Traditional meeting with the press started with more than a half-hour delay. The reason was more than serious – Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov attended a doping control. Curiously, this topic was not discussed at the press conference at all – everybody got tired of toilet stories.
– Many games of this match are played under the motto ‘Let the opponent offer a draw!’ Why so? Nobody wants to yield?
– I didn’t think in such terms today. The post-opening position was very close to equal, but Topalov had two bishops, which secured him slight advantage, so it was impolite for me to offer a draw. After White made a poor move 35.Be4, I could play for a win absolutely without risk, so then Veselin was not in a position to offer a draw. Still, the game was within limits of a draw all the time in my opinion. See – there aren’t many cases we can offer draws in this match; it is not about psychology, adrenaline, etc.
– Vladimir, your actions since the start of the ‘Bathroomgate’ were highly appropriate and decent. However, before today’s game we saw a controversial open letter written on your behalf. What was the reason for writing this letter?
– I see nothing wrong with it. I just wanted to remind everybody about my position: I do not recognize the result of the Game 5 as well as current score being 5.5-5.5. It was important to underscore this in anticipation of future legal actions. It is by no means a psychological attack on the opponent, and I did not intend to initiate a scandal of any kind.
– Vladimir, if you were not playing in this match, would you placed your bet on Kramnik or Topalov?
– (Smiling) Hmm… One should not forget that I have White, although it is obvious that anything can happen in such games when everything is at the stake. Good nerves and luck are very important. The outcome is difficult to foresee. I have some related experience; I know what to do, but nobody can guarantee anything in such situation.
– What is your attitude to the fact that the fate of the title can be decided in rapid chess or even blitz?
– Well, it is not so bad, compared to a situation when the fate of the title is decided in a court!
– Veselin, are you disappointed by today’s result? This was your last White…
– The result is okay. Of course, I always want to win, but the result is appropriate. I did not have sufficient advantage to talk about winning seriously.
– Now you have to play your last game as Black…
– There is a rest day, and I will be preparing for the Game 12. Right now I am happy to have passed the doping test easily! I’ll start thinking about the final game tomorrow…
– Veselin, how are you going to spend your last free day?
– We will think about the last game strategy. And… I don’t know, I think there is some football on TV (laughter in the audience)! By the way, I am planning to appeal: there is no NTV-Plus in my cottage. Maybe the organizers will install it – I can’t afford it (another burst of laughter)…
– You are not going to the Khurul or an orthodox church?
– I received a couple of invitations, but I will likely decline them. I already visited the new Khurul when we arrived, and got a bit tired of walking…
– You said you lack match experience. Kramnik’s experience is abundant, and the finish of the match with Leko showed that Vladimir can gather his strength at the right moment. Did you feel his concentration in the last games of the match?
– That was the only match when he really was concentrated! In my opinion, each match flows differently, and each game must be considered separately. Let us see how the match ends. Experience is good, but memory collects not only positive, but also negative moments. Kramnik was subject to extreme stress at times. In this sense, I am like tabula rasa – I have neither good nor bad memories.
– Proximity to success significantly complicated things for a player who was in the lead in Kasparov-Kramnik and Kramnik-Leko matches. Did you feel any pressure in the recent games?
– Such pressure is normal, and I don’t see why it should influence my play negatively. After all, this is not my first tournament, and even not my first world championship, so I am not bothered by nervousness. Of course, many things depend on the result of the last game: it is money, and the unified title; maybe this is the main competition in my life, but it doesn’t matter. I have to forget about everything, concentrate on the board and make the best moves! Nothing else…
– Veselin, the match comes to an end. Did anything in Kramnik’s play surprise you? Do you feel the 70-point rating difference?
– The only thing I feel is that all games I lost to Kramnik in Elista were lost because of one-move blunders. The first two games, then the Game 10… I stood objectively worse only in the Game 3; in all other games I owned the initiative and had better positions. There was nothing surprising for me in Kramnik’s play, although I guess I also failed to surprise him. It is difficult to achieve – we know each other for 17 years!
– If one forgets about blunders, did you show your best play in Elista?
– No – it is pointless to talk about high-quality play if you blunder in one move or constantly overlook better continuations. I think if I were in my best form, the match would have ended by this point, judging by positions I had. I am happy with some of my games, but even happier to catch my tempo of playing and make important decisions quickly!
– Can I suppose that with such play you vote not only for Sofia rules, but also for FIDE time control?
– I am not very interested in this subject. It is up to sponsors to decide about the time control. I think if a rich sponsor demanded us playing 5-minute chess, everybody would be playing blitz. But I like FIDE control: you finish your games quickly and without interruptions.
Source: Official website
Slightly off topic from the actual interview, but I was looking at the report of the last game on ChessBase and got a shock. The picture of the audience waiting in the playing hall, surely this was a few hours before the start of the match, hardly anyone is there! It can’t have been close to the start?
i thought thats ALL of the audience…
Topalov seems a bit worried and defensive in this interview which is uncharasteristic of him. Evidently, the campaign against him bears fruits.
Go on, Vesko, smash the cheater. All your Bulgarian fans are behind you.
It was Kramnik who broke the agreement first. After agreeing to all conditions, Kramnik demanded to change the chess set. Then he demanded to install a glass wall by the stage. Topalov agreed to both without making any fuss. When Kramnik can’t get what he wants, he acted like a spoiled child. The media here think Kramnik is unprofessional.
I hope that Kramnik will be determined enough in the last game to crush Topalov convincingly. Even though I support Kramnik, I am slighlty disappointed that he has had no clear wins in this match – where he would build up his advantage steadily and maybe finish off the opponent with a tactical blow.
As for the Topalov team, I somehow get the impression that Danailov has been trained by some communist forces in his youth and he’s still using the methods that he’s been taught.
we are having to control danilov 24 hour a day.
Mr Kramick has been a fine bloke to meet and talk to.
I’m of the view that no matter what the result of game 12 (or 11, in Mr. Kramnik’s reckoning), there will be nothing settled as far as the unification of the World Chess Championship. If Mr. Topalov wins, Mr. Kramnik will think of the match as tied (3 over the board wins each) since he has repeatedly stated he does not recognize the forfeit. If they draw, Mr. Kramnik sees himself as the victor with 3-2 wins over the hoard. Maybe if he wins, then surely Mr. Kramnik and the world will regard him as the true winner, but I doubt that Mr. Topalov and his controversial manager will accept this.
On the subject of “doping control,” what that all about? Surely chess is not like more athletic sports, where muscle-building steroid can help a player. What kinds of drugs are chess authorities worried about? And are there drugs that could help a chess player’s performance?
I wonder, if there was no toilet-gate and emotions weren’t hightened to the level they were, would we have seen the same “taking no prisoners” style of chess we have seen so far?
So, in a weird sense, I find it quite possible that what happened, indirectly resulted in a more exciting chess between the two players.
———-
I am however, saddened by the fact that Kramnik announced that he would sue FIDE, thus he would sue for the title, if he wouldn’t win it the way it goes now. How will that work? How could that work? Retroactively the court will award or take away points? How absurd, if you all think about it. Say, tomorrow Topalov wins, thus it will have to be announced that he is the world champion. Now what? Kramnik sues and wins. Somebody may appeal. X years down the road it will be announced that X years before, it wasn’t Topalov, but Kramnik who became the world champion? That would be utterly absurd and would further undermine the reputation of the world title in chess (which is damaged, as it is).
Gabor
“I am however, saddened by the fact that Kramnik announced that he would sue FIDE, thus he would sue for the title, if he wouldn’t win it the way it goes now.”
– He is not suing ‘for the title’, but suing irrespective of what happens in the coming days because FIDE broke the terms of their contract and injured him as a result.
Quite simply, it’s all very nice to say “don’t take people to court”, but in the case of there not being an impartial adjudication panel (like in Elista) and a failure to budge and give back the stolen game (like in Elista), then a legal remedy is probably the best option for Kramnik – better that than him walking away (as many counselled).
I can’t help comparing what has happened with chess this year to what happened with cycling though – perhaps the true winner of the Tour de France and of this match will not ever be established.
The thoughts of John Cox a lawyer in London, Endland– Sports people generally fail to understand that a sporting event is governed first and foremost not by the laws of the game but by the contract. That will no doubt say that the rules of the game apply, but it will also deal with other matters – the obligations of the organisers to put the match on and pay the players, the start times of the games, the conditions, and so on. No doubt it will oblige the organiser to put the games on according to the conditions of contest. Let us assume that those include the right to a private toilet… J P
Thus Kramnik would have the right to sue for the point.
Topalov therefore would have the right to sue for the conditions stated in the contract which in essence would be to be at the board for game five. J P
I’m a practicing attorney in the US. From what I’ve read, I don’t think Mr. Kramnik’s potential lawsuit has merit.
Best,
Alan
Why is that, Alan?
Clause 3.18.3., Schedule 2 of the contract:
“After the World Chess Championship Committee agrees with the Organizers on the arrangements in respect of the tournament hall, facilities etc. etc. etc……., no objections from the participants shall be acceptable as long as the conditions are in accordance with the rights of the players granted in their agreements.”
No objections to the facilities were to be acceptable, and FIDE seemed to admit as much when it reopened the bathrooms after protest.
Furthermore, the ‘correctness’ of the forfeit ruling for game five has not actually be examined by FIDE either – the new (still biased) appeals committee simply said that they didn’t have the power to overturn a previous committee’s decision, whether it was right or wrong.
It appears that in closing the toilet, FIDE broke the terms of the contract to me. Furthermore, FIDE hasn’t even attempted to respond in any adequate fashion to protests of Kramnik regarding the forfeiture. They certainly should answer for both these things.
It seems to me that the timing of Kramnik’s side’s open letter was intended to affect the organizers’ decisions during the last part of the match, to make them afraid to offend Kramnik. For example we have doping tests, but they are sent to a lab in Moscow for evaluation. That must be OK with Kramnik’s side. And other challenges or situations may come up; Kramnik’s side wants the organizers to think twice about ruling against them.
The open letter is very bad publicity. But apparently they are willing to take the bad publicity in exchange for its value as a threat.
‘Elista Resident said…
It was Kramnik who broke the agreement first. After agreeing to all conditions, Kramnik demanded to change the chess set. Then he demanded to install a glass wall by the stage. Topalov agreed to both without making any fuss. When Kramnik can’t get what he wants, he acted like a spoiled child. The media here think Kramnik is unprofessional.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 9:06:05 AM’
That’s something given the very intense politics I see here from the USA. Elista is in Russia but the locals are willing to say things against the Russian. I am starting to like Elista, maybe I can visit sometime!
“It seems to me that the timing of Kramnik’s side’s open letter was intended to affect the organizers’ decisions during the last part of the match, to make them afraid to offend Kramnik.”
– I, for one, was trying to work out what would happen if Kramnik was 6/11 at the end (before the letter). I think it was only right for his team to let everyone know that yes, he will play the tiebreak, even though he’s protesting ‘game five’.
This might have been set out earlier, but (a) the team first needed to get their protest heard (b) they were hoping that FIDE would remedy their error and agree to play game five without prompting and (c) no-one saw the tie-break as a likely outcome until the last couple of matches.
As it is, the letter is not a ‘threat’ (and FIDE implying it is on their site is inappropriate) but a clarification of where Kramnik stands – that he’ll play the tie-break but still considers game five should be played.
This idea about “the stolen point” keeps popping up. The point was not stolen. It was intentionally given away by Kramnik.
In any competition of any sport not turning up for an officially scheduled event leads to automatic forfeit win for the opposing side. Anyone choosing to do so must accept that he is taking a huge risk.
Wheter the decision to close the toilet was fair or not is entirely different matter. Whether the toilet attack was acceptable from a moral standpoint is also irrelevant.
“Clause 3.18.3., Schedule 2 of the contract:
“After the World Chess Championship Committee agrees with the Organizers on the arrangements in respect of the tournament hall, facilities etc. etc. etc……., no objections from the participants shall be acceptable as long as the conditions are in accordance with the rights of the players granted in their agreements.”
No objections to the facilities were to be acceptable, and FIDE seemed to admit as much when it reopened the bathrooms after protest.”
There were objections regarding the facilities from Kramnik’s team too, and they were accomodated(glass barrier). So Topalov should have about equal right to sue if the result of the match doesn’t suit him.
About the opening of the bathroom: it happened only after the conditions of Topalov’s team for stricter control were accepted (audio control).
Instead of Classical World Chess Champion and FIDE World Chess Champion… we can have 2 new categories after this Match:
1] FIDE Over the Board World Chess Champion
2] FIDE Technical World Chess Champion
I have been blinded by the dirt thrown at the noble chess community by the machinations of the Topalov-Satanailov pact of evil, but I meditated last night and had an eerie dream in which a kind angel came down from the heavons above to give my pour misguided soul his blessing of love, and his was the face of Vladimir Kramnik, with his faint and loving benevolent smile, and a saw a man of high chess virtue whose noble and bright character was shining down on me like an amazing grace, and I felt how I became purified when he spoke to me in his melow, benign voice, “I have cometh down to Elista to battle the forces of evil and rot, and die on the chess boardth for thee, chess fans”, and a solitary tear rolled down my pale cheeks. In a separate, completely unrelated report from Kalmikiya, chessbase publishes and express report, “During rest day, Kramnik saves a crying baby from a burning house, authorities suspect Topalov as the likely arsonist”. In the meantime, Svidler and Bareev issue an open letter stating that “There is irefutable evidence that Chess deity Vladimir Kramnik can cure plague and diseases by punching you in the face or stomach. Too bad he has never hit a person in his life.” Kramnik fans around the globe are still appaled that there are leftover human debris who still refuse to follow the cult and issue a moral anathema.
AMEN!
– He is not suing ‘for the title’, but suing irrespective of what happens in the coming days because FIDE broke the terms of their contract and injured him as a result.
Surely, if Kramnik would have won all the rest of the games and would win tomorrow, and produce a 10:2 final score, surely it would be pointless to sue. For what? To correct the score from 10:2 to 11:1? That would be ridiculous.
FIDE never promised perfect arbitration. It is in the contract, that the decision of the appeal board is FINAL. It isn’t there that all decisions will be perfect. That would be silly. Imagine if all teams which are dissatisfied with the referee’s decision in soccer, would sue FIFA. Or in any sport, anybody, any of the sport authorities. It is sport, you are free to participate, free not to. It would be a terrible precedent setting to allow people to sue for sport/game victory.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not siding Topalov here. I am siding chess in general.
Gabor
Former Topalov fan,
There is a circus in Elista. I heard that they have been looking for a clown. I think you are the perfect candidate. Why don’t you send a resume of yours and apply ?
“Anonymous said…
Former Topalov fan,
There is a circus in Elista. I heard that they have been looking for a clown. I think you are the perfect candidate. Why don’t you send a resume of yours and apply ?”
they actually found one – Mr. Kramnik, and he does funny potty tricks. they need, however, some more zombie cheerleaders. why not head over there now and show some support?
What a w**ker. Tomorrow Kramnik will win and everything will be normal again…
I sympathize with all Topalov fans. They all know he is a w**ker but cannot bring themselves to disassociate them from him.
How kind of xargon to sympathize with us despite all animosity going on between the two camps. A true follower of the noble Kramnik tradition of high moral and virtue.
Tomorrow Topa will stomp on the boring loser Drawnik. We are gonna witness an attacking, exciting and immoral chess carnage, the way we Topalov savage-fans like it. Sweet 😀
“There were objections regarding the facilities from Kramnik’s team too, and they were accomodated(glass barrier). So Topalov should have about equal right to sue if the result of the match doesn’t suit him.”
– They were accommodated BEFORE the match started upon MUTUAL CONSENT, as outlined in the CONTRACT.
The changing of the facilities DURING a match WITHOUT consent is against the contract, which is why Kramnik will be suing, hopefully regardless of the result.
“FIDE never promised perfect arbitration. It is in the contract, that the decision of the appeal board is FINAL.”
– It is also in the contract that the appeal board aren’t empowered to change the match environment without consent.
As for FIDE ‘not promising perfection’ – well, they’ve certainly delivered on their promise: holding a match with two appeals committees stacked with FIDE representatives and Danailov groupies who forfeit a match in favour of the FIDE champion in the city ‘owned’ by the corrupt FIDE president. Even for Fischer-Spassky the authorities could at least find a neutral venue and netural match officials. Not under Kirsan…
Above tom asked: On the subject of “doping control,” what that all about?
Several points – FIDE wants to be part of the Olympic movement, and so chess players must undergo the same doping controls as olympic athletes.
Some drugs affecting alertness might enhance chess playing abilities (amphetamines). Also, some drugs are now being scientifically tested that may improve memory (like drugs for alzheimer’s patients) and this might improve a chess player.
Many chess players say they are helped by being physically fit, so do not under-estimate the possibility of cardio-vascular drugs helping chess players (more oxygen or more glucose to the brain).
Finally, some chess players are rumored to analyse and create with “recreational” drugs, and also other prescription psychological drugs (prozac, etc.). The olympic movement test for and banishes athletes for everything from opium to kaat to marijuana, and for any psychotic drugs if there is no doctor’s prescription. Chess players testing positive for these substances (even if they actually impede performance) would be banished, too.
Oops I misspelt in my final paragraph – the word I was looking for is “psycho-active” -Sorry.