I just spoke at length to Mr. Jorge Saggiante, the chief organizer and director of the 2007 World Championship in Mexico City next year. He issued a statement which I will publish shortly. The contract with FIDE was signed and the prize funds have been transferred to FIDE long ago. The World Championship will go on and he fully expects Kramnik to be one of the 8 participants next year.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Do you know if his expectations of Kramnik showing up are due to his receiving any kind of word from Kramnik.
Looks like there’s nothing to be said about this story until we actually see the statement.
Why do I forsee a legal mess coming out of this?
Then the organizers want to de-unify the title. THey paid FIDE for the FIde Title, but they didn’t pay anything for the Classical title.
Why can’t they re-allocate some of the funds and have a match at the end of it.
The future:
1.- Kramnik will no asist to Mexico
2.- Topalov will replace Kramnik’s place
3.- Anand or Topalov will be the World Champion
4.- In 2008 Kramnik will get a Match against Anand or Topalov if the Match is Kramnik vs Topalov, Kramnik will win again if the match is Kramnik vs Anand, The Last will win
Wow! People that can see into the future and know what’s going to happen!! What are next weeks Mega-Million lottery numbers?
Mexico it is good solution for chess but Kramnik has little chances there. There is need to win and fight not to do the draws and have +2.
Regards
“Mexico it is good solution for chess but Kramnik has little chances there. There is need to win and fight not to do the draws and have +2.”
Is this the same Kramnik who has a +18 =9 -0 (22.5/27) career score against Judit Polgar and found in mere couple of minutes that magnificent Rb1!! (in the deciding 4th Rapid game) the strenght of which laid beyond the horizon of the strongest programs?
Kramnik should not play in Mexico. It is much better for chess to revive the match tradition. Playing in Mexico just hinders this important task.
The tournament in Mexico with Kramnik and Topalov missing is only a joke. Anand is the only really noteworthy candidate for a champion and that just isn’t enough.
“Is this the same Kramnik who has a +18 =9 -0 (22.5/27) career score against Judit Polgar”
Oh, hate isn’t rational, it’s just hate. You’re making a mistake trying to treat as rational. These are the same people who said Kramnik had no chance in the Topalov match. Okay, so now he has no chance here.
To show you how irrational it is, people are commenting on the story before there is any story. There’s absolutely nothing here, just a promise on Susan’s part that there will be a story soon. In the absence of a story, people are supplying their own, though granted, it is unusual to pre-announce a story in this way.
“The World Championship will go on and he fully expects Kramnik to be one of the 8 participants next year.”
Why the hangup on whether Kramnik plays?
He’s won the FIDE version of things.
But he’s also got the other version.
Why can’t FIDE settle on/go back to the traditional way where the champion meets the challenger ever 3 years (after zonal-interzonal-candidates)? Why these shilly-shally changes (the Las Vegas type thing/the San Luis thing/the Elsita/then Mexico/the highest bidder thing i.e., Radjabov)…why not settle down on one formula?
The years since we’ve had FIDE champs that could’ve been forgotten (Ponomariev, Kasimdzhanov..) shows that there needs to be a clear, settled way of deciding these things.
Having a championship ever year (aside from the quality of play/preparation and devaluing of things – having it yearly) seems unecessary. There may be sports that have an annual buzz (“world” series nfl/basketball/usa style sports) but there are others like football (soccer) that, by the very nature, of not being an every day thing, makes it more worthwhile/more of an excitement when it does come around.
Seems odd to unify things this year, and have another one next year.
The tone of the blog, almost as if hoping Kramnik doesn’t go? But then, I don’t see a big deal if he does or doesn’t go. He put up with a lot of provocation this year, was big enough to rise about it and still win, and he’s going up against the bigger challenge of man vs. machine soon…don’t think there’s anything to prove…whether FIDE wants their title back or no…
BTW, have you seen Seirawan’s response to that arbiter…quite good, I thought.
Sad, that chess people supposed to be so clever, yet can’t organize their sport any better than this – chess commissioner or not.
Despite all the criticism of the head of FIDE, he’s putting money into the sport…over the years (even before his tenure) it’s been hard getting sponsors – even in world championship situations….
Anyhow, congrats to Kramnik again…
If aliens abduct Kramnik, should Susan take his place in Mexico City? Post your thoughts here…
No word in the statement about the invitation of Kramnik and Topalov to Mexico. Shall it come later?
Topalov is playing lousy chess at the moment in Essent, but he may or will recover from it.
By the way, why to publish the names nearly one year before hand? Much can happen inbetween. Fair enough, if the top tournaments before Mexico decide something?
harra:
There are four spots left to decide who plays, and these will be decided via the Candidates matches of 16 down to 8 down to 4.
AS far as I heard, none of that has changed.
The ‘other’ four already qualfied for this tournament.
The World Cup would be a right expression about the Mexico event, if the match series has begun long ago and if Kramnik is not on the list of the partipants.
The World Championship should be arranged between two players as earlier: the ruling Champion against the winner of the Candidate series.
But among the candidates the former champion should perhaps have the semifinal placement.
Topalov may loose in an earlier phase – if his depression period continues. Then the winner of the world cup should meet Kramnik to decide the the sole World Championship.
If this additional final match takes place in Mexico, the event has earned its present name.
There in no hurry to solve this. September is not quite now ahead.