Attempt to heal schism in world chess ends in the toilet
Stephen Moss
Saturday September 30, 2006
The Guardian
Just as cricket is recovering from its great forfeited match debacle, now chess – that other long-drawn-out, statistically minded sport favoured by anorak wearers – has a similar crisis to contend with.
Yesterday in Elista, capital of the Russian republic of Kalmykia, the Russian player Vladimir Kramnik forfeited the fifth game of his 12-game match with the Bulgarian Veselin Topalov and threw into chaos the much-anticipated contest that was due to end the 13-year schism in world chess and produce an undisputed world champion.
And the reason for his dramatic action, with its echoes of Bobby Fischer’s forfeit in the second game of his match with Boris Spassky in Reykjavik in 1972? Kramnik had been banned from using his private toilet. Even the irascible and unpredictable Fischer, who saw KGB plotters everywhere, never thought of this one.
“Toiletgate”, as chess’s latest crisis will no doubt come to be called, began when Topalov complained after game four that his opponent was visiting the loo too often – up to 50 times during the six-hour encounter, his aides said. The implication was that the Russian might be consulting computers in the privacy of the cubicle.
The rest can be read here.
Chess unification bout takes nasty turn
9/29/2006, 7:04 p.m. CT
By MIKHAIL SAVINOV
The Associated Press
ELISTA, Russia (AP) — The future of the world chess championship was in question Friday when a player did not show up for the fifth game and threatened to withdraw from the match after he was accused of cheating and locked out of his private bathroom.
Vladimir Kramnik, a Russian, was accused by the manager for his opponent, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, of taking too many bathroom breaks — an apparent suggestion that he was secretly using a technical device or a computer program to help him with his moves.
Kramnik, the Classical World Champion, had been leading Topalov, the World Chess Champion, 3-1 after four games in the 12-game match — the sixth attempt to reunify the chess world since then-world champion Garry Kasparov broke away from the FIDE chess governing body in 1993.
But Kramnik boycotted game five Friday, angered by an Appeals Committee decision to lock the private bathrooms for both players and insist that each use a common bathroom for the rest of the match. Topalov was also unhappy with the decision; his manager said it would not prevent Kramnik from cheating since he would still be alone in the lavatory.
The committee decision followed a protest by Topalov’s manager, Silvio Danailov, who viewed videotapes of the players’ relaxation rooms behind the stage. There is no video camera in the bathrooms themselves.
“The World Champion Veselin Topalov is outraged by the suspicious behavior of his opponent Vladimir Kramnik, who actually takes his most significant decisions in a toilet,” Danailov said. “During every game, he visited the relaxation room 25 times on average and the bathroom more than 50 times.”
The rest can be read here.
Loo row threatens chess championship
By Malcolm Pein and Nicole Martin
(Filed: 30/09/2006)
Telegraph
The World Chess Championship hung in the balance last night after one of the grandmasters, who is accused of making unnecessary visits to the lavatory, refused to play the fifth game.
Vladimir Kramnik, a Russian ranked No 4 in the world, took his stand after the appeals committee changed the off-stage arrangements for the players following complaints about his repeated visits to the gents.
His Bulgarian opponent, Veselin Topalov, the world’s No 1, alleged on Thursday that Kramnik’s behaviour was “suspicious”.
After studying nearly 20 hours of video tapes, Topalov’s agent, the grandmaster Silvio Danailov, said that Kramnik had retreated to his relaxation room 25 times per game and visited the lavatory more than 50 times in every game.
He did not specify what kind of impropriety he was alleging or whether Topalov felt that the lavatory breaks were aimed at frustrating him.
The rest can be read here.
Topalov should try to win OTB. I was a fan but now I think he sucks.
“Anonymous said…
Susan, I recall something like you lost your Women’s WCC title after FIDE stripped it from you.
This involved you refusing to play because the conditions were not ideal for you, right? IIRC after you having just had a child.
Don’t you think Kramnik is in a somewhat similar situation?
I am somewhat surprised that you seem to think that Kramnik should just play on after a contract has been breached to his detriment.
Isn’t that just a matter of principle? After all one could similarly argue that you were physically able to play for the WWCC, so why didn’t you? IMO it would set a dangerous precedent if Kramnik were to say ‘oh well, let’s just play’.
Next thing then Danailov will ask the drinking water to be reduced (‘Topalov doesn’t drink so much’) then God knows what?!
I for the life of me can’t figure any reason (well yes I can, mindgames) why Danailov or Topalov mind Kramnik pacing up and down in his own private rest room/bathroom, so I fail to see why their formal complaint should lead to Kramnik’s toilet being closed.”
Please respond to the question from this Anonymous person.
regard
If visiting the bathroom 50 times a game is suspicious, then it is appropriate to change the initial arrangements on bathrooms, because they have a good reason to. It is because of the suspicious bathroom breaks, not an arbitrary ruling just to annoy Kramnik.
If, as a result, Kramnik forfeits the match, so be it. Topalov should be recognized as the champion. (His unsporting refusal to shake Kramnik’s hand would make him an unpopular champion but still I think we should then recognize him as the champion.)
Life is too short to worry about whether this deadlock will be broken.
This is just TOO appropriate… From the musical “Chess” (lyrics by Tim Rice).
“Though we concede
The fact your masters bend the rules is maybe not your fault
If they withdraw their psychological assault
Then under protest he’ll proceed.”
“If your man’s so sweet
Then why his fighting talk?
If he says we cheat
Then why on earth did he go take a walk?”
“I am not surprised he wanted fresher air
Once he realized there was no hope
Of your guys playing fair.”
“It’s very sad to see
The ancient and distinguished game that used to be
A model of decorum and tranquility
Become like any other sport
A battleground for rival ideologies
To slug it out with glee.”
” Anonymous said…
If visiting the bathroom 50 times a game is suspicious, then it is appropriate to change the initial arrangements on bathrooms, because they have a good reason to. It is because of the suspicious bathroom breaks, not an arbitrary ruling just to annoy Kramnik.
If, as a result, Kramnik forfeits the match, so be it. Topalov should be recognized as the champion. (His unsporting refusal to shake Kramnik’s hand would make him an unpopular champion but still I think we should then recognize him as the champion.)
Life is too short to worry about whether this deadlock will be broken.
“
What kind of champion will he be?
wcqvrgObviously the closing of Kramnik’s bathroom is tantamount to saying there is possible substance to the cheating charge without a scintilla of actual evidence. This is insulting to Kramnik and a violation of basic rights. An accusation without real evidence is an egregious wrong that should not be tolerated. If Topalov cannot produce this evidence he should be told to shut up!
The high number of 50 visits is a lie from danailov!
Even the fide officers have recognize that it was an exageration from the topalov’s team! Why continuing with this number? Everybody agreed it’s a lie! But, we’ve seen there a jerk trying to launch a hoax !
Bad journalists make hoax bigger and bigger! They simply didn’t do their job.
What is schoking for the most is that none journalist have noted the facts!
“the restrooms and toiletts are heavily checked by specialists, obviously local police forces. This goes together with the arrival of the players. The arbiters are observing all the measures. One representative of each team has the right of being present in order to observe the activities. The playing area is banned from signals and the glas wall protects from any kind of view contact and/or body language. There is not a single reason or evidence to believe that a player would have any kind of cheating possibilities.”
The problem is: cheat is highly impossible.The restroom and the wc are cleaned.
This is well by both team!
What is disgusting is the danailov attitude! Once again i will complain about this rat!
Kramnik is a gentleman, he let the entire world know about his desease, and his medication last year.He is not very keen about talking about his privacy. A good point for him, we just wants watch him playing games.
Danailov and his team of parafakologists know well what Kramnik must do with such a desease… and the effects of the medication… Kramnik must stretch a lot, must drink water very often and must go to the toilett very often.
If someone is curious enough, he can search on the web the reason why he must do that, with a high frequency.
Now, the worm is in the apple.
It’s not a gentleman kind affair we are facing, but a jerk’s lie which have grown too much!
Both team must hav refrain for playing in elista:
First it’s in the country of kirsan, a dictator known for being in the list of amnesty international. and he his fide president. What kramnik must have refuse.
Secondly, it’s in a russian place,what the topalov ‘s team shouldn’t have accepted. But it did it because of their friendship with officers of fide and so and so.
But we saw that Kasparov and Short played a match un Great Britain in 1993 without kasparov complained much that. Normal, he was a winner there.
I remembered that you didn’t play a match against a chinese woman player because fide wanted the match held in china.
Sorry for my poor english since yesterday.