SCO | IM | 2345 |
| Maisuradze | Nino | FRA | WGM | 2323 |
| Bellin | Robert | ENG | IM | 2338 |
| Kirk | Ezra | ENG | FM | 2308 |
| Olsarova | Tereza | CZE | WIM | 2302 |
| Marusenko | Petr | UKR | IM | 2194 |
| Flear | Christine | FRA | WIM | 2181 |
| Mann | Johannes | GER | 2080 | |
| Wadsworth | Matthew | ENG | 2064 | |
| Low | Zhen Yu Cyrus | SIN | 2028 | |
| Slade | Theodore | ENG | 1869 | |
| French | Max | ENG | 1763 |