Bessel has given a statement to the press. He openly questioned the recently proposed reunification match between Topalov and Kramnik.
A new chance for reunification or just another dream?
By Bessel Kok
Over the last few days, I have been flooded with telephone calls and electronic messages asking me to comment on the recently announced match between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik. I was aware that Joel Lautier had been working on this and I must thank him and anybody else who worked hard for this reunification match.
My initial reaction was of great joy for the players as well as for the whole chess world! At long last the possibility exists for a match to be played, thereby resolving the split that has been in force for the eleven year duration of Ilyumzhinov’s administration.
It was four long years ago that I hosted a conference in Prague. My goal was to heal the split besieging the chess world and resolve the impasse. The conference resulted in the Prague Agreement, that bound the parties to a unification match in … 2003!
After re-reading the announcement I began to worry as important details were missing. What are the conditions and rules under which this match will be played? Does the FIDE consider this to be the final outcome of the Prague Agreement? Or is this match merely a response to Ilyumzhinov’s announcement that anyone possessing a 2700 rating has the possibility to challenge the World Champion? Alternatively, is it to be a friendly match only?
Further worrying concerns are raised in case Vladimir Kramnik wins the match. If the match is for the official World Championship, would he then participate in the 2007 Championships? If the answer is yes, this raises a new question: According to the rules of the current cycle, Veselin Topalov, the number one rated player would be out of the 2007 Championship.
Is it smart or is it stupid that the highest rated player in the world could be potentially excluded? Wouldn’t such a circumstance put the validity of the 2007 Championship in doubt? Who is responsible for creating rules that discourage unification by excluding the strongest players from competing in future Championship events?
FIDE should not give the impression that the electoral gain of announcing this match prevails over the need for correct and adequate information, especially for the other top Grandmasters. Is the match to be sponsored by Ilyumzhinov or another source? Would the match be played if I were to win the FIDE Presidential election in Turin in June? Has the prize money been transferred to the FIDE accounts insuring the match will be played regardless of the election outcome?
Once again, I am delighted that Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik can contest a match but the FIDE must communicate all details of the event; address the questions made above; confirm that the financing has been properly secured; that the players have signed an agreement and last but not least that the chess world will not suffer another disappointment.
Bessel Kok
Prague
What is your opinion?
Do you agree with Bessel Kok?
Do you think that it would be unfair for Topalov to defend his title after only 1 year and if he loses, he is out of the next cycle? 
I don’t agree with this topalov-kramnik match. Let kramnik play in 2007 world championship with those 8 qualified people. They should let topalov enjoy his time for 2 yrs without any intteruption. Otherwise anybody will stand up and challenge topalov, then may be topalov have to fight with 4/5 guys in 2 yrs???
Topalov AGREED to this match. The price was right. Kramnik also AGREED. The “unification” is OK. Let’s concentrate on other things. For example, why not give 5-25% of every World Champion match prize fund to promotional and healthy organizations such as the Susan Polgar one? There may be a few other similar chess foundations somewhere, too.
Does Mr. Bessel support chess for girls and boys? Chess in schools? What will happen now to the other World chess organization made by Kasparov? Will it become extinct? Will it’s employees lose their jobs? How will FIDE accept the players who turned years ago? Will they be pardoned?
My major concern is that the match will not take place if Kok wins the election. that seems to me to be almost assured.
Kirsan said he has personally pledged the money. if he is not president then why pay a million dollars for the match. I am sure he will concel his verbal committment.
even if he has a written contract I am sure he has left himself an “out” to concell for some reason if he loses the election.
Just my opinion.
My 2nd problem is that I think it is rediculous that Topalov would be barred from playing in the 2007 tournament if he loses this match. the tournament is suppose to be composed of the best players. and topalov is obviously one of the 2 top players along with Anand.
Hi Susan & all,
It seems to me a bit….’strange’….that we get nothing from Kirsan in 11 years, and then all of a sudden (when there is a credible and supported opposition to him) this match is announced as election time gets close. I think the concens raised by Bessel Kok are very valid ones.
— is it for the FIDE title?
— does it happen regardless of who the FIDE President is?
— who is funding it?
— does it really 100% unify the titles as claimed, or is it just a prelude to 2007?
— is chess just being held to ransom?
As for rights, I do not believe that Kramnik has any right what so ever to contest a world championship automatically. He declined to play in San Luis for the World Championship, and as such should have forfieted any claim to a title. Anand, Aronian, etc. are much more entitled to challenge Topalov directly, in my opinion.
I think, in fact, that this match solves nothing. It’s smoke and mirrors in the run up to an election, and a mere crowd pleaser ahead of the 2007 championship.
And anyway, any President who takes 11 years getting around to doing something that now he has apparently done in the space of a year…..well, if that happened in any other company the CEO would be out on his/her ear.
It seems to me that if these are the 2 top players then both should be in the next 8 player DRR World Chess Championship.
At minimum, both should be invited.
it is details like this that make me nervous about the entire situation. it looks more like Kirsan wants to first see the outcome and then he will decide what to do.
If topalov loses, I think Kirsan will find some reason to put Topalov into the tournament. But if Kranmik loses then he is out. this is all games by Kirsan.
It seems Kramnik is Champion by default for infinity! He didn’t play in San Luis so he should have been stripped of his title. Fischer was legitimate World Champion and The Russian controlled FIDE got rid of the best player in the world very quickly. Kramnik is nowhere near the best player in the world, (he’s about 8th) rated! Kirsan has made some kind of pact with this BUM Kramnik! Its all dirty politics by Kirsan to get re-elected.
TFK
It is quid pro quo for endorsement of Kirsan as the Russian presidential nominee to have Kramnik his reunification match.
Topalov-Kramnik match will generate more interest in chess than any other match, so this should be considered good news. Fans are obsessed with both players, whether they are winning or losing. Kramnik’s draws elicit violent language in chat rooms. Most other players simply don’t interest the public as much. Whatever your personal opinion of Kramnik, he has been one of the top players in the world, so simply ignoring him and writing him off as has-been is useless.
This site has been consistently the most anti-Kramnik site on the net. Questioning the very legitimacy of a match with Kramnik suggests that it’s unfair, illegitimate and shouldn’t be. But Topalov agreed, so what’s there to discuss? And who is treated unfairly? In case of a loss, Topalov still gets a very large sum for just playing. Most other players don’t get such sums for winning. They should complain, not Topalov or his fans.
I hope Kramnik wins. It will make chess even more messed up :))
– Vinay
Chess is not messed up. Topalov is the best player right now, followed closely by Anand and that’s that. About the match, i think it will be interesting and will definitely pose as an end to this silly double championship that has been there for twelve years now.
Now, what does happens to be absurd is that the winner of this match should wait another cycle in case of a loss. I can’t see any logical reason to support this, and they should seriously reconsider it, especially as Topalov would still be the winner of San Luis and he earned a seat in the Mexico City World Championship that way.
Thanks Susan for your blog. I read it really often and i enjoy your views and contribution to chess worldwide.
See you people in Mexico City next year. It’s gonna be great, i promise.
“I haven’t seen such incredible interest to chess and chess players as I saw in Mexico. And I have never received so much attention. It can probably be compared to the popularity of a rock star” Veselin Topalov, April 2006.
Do you think that it would be unfair for Topalov to defend his title after only 1 year and if he loses, he is out of the next cycle?
I could not care less.
Did you know Topalov votes for Kirsan Ilyumzhinov as president of the FIDE and Las Vegas as the most beautiful city in this world?
“About the match, i think it will be interesting and will definitely pose as an end to this silly double championship that has been there for twelve years now.”
but will it? That is the point here. As far as I know, nothing is stipulated in the tournament terms that if Topalov wins Kramnik is no longer ‘Classical’ Champion. All the stipulations are about the FIDE title/cycle, which is not the one Kramnik holds. The one he holds, is the Classical champion, and that was won outside of FIDE’s auspices, under auspices now inactive, and that is why Kramnik continues to wave it around for so long. What happens to that title? If that question is not catered for, then this match does absolutely nothing to unify the title.
TFK, that is why Kramnik did not get stripped of anything when he did not compete in San Luis, by the way….his title was not won under FIDE, so they have no juristiction to strip him of it. The only way that can be done, is for him to agree that if he loses this match he loses that title.
At this point I just want them to play so everyone will just shut up…
Anon you can thank Kasparov for Kramniks independent Title that he will have forever!
TFK
Now I’m confused–I thought I read on this blog a week or so ago that the money was coming from the Mexicans and not from Kirsan. That made me feel more confident that the match would still happen if Kok wins the election. But if it’s supposed to come from Kirsan, then I believe nothing.
As for the 1-year rematch clause, that was normal in the 1950’s and 60’s, I think. Botvinnik regained the title twice that way, against Smyslov and Tal. So, I think it is ok for Topalov. I’m sure he’ll get paid a lot more for the rematch than Tal or Smyslov did.
Since both players have agreed to the match, I don’t see anything wrong with Topalov defending after only one year. With all of these FIDE tournaments, it’s great to finally have a match!
However, I agree with Kok that the details are vague at best, which is typical of this FIDE regime. The match is a definite political assett to Kirsan, so why should he want to give out any information that might call its legitimacy into question?
I disagree with Bessel’s release.
Kranmnik and Topolov should play 24 games. The winner should be the World Champion.
The loser should be allowed to compete with all the other top candidates in a tournament for the right to play the winner in 24 game match.