World Chess Championships
Grandmaster Has the Crown, and Harsh Words for a Rival
By DYLAN LOEB McCLAIN
Published: October 15, 2006
One day after winning the world chess championship, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia said the behavior of his opponent, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, had been unethical.
During the three-week match, which ended on Friday, Mr. Topalov accused Mr. Kramnik of cheating by making frequent visits to his bathroom, where there were no surveillance cameras. The accusations led to the locking of the bathrooms and a protest by Mr. Kramnik, who forfeited Game 5. Despite that setback, he managed to win the match in overtime, 8½ to 7½.
Speaking by telephone from his room in Elista, the capital of the Russian republic Kalmykia and the site of the match, Mr. Kramnik said yesterday that he understood Mr. Topalov had been under a lot of pressure during the match, but that he believed that Mr. Topalov and his manager, Silvio Danailov, who filed the protests, had gone too far.
“In any world championship, there is a lot of pressure, and people act differently sometimes,” Mr. Kramnik said. “It doesn’t mean that you have to go under certain standards of ethical actions.”
The article continues with:
For many in the chess world, the match brought a sigh of relief: After a 13-year schism, the chess world once again had an undisputed world champion.
But many also rued the squabbling, which was seen as embarrassing.
“The theater dispute with the bathroom is not too glorious,” said Joel Lautier, a French grandmaster. “The match will always be associated with that incident.”
Still, Mr. Lautier said he believed that the attention brought to the match, and by extension to the chess community, was positive. “I don’t think that it is a fatal thing,” he said. “At least it has brought chess into the headlines.”
Susan Polgar, a former women’s world champion who lives in Queens and created a foundation to promote chess, said that the off-the-board fights may even have helped.
“Most likely, the match wouldn’t have gotten as much interest if they had just played the games,” she said.
Ms. Polgar said she depended on corporate and private sponsors to support her foundation, whose budget is about $60,000 to $70,000 this year.
During the match, she said, she received new pledges from “some major new sponsors.” She declined to identify them, citing their privacy.
In trying to promote chess, Ms. Polgar said she stressed the educational benefits of the game, not its competitive aspects. The foundation’s motto, she said, is “Win with grace, lose with dignity.”
“The actions of two people should not be generalized,” Ms. Polgar said. “And even those two people have the right to be wrong once in a while.”
The full article can be read here.
Susan I see you are becoming more and more the true ambassador of the game. We will back you up!
The way I see it (if linked pictures come through here):
Vladimir Kramnik, the unified World Champion of Chess
Gabor
(docobgyn@yahoo.com)
Hi, Susan,
We can discuss endlessly until the cows come home but it is time we have closure for the WCC.
Topalov had admitted that he wasn’t prepared for the tie-break games, so he shouldn’t complain any more. More so, he had his free point.
Kramnik is satisfied tht he won this match and is now the absolute world champion. Even after having to give up his point, he also shouldn’t complain anymore … or even consider taking Fide to court. He won, period, and it’s all over.
Maybe, both players should be reminded of this quatrain by Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, written some 900 years ago:
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.
You cannot bring back the fifth game. It’s gone, it’s history… We have got to move on from here.
Regards
SS Quah
Penang, Malaysia
Mmm … I tried to put this URL into my previous comment, but it didn’t work:
http://ssquah.wordpress.com/2006/08/25/the-moving-finger-writes/
SS Quah
Penang, Malaysia
Kramnik on Toiletgate:
“I am not the guy who keeps such things too long,” Mr. Kramnik said. “I am rather an easy person in general. For me, it would be enough if he does not do such things again.”
Topalov on same:
“Expect a whole book on the events in Elista where the scandal with the toilet will be explained in details.”
It’s rare that things are quite this clear-cut, whether in sports or in life more generally. The World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, is a gentleman. The man he defeated is miserable scum.
sirocco, refrain from misquotes.
this is what danailov said, not topalov.
topalov basically said “it’s not my job, i don’t even know details”.
> topalov basically said
> “it’s not my job, i
> don’t even know
> details”.
OK. This loser is an idiot knowing nothing.
Does that satisfy u?
“this is what danailov said, not topalov.”
You’re right, my mistake. Not that it makes even a whiff of difference.
To be a gentlement when you are winning, rich, appreciated and powerful is the easiest thing in the world.
The hatred towards Topalov looks for excuses only.
The hatred towards Topalov looks for excuses only.
Oh, the irony…
Isn’t Topalov the boss. Doesn’t his manager work for him? He is then culpable of condoning and not firing him for his unethical actions taken and statements he makes on behalf of Topalov. Topalov is looking pretty bad right now as a very bad loser. He could very well take lessons from Susan, Win with Grace, lose with DIGNITY!!!!!!
The usual bias from Susan:
The actions of two people should not be generalized,” Ms. Polgar said. “And even those two people have the right to be wrong once in a while
She wants to draw the false picture that both players behaved wrong and diminish the fault of topalov. Susan will never admit that only Topa went wrong here
And Susan has the right to be a hypocrite “once in a while”
Seems pretty diplomatic to me. Following all the coverage there’s been, people can already draw their own conclusions.