Kramnik: I have never faced more unethical conduct

Below is the interview with Kramnik after the 7th game of the match. Kramnik and Topalov gave separate press conferences. There is no love lost between these two.

Q: Thanks to Silvio Danailov, today we found out that you are a strong player! We were given the paper listing frequencies of your moves coinciding with Fritz 9 main lines. It revealed that 78% of your moves were also suggested by Fritz. In the second game this number equaled 87%! How high this frequency was in today’s game in your opinion?

Vladimir Kramnik: An proper analysis must take into consideration that in the second game we both blundered a mate in three! First of all, this 87% is total nonsense – everything depends on the time allotted to the engine for analyzing a given position. Secondly, Topalov’s percentages in San Luis, for example, were even higher. And, thirdly, it is clear already that the opponent’s team is using the dirtiest of tricks to mess with my mind. I do not want to blame them; I just feel sorry for them. But all these scandals can only harm chess. Everything that already happened and will surely happen later in the match must become known to the chess community, and Danailov’s conduct must be investigated by the Ethics Committee. I have never faced more unethical conduct with respect to organizers and me. I feel sorry about this.

Q: Vladimir, this last week was indeed black for you: playing three Blacks in a row is a unique case in the WCC matches. Are you satisfied with sporting result of these games, and how do you assess their content?

VK: I cannot say I experienced any serious problems in the first two games. However, today’s game was rather difficult; at some point my position was dangerous, and I was short on time, but then I simply outplayed the opponent. Maybe Black had some winning chances after the first time control, but Veselin defended very accurately, and they evaporated… Three draws as Black is acceptable result. Everything goes according to the plan. Tomorrow I’ll finally have White – I almost forgot the feeling…

Q: How could you explain your lengthy thought in today’s game?

VK: Obviously, I ran into Topalov’s preparation. Veselin played his opening moves at machine gun speed. The value of moves in the position that occurred after the opening was high, so I took my time. If you haven’t studied certain position at home, you need a lot of time to grasp the essence of it at the board. Maybe I played too slowly, but I succeeded.

Q: Technology is becoming dominant in our world, and chess is no longer the issue between one man and another man. What do you think about it?

VK: Of course, chess has been changed much since the computers appeared; we even started to understand it differently. I am convinced that all major events like world championship, etc., must be played under total control aimed against using external assistance. The earlier it happens, the better it is. This is like doping control in other sports. Here in Elista the players do not have even a theoretical chance to use external help. One requires very strong imagination for inventing stories like Mr. Danailov does. If the measures taken here are taken in other major tournaments, computer technologies will not pose a threat to chess. Otherwise anything can happen. I think it is time for FIDE to include such rules into their regulations. This does not require much investments; certainly not thousands dollars. Most major tournaments have sufficient funds.

Q: You mentioned that you expect more dirty tricks from the Bulgarian side. Do you have any idea what to expect?

VK: I guess you should ask this question on the next press conference. To be honest, I cannot think of anything my opponents can complain about.

Right after Kramnik left the press room, the team of Topalov and Danailov showed in. Danailov immediately reminded the journalists to avoid off limit questions. He said: “Veselin will only answer the questions about today’s game!”