A few days after Topalov was interviewed by Gert Ligterink, Kramnik’s manager Carsten Hensel issues his own press release. The war of words and insults both both sides just does not end. No one will allow the other side to have the last words. What ever happened to “Win with grace, lose with dignity”? I wish someone would be big enough to allow the other side to have the last words. Just let it go.

Press Release by Carsten Hensel, Manager of Vladimir Kramnik

The ChessBase report of 27.10.2006 [Gert Ligterink’s interview with Veselin Topalov) contains a number of quotes and statements by Grandmaster Veselin Topalov which are not in accordance with the facts.

Topalov: “I underestimated the reaction of my body. It’s not so strange that it relaxed after the intense concentration of the match in Elista. Should I not have come here to play? That did not occur to me for one moment. I have never ever breached a signed contract. I am not Kramnik. How often has he withdrawn with vague complaints of fatigue? This spring he withdrew from the tournament in Monaco immediately after he had signed the contract for the match against me.”

Vladimir Kramnik has never, in the course of his career, broken a contract. The reason for his not participating in the tournaments in Corus 2006 and Monaco 2006 were medical. Everything was done in close contact and agreement with the organisers, who were presented with the relevant medical certificates at early dates. The contracts were dissolved in amicable agreement by both parties. It is furthermore wrong to claim that Kramnik cancelled his participation in the Monaco tournament after signing the world championship contract. The world championship contract was signed in April 2006, while the release from the Monaco contract came in February 2006.

Topalov: “After the fourth game my manager asked to see the surveillance tapes in order to find out exactly how my opponent was spending his time in the restroom. He saw that Kramnik visited the toilet very frequently, and so we became suspicious. Naturally this is suspicious behaviour. The toilet was the only area that was not covered by the surveillance cameras.”

Because of this remark we are now publishing a report by Mr Valery Bovaev, Chairman of the Executive Committee in Elista. From this report it is possible to tell exactly who played what role in the release and viewing of the video recordings, which infringe on the personal rights of Vladimir Kramnik. It becomes clear that the video recordings were not requested only after the fourth game, but already some days before.

Topalov: “The Appeals Committee agreed to lock up the toilets in the restrooms. Kramnik reacted like an injured innocent. Contract this and contract that, how dare they insult me. It is always the same with him. He breaks the rules continuously, but heaven forbid his own rights should be touched. That Kramnik did not show up for the fifth game was his own fault. He thought he could get away with anything. I would have preferred to play the game and see our protest comprehensively addressed. Instead I got one free point. But Kramnik got his way in all the other points. He could do anything he wanted in his restroom, and the Appeals Committee was dismissed.

The consequence was that starting from the sixth game I no longer knew whom I was playing against. Kramnik had been quite vulnerable in the past year, but in this match he hardly made any tactical mistakes. I began to have doubts. Was Kramnik my opponent or was it Kramnik assisted by a computer? In order to keep him at the board as much as possible I started playing very quickly. Too quickly sometimes. The blunder which caused me lose the ninth game was the result of a decision I had taken too quickly.”

Mr Topalov still owes us an answer with regard to precisely which rules Vladimir Kramnik is supposed to have broken. What occurred was quite the opposite. Incidentally, because of the breach of contract by the Appeals Committee of FIDE, game five, in a judicial sense, was never played. So the result of the classical chess match is 6:5 in favour of Vladimir Kramnik.

The doubts expressed by Mr. Topalov are nothing but a pitiful excuse in connection with a major sporting defeat. It is especially inconsistent when you consider that all the measures taken to prevent possible manipulations (the glass wall and light curtain, the prevention of any kind of electronic signals in the playing zone, the resting rooms and the toilets, the physical search and examination of the players and all the rooms before the start of each game) were initiated by the Kramnik team. Before the start of game one Topalov’s team did practically nothing to ensure this kind of security. It is a fact that the organisation took all necessary measures to prevent any kind of manipulation from the outset. The further intensification of the controls during the match were welcomed by Kramnik and in some cases demanded by him. In Elista new standards were set which can be regarded as an example for professional chess in the future.

The rest can be read on chessbase.
Posted by Picasa

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar October 29, 2006 Daily News 99 Comments
Tags: