– How long did the negotiations last?
…We are under pressure to continue the match with a score of 3-1 for Kramnik. We cannot accept this because we were there and followed the procedure. We submitted an appeal. The Appeals Committee and the referees studied the videotapes and came to the conclusion that there was enough evidence to rise suspicion. We had meetings with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Vladimir Kramnik. Kramnik was very arrogant.
– What do you mean by “arrogant?”
– He is convinced that he has political backing. He behaved like a man who knew that everybody does what he tells them to.
– What does Topalov think?
– He wants to play but he is shocked by Kramnik’s behavior because he is impudent and constantly insults him. He always offers draws and does everything to make Topalov nervous.
The full article can be read here.
Unfortunately, this is the kind of talk that will only make things worse. Even if Danailov feels that Kramnik insulted Topalov, there is no need to trade each blow. This has to be cut down. Otherwise, the match will end.
Interesting that he says the Russian government is demanding that the match continue. We’ll see tomorrow I guess.
This guy is just reptilian.
I love that he is calling Kramnik arrogant. “Arrogant”, I’m sure, simply means that Kramnik is defending himself. Speaking of arrogant, I wonder whose decision it was for Topalov not to shake hands with Kramnik and to avoid joint press conferences. Who exactly is arrogant? 😉
this is not a chess match anymore. it is an implication that there is a cold war of whoever is backing whomever. who is backing who? who are behind this mess?? it is only a chess match! WHAT THE FUSS? children also play chessgames, but they dont care if you become world champion. they simply play the game. they are not worried about cheating. they dont care. what is happening over the board is waht matters to them, nothing else!
FULL INTERVIEW
The truth behind the events in Elista · Oct 2, 01:03 AM
The continuation of the Wcc 2006 match is not sure after the press release by FIDE a few hours ago. However, we are not really sure what has happened in these meetings and what are the “non-press release” reasons for the scandal.
Mr Silvio Danailov throws some light on the events in an interview for the Bulgarian newspaper Standart . The original article is much longer than the English version
Here we offer you a translation of the conversation. The interview is probably a phone call, that is why the communication is not very smooth. It explains some strange things around the scandal, but at the same time rises a lot of new questions. Expect a detailed analysis of Mr. Silvio Danailov’s words.
– Will there be a match tomorrow?
– Yes, there must be. It is an order from higher political circles in Russia
-*What does that mean?*
– By all means there must be a game, if not it will be bad for the image of Russia
-*How much time did the negotiations continue last night?*
– A lot. We decided the bathrooms problem. We let Kramnik keep the one he wants. However, it will be inspected by our people. Rooms will not be changed, every player has it’s own. For Kramnik is the bigger one because he likes to walk a lot. There will be audio and video vigilance in the rooms. One arbiter is assigned just for that. The question is decided.
Now the question is about the score. There is a lot of pressure on us the game to continue from 3:1. But how can we accept this since all our actions were according to the law? We just sent a protest declaration to the appeals committee because strange things were happening. 9 hours the video records have been revised and 5 people decided that there is something wrong. Nobody ever said that there was something (red. meaning a device or other type of aid). But it was very strange. We had a meeting with the FIDE president and Mr. Kramnik was very arrogant.
-*Arrogant?*
– Well, yes, he believes that he has political support behind his back. I asked him, “Why don’t we change the toilet?” and he answered, “Because I can do whatever I want. I decided about this toilet and you cannot tell me what to do.” The new one that was offered to him was 4 meters away from the playing area. I told him, “You are a chess player, you have to be more on the scene.” Mr. Kramnik cannot be away most of the time. He answered, “This is my right, I can do whatever I want.” He behaved as a man with a lot of support, as if everybody was doing what he orders.
-*Do you believe Mr. Kramnik has a health problem?*
– No, we know each other for 20 years. He claims that he needs to go to the toilet 30 times per game. But in the airplane from Moscow both delegations traveled together for two hours and then we were 3 hours around Elista. Five hours he did not step in the toilet.
-*Probably it is the pressure during the games and it is different*
– No matter how worried you are, you can go 5-10 times, not 30. We asked doctor Mihail Iliev, the doctor of the soccer national team, and he said that the only case is that Kramnik has problems with the prostate. First, he is too young and it is not probable that he has such. And if you know that you have such a problem and an important match is to come you have to find some solution.
When a man goes out of the toilet he washes his hands and does typical movements. There is no such a thing with Mr. Kramnik and it is obvious from the video. Inside there is a screen with the game on it. What does Kramnik do? He talks to himself and watches it. He gets an idea and goes to the toilet. He stays for a minute and goes out. Than he goes in again.
One more time I insist, there is no proof that he gets outside help, but his behavior is more than strange.
-*You made a compromise with the bathroom. What do you expect from their side?*
– Nothing, just the game to go on. There is an official score. For example if Levski and Chealsea play and the English team decides to stay in the locker rooms, the referree will blow the whistle and the score will be 3:0. Imagine now that Chealsea decides that they want to fire the whole appeals commission of UEFA and replay the game two days after? If they say that the score is 3:1 we quit. We did everything possible the match to continue. However, one man tries to play with FIDE with his childish requests.
-*People say this is the biggest scandal in the history of chess?*
– For sure a bigger scandal was the game between Krochnoi and Karpov, maybe Spaski and Fisher. These are matches with a lot of interest, but the times were different. The fun things were less, especially in countries like Bulgaria and Russia. The match should continue, it will be a shame if it doesn’t. We are the first that want the match to go on, but it is not simple.
-*What do you think about the definition “WC match”?*
– It is good that everybody around the world talks about chess. As an American friend of mine says, “Even the bad ad is an ad”. There is great interest and if the match continues it will be a good promotion for chess, no matter if people connect it with the WC. People will remember the Topalov-Kramnik game was different.
-*Do you have any other contracts, besides the one for the match?*
– The people I work with are above money at this time. The sums that are in the Wcc are not big. All of us believe that the match can make a revolution in professional chess. And if the Grand Slam becomes reality it will be great.
-*What is the opinion of Topalov?*
– Veselin has great desire to play, but he is disturbed by the behavior of Kramnik. As I said, we know him for 20 years and he has never behaved like that. Besides, he did not even greet Veselin in the 5th game. He was offended to wait an hour on the board while Kramnik was relaxing in his room.
-*Will Topalov shake hands with Kramnik?*
– We will see. For sure he does not want to give press conferences with him. Kramnik was very arrogant to him. Besides, he was constantly offering him draws and making him nervous. Maybe a handshake in the name of fairplay will be present.
-*Kramnik wants a written excuse from you*
– This is childish and he will not receive one. There is nothing to apologize about. In Russia and around the world his family and friends made a PR campain against us. They called us cheaters. Then the public opinion formed. He plays his own games but the trick will not work.
-*Russian journalists ask how you understood he goes to the bathroom*
– There are records and our technical experts requested them. The referee did not say much, except that he has noticed the fact. Even people that do not play chess noticed the fact that when Kramnik comes out of the toilet he plays almost immedeately. That is not normal and we requested the records.
-*The manager of Kramnik claims he likes to drink a lot of water and walk around.*
– The “likes to drink water” part is not true. For 5 hours he drank half a cup. “Did you even see that?” Kramnik asked me. Yes, and it is on the records. Regarding the walks, he enters in the toilet and closes the door. The toilet is a very small place and he spends a lot of time there.
-*Kremlin is behind Kramnik. Do you feel alone in the battle?*
– The vice premier of Russia, Alexander Zhukov, said that the match should continue with score 3:1. He is a politician and, besides, he should be neutral since he is a part of the organizing comittee. I believe it is not a bad idea Bulgarian politicians to show some support because we are under a lot of pressure.
I would like nothing more than to say, “Hey guys, it’s only a game!”
I think the problem is that these guys are “professional” chess players. This means they make their living from chess, so it is not “just a game” for them even though it is to us.
Boy, the full information from Danailov is even worse than the snippet!
Why on earth does he need to talk to the media about Kramnik’s supposed prostate problem???
All of the talk about noticing Kramnik’s water on their jet ride among other things about the WC makes one realize that this was possibly a strategy for Topalov’s team from the beginning. They noticed those things and then, when Topalov is down, they decide to spring their trap. Why else would they be so concerned about what Kramnik is doing in the restroom??
And the thing about him playing immediately when he returned, so what? I would do the same if I had been thinking about the game and knew the move I wanted to make (and it was laid out the same in my restroom as at the chessboard).
It is striking that Danailov thinks Kramnik was offering a lot of draws and at the same time seems to accuse Kramnik of possible cheating with his toilet visits. Why would Kramnik not always play for the win if this was the case. Danailov seems quite confused in his analysis of the situation, or better yet he is intentionally obfuscating the situation for his team’s benefit!
I totally disagree with him that even this bad publicity works to the advantage of chess. Yes, people will be interested in the outcome of the fight, but everyone I’ve talked with thinks it is totally stupid. So, it hasn’t increased their interest in chess, only in the conflict.
Finally, Danailov says they just want the game to continue! I’m sure they do now that they have gained a meaningless point and gotten their way! Remember that they were stating that they might withdraw from the tournament at one point! What utter hypocrisy!
Well let’s see: here’s what Kramnik did. He went to the bathroom 50 times per game which is suspicious. He didn’t show up for Game 5. Now we find out he’s making excessive draw offers, according to Danailov. The latter two are violations of the standard rules of chess; the first one is on the edge.
Here’s what Topalov did. NOTHING WRONG. He did complain about Kramnik’s behavior, he did make some threats, but that’s ALL.
Am I missing something? I don’t see why almost everyone is on Kramnik’s side here.
Danailov said in this interview: “In Russia and around the world his family and friends made a PR campain against us”.
I think a lot of comments made here are part of this russian propaganda…
Ah, conspiracy! It couldn’t take long until this popped up! 🙂
It is certainly easy for Mr. Danailov to claim that any PR that doesn’t go their way must be part of a conspiracy, huh? 😉
Conspiracies are for the weak-minded…
Danailov never spoke of a “conspiracy”, but of a PR campaign… That’s not the same.
Don’t distort what people are saying…
3-2 is a deal breaker.
End of the match.
Mr. Danailov is certainly attempting to spread the notion of a conspiracy in suggesting a “PR campaign”.
Take a look at all the posts that “the truth” recently made to nearly every recent blog post on this issue. You know why? So that Danailov’s views will show up in any google hits.
Talk about a “PR campaign”!
Talk, talk, talk…
The fact is, amd will forever remain:
3-2 is a deal breaker.
End of the match.
Kramnik didn’t show up for game 5. He disrespected Topalov. There’s no do ever in chess. He lost by forfeit. End of story.
Well, i’m not surprised. Always thought the affair can be more complicated than what was the impression given by the open letters. i must say i find mr. Danailov’s interview quite compelling, let us not forget Kramnik’s arrogant statements after 4th game, about being more interested in the champion’s league than the chessgame.
Now that we have more information from both sides, everyone should take a step back and realize we are not in a position to make harsh judgments, only those involved really know what is going on.
This is exactly the danger when things are decided in the open court of public opinion.
Also, i was told earlier that Kramnik did not close the bathroom door and always came out after a few seconds as if he was walking around, this is clearly not the case. Looking at the board and then going to the toilet and closing the door is very suspicious, and even if no cheating occurred, it could’ve been, which was one of my first impressions, a setup by Kramnik to rattle Topalov. That is, he calculated that by acting strangely he will sow the seeds of suspicion and actually orchestrated the whole thing – maybe he even knew such suspicious behaviour would come to the knowledge of Topalov’s team.
These people do not make one move psychological maneuvres, that should be clear.
Kramnik has a history of behaving in a completely unyielding manner, the way he pushed around Prague agreement completely without a regard for principles, bringing it up when it suited him and then saying it’s dead when it suited him for a long time was hardly acceptable.
Plus i’d like to ask what is so unreasonable about “the conspiracy theory”, that there is Russian propaganda regarding this matter?
If you don’t know that there has been propaganda and is propaganda in the media, then you should sit in the corner and be quiet while people who know something about these things talk.
We spoke to President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov before taking a decision regarding the appeal of Topalov’s team and the FIDE President himself proposed to close the toilets in the restrooms.
This is where it all began from.
Obviously, Danailov does not want to calm things down, he wants an even bigger scandal. Now he is accusing the Kremlin in supporting Kramnik. Obviously, he bases his actions on the idea that “Even the bad ad is an ad” (see his interview). He is right in that chess is suddenly in the headlines of newspapers, all over news sites, including the BBC, and the forums are exploding with rabid arguments. But in the long run Topalov will suffer – his image is tarnished, and comes across as petty and hysterical.