IM Larry Kaufman, Photo Betsy Dynako from the 2008 U.S. Championship.
There are over 300 players registered for the tournament, including ten GMs (top rated is Mihail Suba). I may be the youngest player in the (men's) tournament (or nearly so), as you had to be at least sixty (fifty for the women) at the start of this year and I turned sixty just a few weeks before that. It's not often I can be the kid in a tournament these days! The winner gets an automatic GM title, so of course I will do my best to win, but being only around the 20th seed my chances are less than John McCain's right now! But my USCF rating is at a five year peak right now at 2445, so it's not completely hopeless. There are a few other Americans preregistered, of whom the best known (at least among the men) is probably Jude Acers. There are also some names from the past, like GM Wolfgang Uhlmann. At least Korchnoi isn't preregistered, then my chances would really be nil.
Visit the official website for more information, including a list of pre-registered players, and keep checking CLO for more German dispatches from Larry Kaufman.