Carlsen - Anand 2014

[NickFaulks]

On top of which, Vlad eventually got half of the money due to him for losing the match with Shirov, who got nothing for winning it.

[Jonathan Rogers]

On top of which, Vlad eventually got half of the money due to him for losing the match with Shirov, who got nothing for winning it.

I never knew that! Are you sure? (I guess you are).

[Lewis Martin]

Not sure I understand what flaw do you see: there are players qualified to the WC and rules to replace them if needed. In case, I'm sure they won't be short of super-GM willing to play a multi-million match for the WC title. Same as when GK and NS went their own way and a replacement FIDE WC was easily arranged. Or when FIDE changed the WC cycle for a knock-out event, still plenty of players willing to compete for the redefined WC title. Chess players do not get embarrassed so easily...

Who is considered the World Champion from 1985-2000? Garry Kasparov.

Karpov is famous and well known for being World Champion from 1975-1985.

Does any really remember, or care about the fact that Karpov was also the "World Champion" from 1993-1999? This was despite the fact that he lost the 1992 match to Nigel Short. No, I'm sure most people hold Karpov in high regard, being the legend that he is for his fine achievements in chess. But this was for the 1970's and 1980's. Not 1990's.

Topalov is well remembered for toiletgate. Who really considers him as a World Champion more worthy than Kramnik for that duration? Same goes for Kasimdzhanov and Ponomariov, particularly if there was a split. Anand is far better known as the undisputed World Champion, and not as FIDE Champion in 2000.

Yes, well done, whoever the next world champion turns out to be if there was a replacement challenger. But Magnus Carlsen will always be better known in history.

Carlsen is trying to promote chess for good, and push for better conditions, as well trying to make sure it is "clean" (A blacklisted Russian associated with Sochi). Doesn't anyone see that the scheduling of the World Championship this year is something of a farce? Sochi was hastily arranged and at short notice. It was not determined before the challenger was known, and so a month is relatively short notice.

They also had bids for the first deadline. They then changed it because there were no bids received. FIDE should improve its methods to make the World Championship more prestigious to avoid this.

[Lewis Martin]

Further on, does anyone remember Alexander Khalifman? I had never heard of him until a few years ago. Well, he was the champion from 1999-2000.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Further on, does anyone remember Alexander Khalifman? I had never heard of him until a few years ago. Well, he was the champion from 1999-2000.

I remember Kalifman becoming FIDE World Champion. It probably helps to have been old enough at the time to be following that sort of chess... I wonder, if Mickey Adams had beaten Rustam Kasimdzhanov in Tripoli back in 2004, whether the FIDE title might not be looked down on the way it is by many British chess players. Clearly it will never be considered as prestigious as the lineage of the Classical World Chess Championship title, but Topalov was world number 1 for a total of 27 months, reached a peak rating of 2813, and challenged Anand for the classical world title, so that should count for something as well (i.e. he really is known for much more than just Toiletgate).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_F ... umber_ones

Talking of which, in another 5 months or so, Carlsen will have been world number one for a longer period than Bobby Fischer. Carlsen should manage (3.5 years) to go past the 90 months for which Karpov was world number 1 unless someone as good as Carlsen emerges and starts catching up ratings-wise. Whether Carlsen will stick around to break Kasparov's record of 255 months is another question (the best of the following generation may be catching up to him by then).

[Richard Bates]

Not sure I understand what flaw do you see: there are players qualified to the WC and rules to replace them if needed. In case, I'm sure they won't be short of super-GM willing to play a multi-million match for the WC title. Same as when GK and NS went their own way and a replacement FIDE WC was easily arranged. Or when FIDE changed the WC cycle for a knock-out event, still plenty of players willing to compete for the redefined WC title. Chess players do not get embarrassed so easily...

Who is considered the World Champion from 1985-2000? Garry Kasparov.

Karpov is famous and well known for being World Champion from 1975-1985.

Does any really remember, or care about the fact that Karpov was also the "World Champion" from 1993-1999? This was despite the fact that he lost the 1992 match to Nigel Short. No, I'm sure most people hold Karpov in high regard, being the legend that he is for his fine achievements in chess. But this was for the 1970's and 1980's. Not 1990's.

Topalov is well remembered for toiletgate. Who really considers him as a World Champion more worthy than Kramnik for that duration? Same goes for Kasimdzhanov and Ponomariov, particularly if there was a split. Anand is far better known as the undisputed World Champion, and not as FIDE Champion in 2000.

Yes, well done, whoever the next world champion turns out to be if there was a replacement challenger. But Magnus Carlsen will always be better known in history.

Carlsen is trying to promote chess for good, and push for better conditions, as well trying to make sure it is "clean" (A blacklisted Russian associated with Sochi). Doesn't anyone see that the scheduling of the World Championship this year is something of a farce? Sochi was hastily arranged and at short notice. It was not determined before the challenger was known, and so a month is relatively short notice.

With respect, you know nothing about Carlsen's motivations and I suspect this is pure speculation.

As for the question of the "rightful" World champion - although this is all hypothetical - if you take your argument to its logical extreme than nobody would recognise Karpov as being World champion rather than Fischer. It is not enough to win the World title - one must also defend it. Which also requires creating alternative qualification cycles, building up an organisation to run it, and the World Championship matches themselves etc etc. It also requires the co-operation in viable potential challengers. I think that a difference between today (and the 1990s-2000 is possibly that Government influence over the game is (in relative financial terms) possibly much stronger than it was then, making it more difficult for many players to act outside the official organisation. (disclaimer - this also is pure speculation and may just be nonsense!)

[Graham Borrowdale]

Talking of which, in another 5 months or so, Carlsen will have been world number one for a longer period than Bobby Fischer. Carlsen should manage (3.5 years) to go past the 90 months for which Karpov was world number 1 unless someone as good as Carlsen emerges and starts catching up ratings-wise. Whether Carlsen will stick around to break Kasparov's record of 255 months is another question (the best of the following generation may be catching up to him by then).

Sure, but to regard Fischer as world number 1 for several years while he was not playing is pushing credibility a bit, although I do not know if Karpov was number 2 from 1972 onwards - I suspect not. There is another school of thought which makes Karpov world no 1 until he lost to Kasparov. Kasparov was clearly not better than Karpov at the start of their 48-game match in 1984. Had Karpov finished off Kasparov in that match, where he was 5-0 up in a first to 6 wins contest, he would have remained champion until at least 1987. Kasparov got another crack in 1985, by which time he had no doubt improved, and the rest is history.

[Paolo Casaschi]

Not sure I understand what flaw do you see: there are players qualified to the WC and rules to replace them if needed. In case, I'm sure they won't be short of super-GM willing to play a multi-million match for the WC title. Same as when GK and NS went their own way and a replacement FIDE WC was easily arranged. Or when FIDE changed the WC cycle for a knock-out event, still plenty of players willing to compete for the redefined WC title. Chess players do not get embarrassed so easily...

Who is considered the World Champion from 1985-2000? Garry Kasparov.

Karpov is famous and well known for being World Champion from 1975-1985.

Does any really remember, or care about the fact that Karpov was also the "World Champion" from 1993-1999? This was despite the fact that he lost the 1992 match to Nigel Short. No, I'm sure most people hold Karpov in high regard, being the legend that he is for his fine achievements in chess. But this was for the 1970's and 1980's. Not 1990's.

Topalov is well remembered for toiletgate. Who really considers him as a World Champion more worthy than Kramnik for that duration? Same goes for Kasimdzhanov and Ponomariov, particularly if there was a split. Anand is far better known as the undisputed World Champion, and not as FIDE Champion in 2000.

Yes, well done, whoever the next world champion turns out to be if there was a replacement challenger. But Magnus Carlsen will always be better known in history.

Carlsen is trying to promote chess for good, and push for better conditions, as well trying to make sure it is "clean" (A blacklisted Russian associated with Sochi). Doesn't anyone see that the scheduling of the World Championship this year is something of a farce? Sochi was hastily arranged and at short notice. It was not determined before the challenger was known, and so a month is relatively short notice.

They also had bids for the first deadline. They then changed it because there were no bids received. FIDE should improve its methods to make the World Championship more prestigious to avoid this.

Regardless of whom anyone considers a worthy world champion, my point was only to show that it would not be difficult for FIDE to find participants into a world championship match in the (very unlikely) case of a boycott from MC and others. Call it world championship, add a substantial prize fund and the super GM will come. In this sense the replacement rule of FIDE for the WC qualification seem to work well.

About the selection of Sochi, remember that previous deadlines passed without any bid; what's different now in looking for wealth western sponsors?

MC is certainly entitled to fight for better conditions for himself, as well as FIDE should make backup plans.

[LawrenceCooper]

Open Letter to FIDE President Mr.Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
Dear Mr. President,
The most recent developments around the World Championship Cycle (men and women) that concern all the top players and global chess community leave me no other choice but to address you publicly with this open letter. There are several issues that require an urgent action - I will present them one by one.
1. World Championship Match.
We all know, that it took a lot of time and effort to find a venue and funding for the World Championship Match. Finally it was announced that the Match will be staged in Sochi, Russia. In the absence of other bids, the prize fund was decreased almost by 50% , compared to the last World Championship Match, but, no less importantly, there are still quite a few uncertainties regarding the Match, that led to a deadlock - as a result, the contracts have not been signed so far. Unfortunately, I have to admit, that even being a member of the Commission for World Championships and Olympiads of FIDE (hereinafter referred as WCOC), yours truly is not updated with the real situation, and greatly concerned about the lack of transparency and the possible consequences.
Mr. President, I call you to make everything possible in order to resolve all the disagreements, and not to let the chess world divide, as it happened in the recent past.
2. Grand Prix series.
The FIDE Grand Prix series that serve as a qualifier for the FIDE Candidates Tournament also raise a lot of concern. While here the prize fund was also decreased by about 50%, there are other issues to be resolved as well. The whole Grand Prix cycle that was supposed to be confirmed by the end of 2013 was only confirmed in August, and the players have just one week to confirm on their participation. That is especially disturbing, given that the time control stipulated in the contract differs from the one supported by the players (see the ACP poll: http://www.chessprofessionals.org/conte ... me-control ). It doesn't make major difference for the organizers (after all, the game would last the same number of hours), but it is disturbing that top players' opinion is ignored again and again. I have raised this issue in WCOC several times, but got no satisfying reply. There is a hope that after this letter the things might change.
3. Women's World Championship
It is shocking to see no official news for the Women's World Championship scheduled to start in 1.5 months. Sixty four ladies are supposed to take part in this most prestigious competition, and they can neither prepare for the event, nor to accept invitations to other tournaments in September - November period. Having no official news about World Championship tournament just a few weeks prior to its commencement is unheard of, and I ask you, Mr.President, to confirm or postpone it officially without further delay.
Dear Mr. President, as you see, there are several urgent issues, and on behalf of the ACP and the global chess community, I ask you to take all the necessary steps in order to restore the order in the chess Kingdom.
Sincerely yours,
Emil Sutovsky
The ACP President

[Andrew Martin]

A pity that all these discrepancies were ignored when the votes were cast in the FIDE elections.

[Lewis Martin]

A pity that all these discrepancies were ignored when the votes were cast in the FIDE elections.

No doubt the elections were a distraction to the task at hand.

[Lewis Martin]

With respect, you know nothing about Carlsen's motivations and I suspect this is pure speculation.

Of course it is speculation, but you don't have to be the World Champion to be frustrated with FIDE, though his voice would be more powerful than yours or mine as a chess player.

I didn't know about the grievances as shown in an above post by Sutovsky and the ACP. I don't think anyone really wants a "war", but there are quite a few cracks appearing in the international body which needs more than papering over. Although there is a lot more chess coverage and more interesting tournaments, one can't help feel that this is more to do with private efforts.

No Logo Norway Chess
Sinquefeld
Sigeman
London Chess Classic
and a few others

In terms of actual FIDE efforts, the Grand Prix, particularly the Women's seemed to be in difficulties, and the Olympiad had difficulties earlier this year. I have said enough about the World Championship Match this year. Money doesn't solve everything if Kirsan's claims of putting millions into chess are true.

[NickFaulks]

the Grand Prix, particularly the Women's seemed to be in difficulties

Really? I thought that one was a success story. Hou Yifan and Humpy Koneru seem happy enough.

[Lewis Martin]

the Grand Prix, particularly the Women's seemed to be in difficulties

Really? I thought that one was a success story. Hou Yifan and Humpy Koneru seem happy enough.

I meant the Women's World Championships.

[Roger de Coverly]

I meant the Women's World Championships.

With a curious alternation between head-to-head matches and a 64 player knock-out, this time it's the knock-out. According to the ACP it's scheduled to be played in the near future, but no-one knows when and where.

The uncertainty over the Carlsen-Anand match can in part be attributed to Kasparov's announcement that he would change both the date and venue, but what's the excuse for the lack of publicity and finalisation of the detail of this event?