TWIC (The Week In Chess) is one of my favorite chess sites. The site offers news and games of chess events worldwide and it is available to all chess fans for FREE. Mark Crowther is the genius behind this informative, neutral and non-political chess website. Mark just presented this very nice article about Kramnik and Topalov on his website:
Match and World Championship Experience
Vladimir Kramnik beat Garry Kasparov in October/ November 2000 in the Braingames World Championship match in London and retained his version of the title in September/ October 2004 in Brissago, Switzerland with a last gap final game victory over Peter Leko to draw the match. Kramnik’s experience of matches should prove an advantage but he has also lost his fair share losing to 4.5-1.5 to Gata Kamsky (PCA) and 4.5-3.5 to Gelfand (FIDE) in 1994 and most notoriously 5.5-3.5 against Alexei Shirov in Cazorla in 1998. The latter match should have qualified Shirov to play Kasparov for his world title, that match never happened and somehow Kramnik ended up playing Kasparov in 2000 in spite of the loss. Kramnik also lost in 1999 to Adams in a quarter final FIDE KO match in Las Vegas but perhaps importantly did beat Topalov 2-0 in a rapid playoff in the fourth round after their two normal time rate games were drawn. Kramnik gained vital experience from the master when he acted as a second to Garry Kasparov for his world title match against Viswanathan Anand in New York 1996.
Veselin Topalov won the FIDE World Championship title in a double round robin title event in San Luis Argentina in 2005. His match world championship match experience is limited to the FIDE knockout format. He lost his first round match to Jeroen Piket 1.5-05 in Groningen, 1997, beat Ruslan Ponomariov and Lev Psakhis before losing to Kramnik in Las Vegas 1999, in New Delhi 2000 he seemed in tremendous form beating Andrei Kharlov, Kiril Georgiev and Alexey Dreev before being defeated by Michael Adams 1.5-0.5. In the 2001 FIDE event in Moscow he defeated Pierrot, Vescovi and Zhang Zhong before losing to Alexei Shirov in the fourth round. He was strong favourite in Tripoli, 2004 to take the FIDE title winning his first five matches in only 2 games against Abulhul, Delchev, Movsesian, Kozul and Kharlov. He lost the semi-final against Rustam Kasimdzhanov 2-0 in a rapid playoff after they drew their four normal time rate games.
You can read a full excellent report by Mark Crowther on TWIC.
How do the two players prepare for an important game like this, number twelve?
After they wake up, what to they do until the game starts?
Do they use computers, or prepare with a chess board?
In answer of anonymous questions “Do they use computers, or prepare with a chess board?” It depends. Kramnik prepares with a chess board (puting the portable chess set in his pocket) and Topalov calibrates his brain implanted computer (that runs Rybka). After they wake up they go straight for the bathroom.
I keep seeing a pattern in this article that says Kramnik should have never been the one Garry gave his title to.
Thanks Susan for letting us know about TWIC. Nice site!
TWIC is nice. I never knew it until today. Thanks!
Mark Crowther is the genius behind this informative, neutral and non-political chess website.
I’ve always found it to be somewhat Euro-centric, and sometimes misses entirely or is far too brief on reporting US tournaments. Sorry I can’t give specifics but I’ve never been impressed with TWIC’s US coverage.
The post said: [Kramnik lost] notoriously 5.5-3.5 against Alexei Shirov in Cazorla in 1998. The latter match should have qualified Shirov to play Kasparov for his world title, that match never happened and somehow Kramnik ended up playing Kasparov in 2000 in spite of the loss.
Well once and for all, is it true that Shirov rejected Kasparov’s offer of a WCChamp title match in 1998 or is it false??
I have seen multiple sources that say it is true that Shirov rejected Kasparov’s match offer.
On Mig’s ChessNinja.com Shirov himself acknowleged he rejected Kasparov’s offer, because Shirov wanted a prize fund bigger than the $650,000 obtained (or a more even distribution of the fund betweeen the match winner and loser). I have believed Shirov was telling the truth, that Shirov did reject Kasparov’s offer.
So this implication in today’s posting, that it was improper for Kramnik to accept Kasparov’s subsequent match offer, is either outright silly or is in deep need of explanation & justification.
If I have the facts wrong, I will be open to changing my opinion. What facts do I have wrong?
Yes yes, I know about how Shirov got mistreated financially in the process that led to his earning the WCC match offer that Kasparov did make to Shirov. None of that lends direct support to the notion that Kramnik was in anyway an unworthy challenger for Kasparov in 2000. Kramnik was the runner-up behind Shirov. Plus, by defeating Kasparov, Kramnik proved himself to be an extremely worthy opponent (by definition).
To so impune Kramnik on this matter, or to dismiss his WCChamp match victory in 2000, is equivalent to saying that Kasparov had no right to defend Kasparov’s title so long as Shirov refused to accept Kasparov’s offer: nonsense.
Gene Milener
http://CastleLong.com/
Kramnik won a good match against the world #1, but it was not a valid WC match, so he never became WC.
Kasparov held – only – the FIDE title. He can’t legitimately morph that into a Braingames (?) title then decide who to give it to. Then the new possessor decides to call it Classical World Championship and to keep it for ever by any legal threats necessary.
Well, Mark does not create the news out of thin air. A network of people send him results and data. Maybe you can help TWIC by sending in the results of US events.
“I’ve always found it to be somewhat Euro-centric, and sometimes misses entirely or is far too brief on reporting US tournaments.”
Kramnik and Topalov are not friends off the chess board but they have talked with respect for each other before the arrangement of this match. About an year ago when eventual match was talked about, Kramnik and his managers spread rumors in the media about purported cheating of Topalov in tournaments and using psychics in the audience to influence Topalov’s opponents.
Topalov has many grandmaster friends off the chessboard because of his amicable character. Among them are Kasparov and Anand although they don’t always agree on the chess status quo. Topa played friendly matches with both of them in Sofia. He has also many other chessmaster friends around the world and especially in Bulgaria, Spain, and former soviet republics.
Susan, you always state that you are neutral in the Kramnik-Topalov dispute. However, in the ChessBase, I saw a letter signed by you with strong words in support of Kramnik.
Did you really write and signed this letter ? I ask this question because I believe you, and not the ChessBase.
Anonymous said…
Well, Mark does not create the news out of thin air. A network of people send him results and data. Maybe you can help TWIC by sending in the results of US events.
This is actually a sad commentary on TWIC if Crowther is simply relying on people to feed him info and he only publishes what he gets from them–LOL!! I hope it’s not really true. TWIC has a strong UK bias, that much is clear.
I have no time or interest to feed info to TWIC, unless you want to pay me to take the time to do that.