Yesterday, I brought to you this story about the upcoming Topalov – Radjabov World Championship Match in 2007. I do not understand it. Most people do not understand it. It turns out that the organizer in Mexico does not understand it either. This is a horrible thing for chess.
The organizer in Mexico City worked very diligently to host the 2007 World Championship. I know these people personally. I am proud to say that they are my friends and they are one of the most professional organizers I have ever met in my 30+ years in chess. They worked hard to line up the sponsors. The contracts were signed with the understanding that Topalov will be a part of it.
Then came the news about the Topalov – Kramnik match, followed by Topalov – Radjabov match. It is great that a World Champion is willing to actively play big matches. But the questions are:
– Is it fair for the organizer in Mexico City?
– What message does this give to future organizers and sponsors?
I believe in honesty and integrity. I believe in doing the right things for chess. I always respect the organizers and I always give the organizers, sponsors and fans 150%. Chess is not big enough to treat sponsors this way. I hope things will be changed immediately to protect all organizers and sponsors. It is wrong to treat organizers and sponsors this way.
All this looks very unsavory. But it would look equally bad if Topalov refused all challenges. If there is a rule that anybody can challenge the champion, then champion needs to play. Noblesse oblige. Personally, I wish they cancelled the stupid challenge rule and established normal championship cycle.
by contract – there will only be a match between Topalov ^ Radjabov if Topalov wins the reunification match against Kramnik
– if Topalov wins this match he can not play the next FIDE (Kirsan) championship … do you remember ?
– isn’t it better to agree new challenger matches than waitin’ for KIRSAN – the kalmykian president’s system – is beeing played out?
A two exclamation mark move by Danailow! even chess players need some bread to “breed themselves” …
Don’t bother with chess players! (my opinion)
sincerly – Vohaul
Originally, the “anyone can challenge” rule seemed to be tailor-made for Kramnik. FIDE didn’t want to acknowledge that Kramnik had any privileges that other professionals do not have. So, they said that any 2700+ player can challenge Topalov if they come up with the cash.
Obviously, once they wrote that rule, Topalov was obliged to play. But no one would have guessed that Radjabov, of all people, would end up with a solo match against the champion. It’s a disgrace when the candidates matches haven’t even been scheduled.
The match with Kramnik is reasonable, and I think most people support it. It finally unifies, hopefully for all time, the bifurcated championship that has divided the chess world for so many years.
I have a different opinion.
I think that pouring of billions of dollars into chess is a major improvement. Money is almost all that matters in life, let’s not lie ourselves. 80% of our day life is spent for the money.
One day when we have all the money we need, we can think about love and ethics.
I knew this would happen. That time I predicted this, nobody agreed with me. Anybody with money will stand up and challenge toppy. Toppy may have to play 10 matches within 2 yrs!!!!It is all ridiculous.
vohaul makes a lot of sense.
chess is a sport.
professional chess is a business…a profession, as well.
It is good that Topalov accepts these challenges, as well…it, like other pro sports adds a level of uncertainty to the game. What if there is a major upset…what if a real underdog wins once in a while…
And if Topalov plays a dozen matches in 2 years…and wins them all?
Congratulations Topalov, you will become very famous ala Kasparov and others…and very rich…and you will have earned it!
The 2700 challenges add just a touch of extra Monte-Carlo flavor to chess!
Face it, in pro chess just like in pro football, soccer, archery, basketball, etc. on any given day/series one of several teams/players might put it all together and win it all! It is only the true champions ala Lasker, Kasparov, etc. that take on any and all comers and win over a long period of time, and thus distinguish themselves as the best of the best for a period.
“Giving 150% to the fans” is not really possible for Topalov – fans want many different things. There must be people who enjoy seeing Topalov crush weaker players. But alienating sponsors is definitely not wise. However, will sponsors be unhappy if instead of Topalov they get somebody who managed to beat him. I would think that in case of victory over Topalov both Kramnik and Radjabov would become very attractive to sponsors and organizers. Personally, though, I hate ‘match for a million’ deals. Topalov comes out looking unprincipled and greedy, not to mention arrogant.
yes I think the organizers in Mexico got a real bad deal. it was totally unfair. they had expectations for putting up their sponsor money and then everything changed immediately. for them everything must seem out of control. I am sure no one thought this would happen and thus I am sure there were no safeguards in the contracts.
Just another Kirsan mess. He is abusing everyone in his rush to stay in power.
these 2 matchs are interestingly being run by the President and vice president of fide just before the elections. it is a bid to purchase a win in the upcoming election.
I am not so sure they will take place. especially if Kirsan loses. but the match in Mexico should take place if Kirsan loses but might not if Kirsan wins. the guy changes his mind all the time.
Honesty and Integrity in Chess?
what is happening at USCF with Beatric Marinello going over to the enemy and opposing the USCF. this is incredible.
http://www.chessninja.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=6&t=001235#000003
things are rotten right here at home. who is this woman. where did she come from. how did she get this power. why does she abuse her power.
Tommy, this is the same woman who signed a deal to endorse Natrol on behalf of the USCF, a brain enhancement drug company. This is the same woman who destroyed the 2004 US Women’s Olympiad team by signing a secret under the table illegal deal with the Kasparov Chess Foundation. She was a former employee of Kasparov. This is also the same woman as President who refused to put the picture of the historic 2004 US Women’s Team on the cover of Chess Life.
Don’t forget she refused to pay the women’s team bonuses.
What are your 50,000 thoughts a day creating?
Our thoughts create our reality. This is a simple truth known by all people involved on the spiritual path. It is one of the most taught universal principles in the personal development field. Yet it is one of the most misunderstood!
People practice visualisation, affirmations, they use hypnosis, subliminal programming or countless other tools to transform their lives. However they fail to recognise one key area in their lives that hinder these wonderful techniques from being effective.
They sit day after day visualising their perfect scene and yet nothing happens. Why? They have followed all the instructions to the letter! They have chanted and imagined! They have formed a colourful, vibrant scene in their minds and affirmed that this is their reality. Then all of a sudden things get worse! What is going on?
Would you like to know the secret? Would you like to know why these people get no results? Would you like to hear one powerful statement that explains everything?
Yes?
Good. I will tell you why these people get no results or even opposite results to those they are aiming for -simply because of the following truth. Consciously controlled thoughts such as visualisations do not materialise – ALL thoughts materialise!!!
Most people believe that if they visualise for 10 minutes a day their lives will magically transform. This is not the case. You must change your core thinking. You think approx. 50,000 thoughts a day. How many of those thoughts are working against your ten minute visualisation?
You can control the thoughts that enter your mind by changing the way you view the world. You can decide which thoughts you give energy to and which thoughts you discard.
The thoughts that you follow and give energy to become more dominant than the thoughts you discard. Your subconscious mind records these as your dominant picture on the issue at hand. You then move towards this picture because your subconscious mind starts making your outside world reflect the picture that you have stored internally.
Your mind should be on whatever you want. The picture you need to have is a positive vision of you already having achieved your goal. To realise this vision you need to focus and concentrate. Remember thoughts are real, they create your reality.
Let’s say you have been visualising a new house. You spend your ten minutes in meditation picturing yourself living in your dream home. You finish your session and get up feeling positive that you will achieve your goal. Then during the day you get a heating bill through the post and exclaim “Oh no look how expensive this is I cannot afford to heat this house”. Where is your focus in the present moment? What are you affirming? You are telling your subconscious mind that you cannot deal with what you have. You are affirming that your life is not how you want it to be. If you knew without doubt that within a week you would be moving to your new home would you honestly be worried about a heating bill? Perhaps other doubts creep in like “I should be happy with what I have”, or “I will never get this house looking the way I want it” and so on and so on.
These thoughts that are not aligned with your goal. You are not giving complete attention to what you want. Whilst you are dealing with these other lines of thought your attention is not on your goal.
If you are aware of your thoughts you will suddenly realise that you have spent much more energy on counter productive thoughts than on creating a dominant picture of the goal you want.
Point your focus in the direction of you’re the life you want. Think about what you want NOT what you don’t want. It’s that simple.
Your focus determines your reality. Change your focus and you change your life. hypnosis