Statement by Vladimir Kramnik:
“I would like to inform the chess community that due to health problems I shall not be able to participate in the Corus Chess Tournament 2006.
A couple of years ago a form of arthritis was diagnosed. This disease causes painful inflammation in the joints. Unfortunately since that time, the symptoms have started to appear more often and with greater severity.
A new recent crises makes it necessary to undertake serious clinical treatment. Solving the present problem within a few months will allow me to come back and enjoy competitive chess at the highest level.
I want to stress clearly, that – as always – I am eager to continue and enhance my chess career. There are still many goals to achieve.”
Kramnik also pulled out of the 2004-2005 Russian Championship citing health issues. He is in a very tough position. He has too much to lose competing in the same tournament as Kasparov and Topalov, especially when he is not physically or mentally at his best. Kramnik is too good to perform the way he has been recently.
If he finishes lower than Kasparov or Topalov, that would spell the end of any World Championship claim or unification match possibility. If he finishes better than them then he would only be doing what people expect of him as a World Champion. He has nothing to gain with either scenerio. It is really an unfortunate situation that he got himself into by refusing the rematch against Kasparov.
Kramnik was a great player. I don’t doubt the seriousness of his condition. I don’t blame him for this decision. I would only have a problem if he comes back 6-12 months later still claiming that he’s the World Champion and he demands a unification match with Topalov or the next World Champion.
I am very sad to see the chess world lose another top player, even perhaps for a short time. I hope everyone will join me in wishing him the very best! Let’s hope for a quick and full recovery. Let the chess world move on in peace and harmony and let the talk of unification rest. Let’s focus on an exciting 2006 sans Kramnik for now. I hope he will come back after his recovery and play at the 2800 pace again. This would be a great thing for the chess world and for Kramnik.
I agree completely.
If chivalry isn’t totally dead in these times, the principled thing for Kramnik to do would be to resign any claim to a world title, to focus on his health, and to (when ready) return to competitive chess as one of many challengers to whomever has the title at that time.
Your reaction, Susan, is really bad. Now that Kramnik offers the reason for his bad performances the last years you don’t loose a word to wish him good health for the future. The only remark is that he would loose recognition if participating at Corus. What kind of world is this?
Kramnik also offered the excuse of Brissago affect. This is a better chess world without a whiny, selfish Kramnik.
Vlad
Susan,
I had a very similar reaction when I first heard the news, that this was part of a psychological pattern of avoidance.
However, I don’t know if you saw it yet, but Chessbase is now reporting a diagnosis for GM Kramnik, Ankylosing Spondylitis. After seeing that, I now have nothing but sympathy for him. This is a very real condition and one that can be quite debilitating.
(It is ironic that the photo chosen to accompany the Chessbase article shows Kramnik in exactly the WRONG sort of position for someone with this condition. Bending forward while sitting can encourage bone growth in the wrong parts of the spine, leading to further pain and deterioration.)
Here is the Mayo Clinic article on this condition:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ankylosing-spondylitis/DS00483
It cannot be cured, but many of the symptoms can be addressed with medical treatment and lifestyle changes.
AS is a disease that tends to appear in young men in their 20s and early 30s. It is very common for them to deny it at first, even after an initial diagnosis. Learning to sit “just so,” to walk in a certain way, to live a life full of precautions in order to prevent further damage is just not natural to this stage of life. So the illness is also often accompanied by a temporary depression.
As someone who has had to deal with an adult-onset disability (CIDP), I know I myself went through a long stage of denial.
Anyway, there are many good symptomatic treatments for AS, so I am hoping that we will see GM Kramnik improve physically to the point where he will find his chess improving as well as his general life.
Duif
Hi Duif,
Happy New Year! Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy and happy 2006.
I have said many times in the past that Kramnik is probably one of my favorite players of the modern generation. I like his style. I like his repertoire. I know him for a long time and he is a nice guy.
I have only 2 problems with him:
1. His refusal to play the rematch with Kasparov when it was in the best interest of the entire chess community (and himself too).
2. His constant declaration that he’s the legit WC and somehow the world owes him a unification match.
I was in a much worst situation than he was with FIDE. I didn’t jump from FIDE, he did. What FIDE did to me was illegal. FIDE does not owe him anything. He was given a special chance to play Garry and he made the best of it. It was impressive. But his behavior once he became a WC was less than desirable. It is not too late to salvage his reputation. But he needs to do the right thing.
I feel very sorry for him. I am very sad to know he is not well. I don’t wish any player harm. I just honestly believe that he received bad advice. If I was him, I would have issued an additional statement to relinquish the claim to any title, congratulate Topalov, and go get proper treatment. This way, the chess world can move on in unity and he will look like a class act. This is in the best interest of chess, especially with a very important election coming up.
In any case, I wish him the best. I really hope that he will have a speedy and full recovery.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
http://www.SusanPolgar.com
I send my best wishes to Mr. Kramnik for a normal recovery!
As a pharmacist, I can let my fellow readers know that the medications prescribed for ankylosing spondylitis (AK) can have side effects that may cause problems concentrating in a high level chess tournament (of course, being a amateur myself, I’m hypothesizing on this 🙂 ). AK in extreme cases leads to a fusing of some of the spinal vertebrae along with inflammation in other joints. The physicians probably will start him on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as the common ibuprofen or naprosyn. While they help, they can cause stomach cramping and even bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Fortunately, taking an acid reducer like Prilosec protects the stomach and helps lessen these problems. Unfortunately, the NSAIDS don’t work in every patient, and the next level of drugs are pretty toxic with many side effects. Drugs such as corticosteroids can cause behavioral changes, bloating, and many other problems. Azathioprine and methotrexate really suppress the immune system but work well. A newer class of drugs called the anti-TNF inhibitors are protein antibodies that have been tested in these patients, but they also have side effects. However, many people take these drugs and continue working normally and lead a relatively normal life. Playing at the highest level, I can only imagine how some side effects may impair him. He needs some good rest, and hopefully he will be able to come back soon, as I agree with Susan that as time goes by, his legitimacy decreases as a WC. Perhaps tournament organizers can set up a special table he can lie on
like Miles did at Tilburg in the 80s. :))
Whoops! I don’t know what I was thinking, but “AK” of course should be “AS”
Susan,
Happy New Year to you and your family also!
You make excellent points. If GM Kramnik had had a true organization in place and a schedule for future title defenses, it would be simpler. As it is, none of us can know if he would be expected to play a serious match in 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, or when.
You also make a very good point that there is an opportunity here. Perhaps GM Kramnik could cede his title in exchange for a guaranteed invitation to the 2007 (not the next, but the one after that) World Championship finals tournament, as a sort of medical leave.
It would be a final acknowledgement of his title (by letting him skip the candidates phase), but that seems a small price to pay for reunification. And if he is not well enough to play then, a normal substitution process could take place.
In any case, I wish him well, and agree with you that a GM Kramnik playing at 2800 level again would only benefit the entire chess community.
regards,
Duif
I agree with susan. But now who will be replacing him in corus??anybody knows?
Duif,
I fully agree with you. He still can do some good for himself and the chess world. I hope his team can give him the right advice.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
http://www.SusanPolgar.com
Thanks for your informative analysis of the situation GM Susan Polgar. Even though we don’t always agree, I always enjoy reading your point of view. shr0p.
Its just sad he didn’t give the rematch right away without all the ridiculous posturing. Now his name is mud….and its terribly sad because it would have been great to have another fantastic series of KvsK matches again.
And now that he’s sick….it just makes it all pointless. Sorry but in my opinion..Kramnik is the one that dropped the ball.
Reminds me of another world champ that found all the excuses in the book not to face legitimate challenges.We are all robbed for it…and no matter how nice the champ is ….the behaviour demeans the game.
Sad since many of the greatest games are played at Corus. Thats where Kasparov Topalov played their immortal game.
for more info on Ankylosing Spondylitis you can go to:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Ankylosing+Spondylitis&btnG=Google+Search
it looks serious.
Kramnik claims to be the Classical Champion which is all about the Challenger wins a match against the Champion. he does not claim to hold the Fide Championship.
Now Kramnik does not have an organization. if he were to step down as the Classical Champ then no one would take his place and no Matches will be played to find a replacement.
therefore it is not a good idea for him to step down as the Classical Champion. It would be better for him to pick a worthy successor and lose a match to him and thus pass the baton.
Walking away from his title will only leave the chess world without the type of champion most people on the internet boards seem to want. that is a champion who beats the champion in a Match.
Kramnik has said that the concept of the Champion winning in Match Play is very importatant to him. so Maybe while he is sick and recovering from his illness he will be able to set something up to keep the legacy alive.
The nut of the problem is that we are talking apples and oranges. even if Kramnik steps down from his title. it will NOT make Topalov a Classical World Champion who won his title in a Match from a previous champion.
I do see that there would be some good come out of his stepping down. I would want to think about the situation more and see how things are working out before taking a step that would not be reverseable like stepping down from his title. He is carrying a HUGE responsibility for those fans who seem to want a return to a Classical Championship.
for myself. I never really took Kramnik as the world champion. he did not go through a qualification. so I thought the Match did not have validity at the time. when he won. it was obvious that Kasparov was still the best player in the world and most people felt that way. I also was really upset that he refused to give a rematch to kasparov. that was stupid. kasparov was obviously the one and only challenger.
and lastly I did not think Leko really qualified for the Candidates position. winning one tournament is not qualifying. and all the millions of other chess players never were given an opportunity. as Anand was not given the opportunity because he happened to skip that tournament before it was picked to be the qualifier. totally rediculous. last minute posturing.
and all the recent fide champions i have not considered champs. to me Kasparov retired as the world chess champion.
with Kasparov gone. I now am willing to consider Topalov the world champion. but I would have liked to see him win more games in the 2nd half of San Luis. but I also expected at that time that the challenger to topalov would be a world championship Match. not another tournament.
the tournament style was acceptable for 2005 because there was no world champion. Kasparov had retired. but I expected Topalov to have to defend his title quickly in a Match against a challenger.
I would like to see a champion chosen every year.
OK, Susan. Let’s give Kramnik the benefit of the doubt. I wish him well.
Susan,
As much it would be sad to see Kramnik exit this way in mid 90’s,we were witness to another young prodigy taking a long hiatus after spate of rows with all and sundry (mainly attributed to Dad Röstäm)yes I am referring to Kamsky, that makes me wonder -why don’t we have a games minus egos & people who try to show themselves bigger than the sport.
Rgds,
Kramnik had enough of it….his claim being still world champion is nullified now! His career is over. There is no way back…he had his chances and spooked them off!
Well I wonder how history will view these past 10 or so years in Chess. I certainly hope that things will get worked out for the best.
I would like to see Bessel Kok be elected President of Fide and take Chess into a new Era.
Let us never forget that Kramnik did get to the 2800 level and he was creative to beat Kasparov in their match. He was playing very very well in 2000. With good health I am sure he would have stayed at the top for a good 10 years.
However, his refusal to give Kasaparov a rematch was a big big error that will always hurt his legacy. His fear of Kasparov said that even he believed that Kasparov was a better player.
But today I see the excitement in so many young people playing chess so well. Even Kramnik will be replaced by a young player at Corus. and there are very talented young girls rising up today. the future is an exciting time for chess.
Mamedyarov has been named as Kramnik’s replacement. See http://www.coruschess.com for details.
Well if keeping your word is a big mistake then I guess Kramnik made a big mistake. It is my understandign that in order to play Kasparov he and Kasparov both had to sign an agreement that there woudl be no rematch. That document spelled out that the loser would play in the dortmund qualifier and the winner of the match would play the winner of that qualifier.
Ray Keene tried to make accomadations for Kasparov so he woudl play in the qualifier liek he had promised. Kasparov chose not to play in the qualifier because some technical deadline had passed. You can still find the actual statement form his agent on the web.
Kramnik has given Kasparov plenty of opportunities to qualify for a match. Not only by the Dortmund qualifier but also by the Prague agreement.
Anyone who tells you someone with the chess clout of Kasprov coudl not have gotten his match with Ponomariov off the ground is either kidding you or themselves. He sat by while the incompetent FIDE let the match die by not responding to *any* of Ponos negotiations. If Kasparov would have said he will play (despite the rest day dispute) he coudl have had his match agaisnt Pono. If he beat him he coudl have played Kramnik for the World championship.
Kasparov has fought with Kramnik and used all his power to hurt everything Kramnik has tried to do for chess. He then sits back and says “see he didn’t do this or that”
ACP is a case in point. Kasparov says the ACP coudlnt’ get a cycle. Of course Kasparov has done nothign but criticize and try to lay it low. He uses his power to fight it and then says they can’t get things done. Real nice.
We have had tournament world champions for several years now. None have been as respected as the classical world champions. If anyone should resign his title for the good of chess it woudl be Topalov. (and for that matter Kasim and Pono before him.)
But it is much better if they decide it over the board in a unification match. You have to employ the most twisted logic to argue with that.