FIDE Press Release on Topalov-Kramnik Match
PRESS RELEASE, 28 January 2007
The FIDE Presidential Board, meeting 27-28 January 2007 in Antalya, Turkey, issued the following statement :
FIDE received a bank guarantee dated January 19th 2007, on behalf of GM Veselin Topalov for a challenge match against the World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik. Whilst the guarantee meets the conditions of the Handbook as per regulation, FIDE has reviewed the possibility of organizing this match as granted by the aforesaid regulation.
In order to organize this match within regulation, and the fact that a challenge match must be concluded no later than six months before the start of the next World Championship Tournament in Mexico City 12th September, this year, the match would have to start no later than 23rd February 2007.
The challenger additionally would need to deposit the required sum of money involved, into the FIDE bank account within 45 days before the commencement of the match in accordance with the regulations which has already passed.
A match for the World Chess Champion title is one of the most prestigious events in the FIDE calendar, and needs careful preparations from everybody involved. In the current situation there will not be sufficient time for proper inspections and negotiations with both players and the organizers. The players will not have enough time to prepare and can only play after having cancelled other contractual obligations.
Even though it might be possible from a pure technical point of view to stage a match before this date, FIDE cannot accept a match to take place under these circumstances.
However, notwithstanding the six month provision in the regulations, if both players can agree to a mutually acceptable date and conditions, then FIDE will assist in the organization of this match.
For further information,
FIDE Public Relations
Director Dr. Peter Rajcsanyi
Mobile +36 30 3714190
FIDE Legal Director
Morten Sand
Mobile +47 90561288
i read in officcial Topalov website that Danailov will go in the intenational court in Switzerland for making take them a decision about that!!!
They suspect that Kramnik and fide don’t want topalov for a new match!
Dario
FIDE’s comment are quite fair I guess.
We only just had the WC match between Topalov and Kramnik and there should already be another one? And then there is the WC in Mexico, doesn’t that count for anything?
I wouldn’t mind a match Kramnik-Topalov again but at least leave some time in between. (one, or even two years)
And what is the deal with Radjabov? I heard he also had the money to challenge the WC for a match.
I think that the world of chess must stop this kidnapping of it by a stubburn manager Danailov, we dont want to have this kind of behavior in this sport even if Topalov is the no.1 rated player… everything has its time in life and those guys are disgusting everybody… Topalov had his chance, even a forfeited game, lost in regular chess and lost again in rapid chess, he lost twice even with a present (game) in different circumstances… lose with dignity… PLEASE!!!!! WE ARE TIRED OF YOU TWO!!!!!!!!
Susan: you can´t stop some people blaming you of biased opinion on the Kramnik-Topalov issue if you say: “FIDE said NO MATCH unless Kramnik wants it” when everybody can read in the ” FIDE Press Release on Topalov-Kramnik Match” the following: “However, notwithstanding the six month provision in the regulations, if both players can agree to a mutually acceptable date and conditions, then FIDE will assist in the organization of this match.”
I read both players… do you?
Anon, read the statement again before you stupidly attack. Topalov came up with $2 million. Doesn’t that tell you that he wants the match? So if he wants it and there are only 2 parties, who is up to? We have too many morons with big mouths.
“Susan: you can´t stop some people blaming you of biased opinion on the Kramnik-Topalov issue if you say: “FIDE said NO MATCH unless Kramnik wants it” when everybody can read in the ” FIDE Press Release on Topalov-Kramnik Match” the following: “However, notwithstanding the six month provision in the regulations, if both players can agree to a mutually acceptable date and conditions, then FIDE will assist in the organization of this match.”
I read both players… do you?”
No, I don’t read it that way. Topalov already issued the challenge. There’s only 1 party left to decide.
It’s quite simple. I don’t expect Kramnik to accept and he has no obligation to accept. But it is clearly up to Kramnik and no one else.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Ok, let´s play a superbowl, NYopen, etc. every two months!!!
What I mean is that it seems if Topalov has lost his personality in loosing his part of the WC… and crying like a baby until everybody gets enough with the litte one and agrees with his demands!!! I agree with you, we all want good chess, fierce competition, and chess become more popular… and that´s why I don´t think what they are doing is the best strategy for that…
Anon you really have high class… everyone can learn from you!!! Good teacher…
Susan, glad to see that you’re starting to use labels. I was at the point where I was going to start indexing your blog myself. You’ve written several books worth of useful information here and it’s such a shame that it is so hard to access.
The trouble is that if you have too many categories, then that becomes confusing, too. Here’s the categories that I had come up with for your blog:
Annotated Games
Fun Stuff
News – US
News – World
Non-Chess News
Open Forums
Polgar Family
Politics – FIDE
Politics – USCF
Puzzles – Endgame
Puzzles – Tactical
Susan’s Thoughts
Tournament – FIDE
Tournaments – USCF
Just something to think about. I’m afraid you’re going to run into trouble keeping apples with apples if you have to remember too many categories each time you post something. Just my opinion, but having a limited list will be better in the long run.
I think that the agreement was that the winner of Elista would be 1st seeded in Mexico… Trying something different is like trying to get all the differents offers there are in a store for the same product… Remember… some restrictions apply… ja…mmm
Kramnik does need the money here. Two million is petty cash to the Kramnik team. Most of these GMs are so rich money means nothing. Fischer wont even play for these peanuts.
I think he will say NO!!!
Why would Kramnik choose to grant Topalov a rematch under these circumstances?
Topalov readily accepted a forfeited point under dubious circumstances, threw accusations of cheating around without anything to back them up and then profited from a book about the whole thing within months.
If you were Kramnik, would you choose to entertain playing with this person again if you didnt have to?
Notwithstanding this, the 2700 rule itself seems ridiculous.A challenger should be selected by sporting ability like other sports.
Danailovs timing of the original bank guarantee seemed designed to put FIDE in a hole with its own rules more than to pose Kramnik a serious challenge.
A fair system needs to be put in place to select challengers through competetion.
I used to think of chess (no sexism intended here) as a “gentlemen’s sport.” Susan says it even better: “Win with grace, lose with dignity.” All this bickering and backstabbing (just like the dirty politics of the USCF) is not good for anybody and doesn’t help make chess seem like the classy, intellectual sport that I think it is.
Maybe chess should not have a “world champion.” I’m all for unification, but am not sure that the WC title is necessary. If we do have a WC however, it should only be decided at one particular event held either annually or biannually; not monthly at the whim a sore (or even graceful) losers.
Next week either the Bears or the Colts will become champions of American football. They will play next season and probably lose to other teams along the way (in fact, may not even make it to next year’s superbowl) but noone will dispute the fact that they are the champions until next year’s bowl game.
Individual sports, like tennis or golf, and even some team sports like college football, do not have champions or at least do not crown someone the world’s best at one particular event. Sure, there is the number one rated player or highest money earner, but not world champion. In tennis, the Wimbledon champ may or may not be the number one rated player; in golf you may have a PGA champ or Masters winner but not a champion determined by a head-to-head play-off between the top two players in the world.
The problem (or at least ONE of the problems as I see it) is that the organization (in this case FIDE) is not trusted enough by the players or the fans to rely on for a fair rating system of players. Too bad.
Let’s either crown a WC at a head-to-head event or a world champion tournament, or rely on a rating system (ELO, FIDE or other) to have player rated #1. Then fans can dispute whether or not their favorite player is the best or not. This is good for the sport, as is dignity, grace, professionalism.
Let’s just hope that chess is not the ultimate loser in all this.
-mm
THE INCREDIBLE THING IS THAT TOPALOV CAN’T PARTECIPATE to te next championship in mexico.
This is totally absurde, he is the n1 in ranking and he wins every tourneys
Dario
I cant help thinking that what chess really needs is some new blood at the top.
Here we suffer from Topalov, Danailov and their appaulling behaviour off the board, and a WC Kramnik who seems motivated by the fear of loss more than the desire to win on the board. Neither are serving the sport well at all.
If Kramnik were to grant a rematch, is there any hope that it would remedy the present problems?
The allegations of cheating would persist whoever the winner, and it seems unlikely that Kramnik will become more exciting to watch any time soon either.
Im sure there would be more scandals.
The best result for chess is a fresh challenger and a new champion. Someone younger like Radjabov. Someone without baggage. Someone who plays to win games.
“A man is like a fraction whose numerator is what he is and whose denominator is what he thinks of himself. The larger the denominator the smaller the fraction.”
This very nice quotation is from Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy.
If Tolstoy had seen Topalov and Danailov (super doubles!) he would easily say this statement about them!
Topalov and Danailov are thinking that they are the best ones, and are trying to show this to everyone (like kids who try to show him/her to others with aggressive behaviours).
They are just “attacking” FIDE, Kramnik, and all others with unfair ways, and thinking that they all are enemies of “super doubles”!
This shows me that they are not healthy in brains! They created many enemies from their mind. I never heared an injuring thing from Kramnik about Topalov or Danailov. But still those super doubles are going on the same way!
Finally they have a book about Elista what a nice!
So I don’t care a new Kramnik-Topalov match. I never want to see such a match, neither before Mexico nor later.
There are many better players to challenge Kramnik chess world loosing time with those super doubles stupid acts!
I will be happy to see a title match between Kramnik and one of those:
Anand
Radjabov
Morozevich
Mamedyarov
but never Topalov
By the way I very liked the quotation from Tolstoy above thanks, just fits to Topalov and Danailov!
I agree with the previous poster who says chess is in dire need of new blood.
The current crop to use Kasparov’s terminology has “ossified” and calcified into a set regime of certain players who don’t fit today’s culture of boldness and innovative play. Topalov faintly has these qualities…but I feel the comments emanating from his camp about Elista is shameful to say the least. This is not becoming of a world champion nor a world championship caliber player.
For those reasons alone I suspect Kramnik would have the right not to accept a rematch with Topalov. However…if Kramnik DOES accept a rematch…I would imagine Kramnik would demand that Topalov’s manager Danilov to be banned from the premises.
The problem ultimately is this: chess players are working in a vacuum since the retirement of GM Gary Kasparov. Like him or not..he was the spiritual leader of the chess world…and now..there is nobody to take that leadership. Ironically GM Susan Polgar qualifies to being the one to take that mantle in the absence of a Kasparov.
I think FIDE has to work fast otherwise it’s leadership role will diminish the longer this crisis at the top lasts. I feel it’s time FIDE allow the top women players to enter the World Championship cycle. This would shake things up and make things interesting again.
Players like Koneru, Stephanova, Kosteniuk and Kosintseva should be allowed in the World Championship cycles. Enough with the chess segregation by gender. I say this now because I fear if the Olympics allow chess as a sport…the requirement would be to fully separate the sexes because of protocol. If this were to happen…I would LOVE to see the reaction from GM Judit Polgar if she was told she could no longer play the men because of her gender and the Olympic requirement.
either slap him in the face with a resounding no, or accept and crush him again. either choice, Krammik wins.
Vlad the destroyer
The Kramnik fans are drawing a line now between “tournament chess” and “matches” in order to defend Kramnik’s poor results.
How pathetic…
They seem to forget that real World Champions like Fischer, Karpov and Kasparov dominated many tournaments as World Champions. Their continuation in creative chess is Topalov, not Kramnik.
Kramnik is just the worst World Champion we ever had during the last 30-35 years… But OK, you can take out Kasimdzhanov and Halifman if that makes you feel better… 🙂
“Kramnik who seems motivated by the fear of loss more than the desire to win on the board.”
Are you kidding? Kramnik is the coolest guy in the room. I do not think he fears anything. The guy is cooler than Elvis and James Dean combined.
He does draw alot, however..
Very few would dispute that Topalov plays more exciting games than Kramnik, it really isnt the point. Kramnik and Topalov were equal over the board in Elista in classical games if you include Topalovs forfeited win (in which Kramnik had white).
Topalov may even be the stronger player but the fact remains that he lost. Leko got closer to victory, and yet you do not hear his fans perpetually whining either about the loss or lack of a rematch.
Im not a fan of Kramnik, I find his style of play tedious and passive. Its a style that has won out against the creativity of Topalov because Topalov blunders away winning positions almost as regularly as he creates them against leading GMs. Its better to watch, but the WC isnt about playing games that are fun to watch, its about winning more games in a one on one contest.
Guys,
Susan does not have any real chess content in this site. She posts some problems and studies and does not even to care answers.
The only way she can attract visitors (clicks) to her blog is the controversy between Kramnik and Topalov. Look at the number of postings on any other subject, and you’ll see what I mean.
That’s way she keeps on bringing the issue back again and again.
She claims to be impartial. But she praises the game between Radjabov and Topalov to be a “very exciting” draw, while the matter of the fact is the game was in known territory until the end. Nigel Short, once a world title contender and commonwealth champion immediately observed what happened and made the public aware.
When I look at Corus, I see three players who fought hard for first place, and one player who coasted, relaxed, *half a point* behind ! Didn’t this last player make it seem easy ?
Maybe he was resting in preparation for a WC in March.
On the other hand, I see team Danailov reacting very quickly and very well to the cheating allegations. Perhaps Danailov provoked the accusations ? Perhaps this is his indirect way of creating interest in his book ?
i would do this question to kramnik:
will you want do a rematch with topalov or you have fear?”
i can understand him, kramnik does’nt win a tourney, as an onther post said, botvinnik,fisher,karpov….they won “some” tourney….
I frankly don’t see the problem here. Danailov is in a sinking boat, he continues as there’s nothing else for him, but Fide and Kramnik seem to be handling this well and responsibly. Not that I know what happens behind the scenes, but that’s how it appears. The dog’s bark does no harm, and this dog has lost its teeth.
Elista united the championship, and at the same time proved the Classical Champion had been the stronger. Thus, Kramnik is the chess world champion, the line running: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik. There’s numerous people who’d like to join that company, on some supposed merits, but no one can who doesn’t win a world championship. Many people are always supposedly better than others, but in a sport you have to prove your worth where it matters.
In Mexico Kramnik is obliged to defend his crown for the third time. I will be rooting for Anand or Morozevich as the next champion. Kramnik has been at the top long enough, a new face would be good. Still, I don’t see why either Fide or Kramnik would have reason to want a hurried Kramnik-Topalov match, for their own benefit or for that of fair play.
Giannis,
why just the last 30-35 years? Isn’t Kramnik the worst World Champion ever?
Can you name me a worse one!?
I frankly don’t see the problem here………Thus, Kramnik is the chess world champion, the line running: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik………In Mexico Kramnik is obliged to defend his crown for the third time.
Well, I do see a problem. A major one too. You listed those names, the ones who won the title by playing one-on-one against the world champion. You didn’t list the names of those, who won in round robin tournaments during the 90’s and after (FIDE world champions).
Now, the title supposedly was unified with the Kramnik-Topalov match. Okay, I accept that. I accept the the previous ones above. But then what? In Mexico the winner will suddenly be the real world champion? In the same type and style of tournament from which years, nobody accepted the winner as THE REAL world champion? How is that? While they are already talking about making that type of tournament the selection process and the winner will play a one-on-one against THE world champion in alternate years?
Don’t everybody see here the logical hole? Because I sure do. What if Kramnik won’t win in Mexico? Will he acknowledge the winner as THE world champion? Or will he say that “okay, the winner now can play against me for the title”? But that is nowhere being mentioned as an alternative, at least I never heard it. So, unless Kramnik wins Mexico, I foresee another de-unification in a weird sense.
One thinks that “up there” people are smart enough to know what they are doing (although Susan is trying to tell us that it is not true :). Do they really? Leaving something like this left open after almost two decades of struggle to unify the title? But it gets worse. The chess world is clearly divided over Kramnik and Topalov, we can see the expression of that almost every day. It became an “evil-good” struggle, where half of the people think that Topalov is evil, Kramnik is good, the other half thinks that Kramnik is evil Topalov is good. Now comes Miller time…..Topalov won’t be able to play in Mexico. Those smart people on the top included in the contract they signed for the unification match: the winner will play in Mexico, the loser will stay away. Brilliant. It is not bad enough that it is totally left open whether the winner of the unification match MUST admit the winner of Mexico as the world champion, on top of that the ELO number one, the winner of several tournaments won’t even be able to attend. Which is weird, because the very selection of who can attend Mexico is based on the ELO standing. So, Topalov won’t be allowed to play in Mexico, and the FIDE just rejected title rematch, claiming time contraints. Which is fine, it is really not realistic to expect to organize something like this in a matter of couple of weeks. BUT……it gets worse. Look at the last two sentence of the letter FIDE wrote:
“However, notwithstanding the six month provision in the regulations, if both players can agree to a mutually acceptable date and conditions, then FIDE will assist in the organization of this match.”
Oh really? How is that? Topalov is not allowed the title rematch before Mexico, but FIDE will assist both players after Mexico? How do they know Kramnik will win it? What if he doesn’t? We still don’t know whether Kramnik will acknowledge the winner as world champion in Mexico. Because if he does, surely the Kramnik-Topalov rematch what FIDE is willing to assist, will have no more meaning than any two chess players sitting down and declaring their match as a title match for the world championship.
So, the title is unified? I don’t think so.
You wrote that you don’t see a problem here. I see all of the above problems here.
Gabor
@giannis
You should read up on your chess-history.
Fischer became World Champion in 1972. After having won the title,
Fischer didn’t play international tournaments.
So saying that Fischer dominated many tournaments as a World Champions displays a lot of ignorance.
On Karpov; Yes he dominated the chess-arena after he won the candidates tournamnet in 1974 whereafter he was awarded the title
of WC since Fischer was unwilling to play a title match.
Other examples from history show that being the WC and being the strongest tournament player is not necessarily the same thing.
Gabor,
I didn’t list those names because the Kasparov-Kramnik branch won. It’s one branch or the other, and since Kramnik won, the choice is clear. I don’t even remember all the FIDE branch names (karpov, anand, khalifman, ponomariov, kazimjanov(sp) ?). No, I don’t consider Anand as having been world champion.
The winners of those tournaments weren’t accepted because there was a competing world champion. I see the problem of having a double round robin tournament to decide the world champion, but that can’t be helped. Well, there is a precedent, after Alekhine’s death Botvinnik after all became champion in such a tournament, though one with four rounds as I recall. Perhaps such a tournament can now be justified at the end of the mess of the last 15 years.
I’m not certain here, but I’ll say what I think. I am sure Kramnik has a contractual obligation, made in agreeing to the unification match, to take part in the Mexico tournament. This would mean that if he does not win it, he has no choice but to accept the loss of the title. Also Kramnik can then attempt to regain the title, the same as everyone else. Should he not take part in the tournament, he would lose the title by default (probably but not necessarily not counting force majeur). So Kramnik agreed to this, as a price for contending for the unified title. He cannot possibly back up on it.
It’s unfortunate that the Mexico tournament can’t be turned into a qualifying event. However, were FIDE to propose that, they would not get new offers like that. The organisers will not pay what they do for a qualifying event. Unless the organisers themselves propose it, which isn’t very likely, the damage to FIDE’s reputation would too great.
Concerning that last quote, I understand the challenge only applies for before Mexico, Topalov has not challenged the winner of Mexico, and of course that is impossible since we don’t know who that is. I think what the quote means, is that should Kramnik especially wish to have a match that would breach the six-month period, FIDE would not object. Earlier they stated that FIDE will not allow the prestige of a world championship to be endangered; if Kramnik is willing to give up his right to prepare for Mexico in peace and wants to play another match with Topalov in the spring or summer, FIDE does not rule out giving assistance in it. This will obviously never happen.
Just want to add that I do think the situation after Mexico has to be conducted well. Thankfully, FIDE has seemed better since the last elections. They must conduct a proper qualifying process and organise a match with the winner of Mexico no later than in two years’ time, or problems can occur. With the match, the unification can be sealed, without, things can go wrong.
Topalov missing from the Mexico tournament can be justified, he after all recently played Kramnik. People are not supposed to get many chances at the world championship. Topalov earned his way to the match through San Luis, but so have the participants in Mexico, San Luis and that knockout tournament. Topalov can have his next chance in the next round, then he has had the chance to improve so he can beat Kramnik, as seen from the sporting perspective.
well, it’s quite easy:
1. timing:
surely Danailov knew exactly till which date he has to place the challenge successfully compliant to the rules he is constantly quoting.
Thus, again, it’s a try to place some kind of marketing activity here. Mainly to protect his position within the bulgarian country.
2. Mexico:
As everybody remembers, Danailov stated all the time: if the WC does not participate at the Mexico tournament, he will lose his title by forfeit.
So what: let’s assume ther would be a rematch Kramnik – Topalov and Toplov wins, Topalov would lose his title by forfeit as soon as Mexico finishes – as he does not participate ….
Thus, if there would be a real chance to win the money (the prize guarantee might be of the kind as of the Fischer-Spasskii rematch), I would like to suggest to Mr. Hensel to think about taking the somewhat $1M to play the match.
It is not clear if Kramnik will win in Mexico, but that way he becomes richer without losing the option to become WC in Mexico (again).
Not to get me wrong, if Kramnik does not play, that would just confirm, that he is focused on Mexico win and represents much more values than just money like others 😉
cheers
Hi all,
The breaking news is that Kramnik won`t take part in next WC (Saint Louis)for a personal reasons???
Vesselin Topalov will take his place on this tournament.
So we are where we started – again 2 champions.But no worries this senario was predicted long long time ago by Topalov…
I’m not certain here, but I’ll say what I think. I am sure Kramnik has a contractual obligation, made in agreeing to the unification match, to take part in the Mexico tournament. This would mean that if he does not win it, he has no choice but to accept the loss of the title…….So Kramnik agreed to this, as a price for contending for the unified title. He cannot possibly back up on it.
I hope you are right and I am wrong. However, the dispute and the division for almost two decades was BECAUSE first Kasparov, leter Kramnik did not recognize the FIDE round robins as world championship, without one person defeating the world champion in a one-on-one series of chess games (match). And the long range plan is just that. I see a major contradiction having ONE exception to that in Mexico. I understand that the plan in making is that in the future every other year there will be a Mexico type tournament, and every other year the winner of that tournament will play for the title in a one-on-one match with whoever the world champion is.
Therefore, Kramnik didn’t recognize the winners of these tournaments before the Kramnik-Topalov, and he won’t even have to after Mexico, in the future. Would Mexico really be the one exception, even if he won’t win it? Well, theoretically it is possible, but I would be surprized.
It all depends on the wording in that infamous contract they had. Because I read about that the “winner will attend Mexico, the loser won’t” and it is IMPLIED (only) that Kramnik will recognize the winner as world champion, but it was only implied, I have never seen it in writing (not even in the media). And unless it is specifically stated (that Kramnik signed for recognizing the winner of Mexico as the world champion, not only promising to attend) it may or may not be the case. I certainly can see dispute about it. And since the whole thing was organized in a very identifiable chaos, I sure can imagine that it is not in the contract. In which case Kramnik could claim:”hey, I didn’t recognize the winner of this tournament as a world champion for years, why should I recognize it now? I am the world champion, I promised to attend, I didn’t promise to win. Now the winner can play against me, the world champion, for the title. As they are planning to do in the future anyway.”
Concerning that last quote, I understand the challenge only applies for before Mexico, Topalov has not challenged the winner of Mexico, and of course that is impossible since we don’t know who that is. I think what the quote means, is that should Kramnik especially wish to have a match that would breach the six-month period, FIDE would not object.
Well, that’s another mess. If FIDE really has a rule, which allows anyone over 2700 with the money to challenge the world champion for the title, Topalov did just that. I seriously doubt that the rule includes “if we have the time” 🙂
Seriously.
Here is what I think happened. If FIDE would have known FOR SURE that the Kramnik-Topalov reunification match will take place, I think they would have cancelled Mexico and would have created a new, whatever type method to organize the world championship. But they weren’t sure, as several previous attempts collapsed. FIDE didn’t want to take the chance not having anything at all, so they “let it ride”. I mean the Mexico round robin, previous FIDE style world championship. They didn’t count on the toiletgate, they didn’t count on the money challenge (which they had in their rule books), they didn’t count on any of those things which ultimately happened. So, here they are on the edge of further chaos.
The stupidest of all mistakes was to allow the “winner can go to Mexico, the loser can’t” clause in that contract. That will surely send Topalov and the whole thing to the court system, which will lead to further deterioration of the chess world champion status, not unification. Because as it stands now, FIDE disallows the Topalov challenge (despite that it is legal and valid according to FIDE’s rules), then comes Mexico and if all true, Kramnik may or may not remain the world champion. Meanwhile FIDE can’t even say to Topalov that “if you think you are so good, come to Mexico and win it”, because of the contract.
What a mess.
Gabor
Yea, there’s potential for a mess at least. I hope it’s not as bleak as you fear.
One possibility gives hope is that I think the contract will have, in speaking about the Mexico tournament, specified that it is a world championship tournament. And hopefully specified that its winner becomes world champion, though I think it must say in FIDE’s rules that the winner of a world championship becomes world champions.
Yea, the wording is important. I remember Kirsan said after the match that the title was now returned to the FIDE safe, never to be given away again, so I’d think FIDE made sure the champion will have to heed FIDE, while he has a say in how things are arranged. At the least, Kramnik will not have a right to the Classical title if he breaches the contract, the way he had before.
Oh, but there is the rule, if we have time. The match must end 6 months before ths championship begins, and FIDE will on top of that have time to consider the challenge. Here they considered that there is no time. I don’t know about the wording, but it may be that the 6 months can be narrowed down if the champion agrees to it, but there is no obligation for him to do so.
That’s probably how it happened. However, I don’t think Topalov can complain, FIDE’s response was legitimate, as I understand. They have the right to decline the challenge, that is.
As I see it, allowing a rematch here would be a great risk to FIDE, a chance for things to go wrong, a chance for more scandals, when after Mexico and a new qualification cycle things can become orderly again. I hope FIDE removes that rule about the challenges before anyone has a chance to challenge the new champion, and at the same time confirm the next championship cycle with a match in two years.
I wish to apologise,
I was watching the news on the TV and i heard that Kramnik wont take part in a tournament (and they didn`t mensioned the name) and Topalov will take his place. So first thing i tought was that he wont be present in Mexico…
Actually Kramnik refused the tournaments in Morelia(Spain) and Linares(Spain) in february for personal reasons. As far as i know, he just got married and he wants some privacy.
Sorry again for the “Bomb” 🙂
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Ok,
I didn’t have time to read all of the stuff written here but here is my opinion.
FIDE has rules and regulations that state several different conditions for the arrangement of such a match. Well, if you meet all of them and challenge someone they should not refuse you such a match or if they do face the consequences of their actions. I mean if a federation does not follow it own rules than such a situation should be decided by the court in Lozane. The question here is whether Topalov has met all of the conditions or not.
IMO, there are two problems.
The first is the date on which the bank guarantee was received by FIDE. It s a problem because the date of the first guarantee can be taken into accout because none of the FIDE regulations mentions that there are banks from which bank guarantees are not accepted. Thus the FIDE decision will become very vulnurable in court because of the extended time period for the organization of the match.
The second is evident in the end of the official press release from FIDE which states (I am sorry, of citing without the source) “Even if such a match is technically possible we do not grant it because of….”. It is a clear statement of motive on FIDE’s side and if Topalov proves that he has followed all regulations he will have a good chance at revoking FIDE’s decision.
I don’t think Topalov can complain on FIDE’s decision, because it is FIDE’s decision to make. The rules give anyone over 2700 a right to challenge, and the champion cannot decline if if the challenge is legitimate, but only if FIDE accepts the challenge. There is nothing that obliges FIDE to accept a given challenge.
In the FIDE handbook it says: (though it seems it hasn’t been updated in 2 years)
“Any player with a published FIDE rating of 2700 and over can issue a challenge to the reigning World Champion for a World Championship match. The challenge can be accepted by the World Champion only after the approval of FIDE.”
Yes, more to the point, concerning the cycle 2005-2007:
“3. 23. 1 At any time in the course of the application of these regulations, any grounds that are not covered or any unforeseen event shall be referred to the Presidential Board or the President of FIDE, for final decision.”