A beginning is a delicate time - if, by delicate you mean riddled with gunfire, explosions and covered in the corpses of the dead. Yes after the build up it's finally time to get the show on the road as the Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Challenge begins in earnest tonight. In some one hundred and twelve matches time one team will walk away feeling rather pleased with themselves and considerably better off as they take their share of the £3000 prize purse on offer.

It all starts here tonight with groups one through four as the first sixteen team battle it out to finish in the top two in their group and stake their claim to join the knock out stages of this prestigious tournament. With only three matches in each group it is essential to get off to a good start.

Tonight from 8pm Team PLANET6 vs Team-Anticipation Tonight from 9pm Four-Kings vs eXceL

A reformation of S!CK - reVolution.css have the daunting task of dealing with strong favourites to qualify from Group One in the shape of asperity.gg who sit right up in the nosebleed seats of ED's open ladder. Even against such opposition you cannot rule out reVolutions chances (this is after all CSS and anything can and usually does happen) but if things go to form there is not a great hope of an upset in this match. Prediction 16-1 to asperity. In the second of tonight's Group One matches #x3-Gaming face off against One.Soldier. Now you simply will not find many teams with such a good attitude as X3 who remain calm in the face of defeat but still manage to treat losing opponents with respect as well, this is likely to be the position One.Soldier will find themselves in here as the probable outcome will be three opening night points for X3. Prediction 16-11 to X3

asperity.gg vs reVolution.css 12/04/07 8:00pm Details #x3-Gaming vs One.Soldier 12/04/07 8:00pm Details

1. reVolution.css 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2. One.Soldier 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3. asperity.gg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4. #x3-Gaming 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

infused will start the ball rolling in Group Two as they go into this match as strong favourites against papertiger (who it should be noted have been on a better run of form over their past ten or so matches than their long term form might otherwise suggest). One thing Infused do not have though is a website to match the masterpiece that is papertiger's state of the art site. Prediction 16-2 to Infused The first of tonight's two QuadV featured matches and a confident Team PLANET6 team come into this tie off the back of i30 performances which saw them flex their e-muscles and progress to the furthest reaches of the tournaments on hand. Team-Anticipation by comparison do not go into this match with the highest of hopes according to their website but they sure have the right attitude and intend on mowing down as many P6 players as possible on their way to what would be an unlikely win. Planet6 to go into week two with three points in the bag here. Prediction 16-1 to P6

infused vs papertiger 12/04/07 8:00pm Details Team PLANET6 vs Team-Anticipation 12/04/07 8:00pm Details

1. infused 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2. Team PLANET6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3. papertiger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4. Team-Anticipation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A team who you would hope need no introduction (but I will give them one anyway) Four-Kings come to the party on the opening night of Group Three with a full keg of ownage securely tucked under their arm. Attempting to ram the proverbial cork into the barrel are eXceL who will be considered as whipping boys in this match by some. We look to see whether they can chug their share here or if they will be drowned in a torrent of 4K's very own special brew... this match will be the second of tonight's QuadV featured matches. Prediction 16-1 4K. The second tie in Group Four is contested between Maiestas. and urbanTigers. Now I'm being advised that the UrbanTigers will meet with a defeat here and not pick up too many rounds - but I have a feeling they might well take it closer than expected. After narrowly missing out on the latter stages of the Ebuyer tournament Maiestas can rightly expect to blag the three points on offer but they may have to work harderthan expected. Prediction 16-9 Maiestas

Four-Kings vs eXceL 12/04/07 9:00pm Details Maiestas. vs urbanTigers 12/04/07 9:00pm Details

1. Four-Kings 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2. Maiestas. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3. eXceL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4. urbanTigers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Bringing up the rear in this evening's matches are teh four teams of Group Four. #riZen.Dimension polish their sights and give their boomsticks a quick rub over with an oily rag before heading into what promises to be a tough encounter with YeGods.G. The gods do sport a relatively new roster but would expect to overcome the opposition here. Prediction 16-8 YeGods.G Last but not least (o if you prefer - saving the best for last) come the infamous ONESIX.CSS. If you have been under a rock (or playing WoW) for a while - these guys were tipped to do well in the Ebuyer tournament before being removed for an infringement of the rules. You can bet your bottom dollar that they will be going all out to prove themselves in this tournament, Onesix will be seen by many as the team flying the flag for their 1.6 playing brethren. Standing in their way tonight are careFACE eSports who after a (self proclaimed) "encouraging i30 campaign" go into this tie without their regular fifth player. A replacement has of course been found but wil it prove costly in the face of such motivated opposition? Prediction 16-2 Onesix.

#riZen.Dimension vs YeGods.G 12/04/07 9:00pm Details careFACE eSports vs ONESIX.CSS 12/04/07 9:00pm Details

1. #riZen.Dimension 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2. careFACE eSports 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3. YeGods.G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4. ONESIX.CSS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0