I hope this will be the scene tomorrow for the start of game 5 with the score 3-1 in favor of Kramnik. I also hope that the players will issue official statements to officially end this ugly episode and turn the page to a brighter future.

Win with grace, lose with dignity and may the best player win! Play chess!

One of the bloggers posted a very interesting question:

“How would you have reacted had it been Judith who had been accused of cheating by Mr. Topalov? Both players to blame? Your hypocricy is shining through. To blame both the aggressor and the victim and to penalise them both is not a compromise. And is not dignified. And is not graceful. You really should think this over as a moral question, placing Judith in Kramnik’s position. You are a great ambassador for chess, but your comments on this issue have been just infathomable.

Thank you for your post. I would suggest you to read what I wrote carefully. Please do not jump to false conclusions. I never said that Kramnik should not be upset or not fight for his rights. He has every right to be upset even though he should not because that would only hurt his own concentration. What I am saying is Kramnik could have handled it a little differently.

What would I have done if I was Kramnik? I would have handled it more delicately. I would have said you are welcome to inspect my restroom. I have nothing to hide. The world knows I have a medical condition and I need to handle it the best way for me. This would have made Danailov look foolish and at the same time clear any suspicion to his doubters. But to ignore the issue and insist that everything should go on like nothing happened does not solve the problem. Obviously it did not solve the problem.

I have been in a similar situation in my own world championship in 1996. The organizer did something completely illegal and against the signed contract. It was an unprecedented decision. I was 100% right. I protested and I considered of walking out. But I decided to show up and take my revenge on the board. I played the next game and went on to win decisively by the score of 8.5 – 4.5 after trailing 1.0 – 2.0 at that time. That was my best answer.

Judit also faced the famous bad ruling against Kasparov. We both handled it in dignified manners. That is what we were taught. Therefore, I would advise my sister the same. Do not let the tactics by the other side distract you. So to answer your question, I would say the same thing to my sister and I followed my own advice.

Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.SusanPolgar.com

Here is another response to two other bloggers:

Sunshine and Frank,

Thank you for making your points. What I am saying have been very consistent. You do not know all the details. Neither do I. Neither do the posters here. We only go by what have been published. Some information may be true and some may be false.

Was it wrong for the appeals committee to make that decision? Yes. It is also absolutely wrong if Danailov continues to insist that the score to be 3-2. This would only hurt the reputation of Topalov. I would not accept that forfeit win and I would advise Topalov to do the same if I was his manager.

But as I stated earlier, they are in negotiation right now. To have people pointing fingers and insulting Topalov will not bring him back to the chess board. In fact, it is counter productive and unprofessional. The players are still in negotiation now. That is a good sign so far. We do not know what goes on behind closed doors. Some people may want blood. I prefer diplomacy. I would like to see the match continue and I would like to salvage this ridiculous mess.

You are entitled to your own opinion. You are entitled to disagree with me. But as a former women’s world champion, I cannot recklessly and definitively point fingers without knowing all the facts.
It takes two to tango but it seems to look bad for Topalov so far on a professional stand point. I prefer to see them play chess instead of publishing open letters.

If there is no resolution in the next few days and the sticking point is Danailov 3-2 demand then I will loudly make my voice heard. But until then, I will give all parties a chance to fix this mess.

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Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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