A very interesting interview with Hans-Walter Schmitt

Interview with Hans-Walter Schmitt (He is a famous German organizer, best known for organizing the annual Chess Classic Mainz)

by Harry Schaack
English version Eric van Reem

…Question: Who is your favourite in Mainz and Mexico?

SCHMITT: In Mainz anything can happen. All players are excellent rapid chess specialists. But for me Anand is a great fighter with the best ludic moments and he is very experienced, so I think that he will be on the top spot again. However, he has to be very careful in his games against the young and wild stars. In Mexico I think there are three favourites: Anand, Aronian and Kramnik, who seems to be in good shape. The other players are the classical outsiders.

The Fide and their henchmen

Question: The latest FIDE coup determines that Kramnik, even if he should not be successfull in Mexico, will get a match against the winner of the world championship tournament. And the winner of that match will play in a match against the winner of a match between Topalov and the winner of the World Cup. Very confusing. What is your opinion about this special status for these players?

SCHMITT: Words fail me. In general I get sick and tired of this haggling and the protection of vested rights of the world champions. It can not be right, that the managers intervene in the rules of modern chess, and they are the only ones responsible for this arrangement. Topalov and Kramnik will get a double chance. This construction with two or three matches is very adventurous and simply very unfair. Let´s face it: if you do not win Mexico, you´re out. Then you have to qualify in Khanty-Mansyk in a field with 128 players in a 2-games knock-out system with rapid chess tie-breaks. And in the end a well-prepared and relaxed Topalov waits for you. This is madness. In the chess world someone like Ecclestone should be top dog, who is able to say to guys like Schumacher what they have to do. I would love to become the advocate for the other 16 players in the top-20 to defend their rights.

Question: How should a world championship cycle be organised?

SCHMITT: It would be ideal if the world champion plays against the seven best players of the world rating list every two years. Every player has to play a certain amount of games per year, minimum 25 to 30 games. That makes it impossible for a player to settle back on a high place on the rating list. The tournament will be played in matches in a knock-out system, so in the end you will have a real match for the world title, which should not be longer than 8-12 games. It is impossible to market a longer event. It is not easy anymore to keep the tension for a long time.

Question: What else must be changed in the world of chess in your view?

SCHMITT: There is no money in the chess world. There is no serious company that will be willing to show itself on the stage with Iljumshinov. Chess represents strategic management, handling foresightful, exact thinking, making decisions. These are qualities those responsible in FIDE do not have. Another thing is, there is still no rapid chess world rating list available – which is quasi a boycott against Chess Entertainment. If players were able to improve their rating in any rapid chess event, this form of chess would become even more popular.

Chess Classic – participants 2007

Question: The Chess Classic always offers absolute top-class sport. The event is also a very attractive mass-sport event. Could you tell me, how the “masses” benefit from this event?

SCHMITT: For the top-players, the main appeal is the possibility to qualify for the rapid chess world championship by winning one of the open tournaments. For the other players there is a good chance they will meet a strong player over the board. And there is a fair chance you will meet a top player in our field with almost 100 grandmasters! Good players benefit from our facilities: even FIDE Masters get a rebate on their starting fee, which is not always the case in other tournaments. For the amateurs our tourmanent is attractive because of the many high rating prices. You could say, that they play another tournament in their rating class. The popularity is a result of our perfect organisation, which is also stable when we have more than 600 participants. Many visitors are happy with the speediness of the drawings, the on-time start of the rounds and the outstanding playing facilities.

Question: Can you tell me which top-class players will come this year?

SCHMITT: The average of our top-8 players reaches the ELO-average of the World Championship in Mexico. Ivanchuk, who will not play Mexico, is the main reason for this average. Because of his fantastic performance in the last months, he is now number four on the rating list. In the main event we have Anand, Aronian, Bacrot and Kazimdzhanov, in the Opens we have magnificent players like Mamedyarov, Shirov, Grishuk, Kamsky, Akopian, Almasi, Volokitin, Karjakin, Sasikiran, Landa, Sargissian, Harikrishna, Navara, Gashimov and Naiditsch. The youngest GM in the world, Parimarjan Negi form India will also come. We have also strong women playing: Zhu Chen Cmylite, Gaponenko, Pähtz and Zhukova, to name just a few.

Here is the full interview.