Something wrong with your game 12 press conference link, Mig?

Something wrong with your game 12 press conference link, Mig?

And while I'm at it, actually, interesting link here

http://www.worldchess2006.com/main.asp?cat=0

I particularly liked the bit about the video link from the restroom being available only for the Chief Arbiter and the Appeals Committee. One feels that the head of technical security for the match may be a little behind the pace on recent events....

Chief Arbiter and his Deputy, I meant. God, Freud would love me.

In the UK, the Guardian newspaper has a good leader (each day they do an "In praise of" column and Kramnik is the subject- quite a good article for a leader I thought.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1921364,00.html

Live Tiebreak-Games-Relay and live WM-Chat on http://www.deep-chess.de

Topalov: "Leko is nobody now."

Well, that's a bit exaggerated.

I notice too he calls Kramnik 'a World Champion'. Going a bit far, I'd have thought, by his lights. Especially as he goes on with his usual politics about how he can't understand why anyone talks about unification since this was achieved at San Luis. Classless as ever.

I would guess one can't assume the translations to be entirely accurate, of course.

"Kasparov game one, still from Lisbon airport: (after move 14) It looks like Topalov is already lost with white. Does he not understand chess at all?"

Lol. I agree, White already looks like being close to the canvas.

Heh, Garry just had to board the plane and asked me to call him in 20 minutes on his cell with the result. Maybe we should make up something crazy to tell him. Some wild line with a White mating attack...

Mig is white that bad honestly?? or was Gary speaking tounge-in-cheek?

No, dead serious. He was looking all sorts of sacrificial stuff for Black. Not Kramnik's taste, of course, and who's to say it was winning. But there were some truly terrifying piece sacrifices in there with ..Be4 instead of ..Rd8. Garry would have played it in a heartbeat, you could tell from his voice!

oh man, we need him back :-( What good is it going to be if he gets killed by some goon.. GARY PLAY CHESS AGAIN!

White has two bishops and chances for kingside attack. I am satisfied with Topalov's position. But all depends on the player's nerves.

I just gave Garry the last dozen moves over the phone: "Oh, oh, now White is probably even better. Ridiculous. You remember this guy with the black pieces, Mig? He sacrificed a piece against me, you remember him? What happened to him? Now look at him. Now he's in deep ****."

Ok, kasparov is an amazing player, perhaps the best ever and perhaps the best even at this moment, but that he has a better judgement than these guys while being at a plane without even seeing a board, that is a bit too much for me

Yeah, arry has been overreacting a bit, in my opinion. These guys have been scarily computerlike and evaluation didn't swing much at all - Kramnik had a tiny plus with black, but topalov seems to have evened it out.

First Rapid a draw.

He had to turn off the phone after 41.Ba6. "Should be a draw." Was horrified by Kh2, "a terrible place for the king." Pointed out cool line that won for White except for the king being on h2, allowing a queen sacrifice to put a rook on a2 to hit g2. Neat.

ok draw. I was looking (briefly) at that sac line Mig relayed. is there anything better than a draw from Black there?

Do the players get to talk to their seconds during the little breaks between games? Would have some interesting implications...

It's not so much a question of better, just very different. I'm sure Kramnik saw the piece sac too, it's just not his style. Certainly nothing conclusive to show it was superior, although Black was on the defensive in the game and it looks like all the attacking chances are Black's after the sac. But obviously risky to give up a piece. Very tough to defend for a human though. The black queen can get to the kingside with Qa5-d8-h4 in some lines.

ok, its even more clear to me that I'll never amount to anything as a Chess player. I just cant visualise things without a board unless I've studied the position at least for half an hour, and then only a few lines deep. Once, just once, after a game in a school tournament, I remember coming up with a winning move while thinking about it before going to sleep, which I didnt see over the board. Seeing instant sacrificial lines while having the moves relayed over a cell phone while you're sitting in an airline seat (ok, maybe first class helps!) is something you're born with.

After game one the tie is not yet broken. Kramnik's "Caro-Kann bishop" only convinced at the beginning.

d, perhaps it is not a good idea to compare yourself to the greatest ever.

yeah, but I think most strong GMs can easily visualise the board. I remember Mig relating how Shirov was reading moves off an incoming teletext and exclaiming on a TN or something. Oh well, glad I didnt choose to be a professional Chess player :-)

Game2 already started.

One is reminded of Dave Norwood's observation during Gazza-Short.

"20...Qd7? What's that. I could beat them both drunk...."

I remember asking Svidler on ICC when he was first able to read through a chess book without needing diagrams. He said he can never remember not having that ability. Genius.

From the official site:

"The fact that the owner of the unified title will be determined in a quickplay is also very symbolic – chess is not stagnating, it is speeding up."

AARGH!!

My first close-encounter with that sort of thing was at Alexei Shirov's house. He pulled a list of game scores off his fax machine (remember those?) from a tournament organizer and read them the way I would look at a student's paper for spelling mistakes. Occasionally he shook his head, occasionally nodded with a mouthed "good move" or something. Then tossed it aside, nothing more to see. Now I'm a jaded veteran of these quasi-miracles, but I do get the occasional chill down the spine.

I also remember asking Svidler about blind simuls. He said he hasnt tried, but didnt see how it could be hard :-)

Wow, was that like a five minute break between games or was there just a long lag in the transmission of the last moves from game one? Damn. These guys are going to be wasted. Game 4 is going to look like Shogi.

I think with adrenaline they're probably going to want to get on with this. But if it ever gets to blitz....

With the tension though I'm surprised they're playing as well as they are.

Blind simuls aren't at all hard. I've done six in a pub with a pint in my hand and it was easy; I'm sure I could do ten at least. And I'm old and not that good - the top guys could do thirty trivially if they put their mind to it, probably far more.

Sorry to ask again, but I am very interested: are the players allowed to consult their teams (i.e., get "improved" computer lines on games just played) in between these tiebreak games?

I cannot play without a board. That's why I'm so bad :(

In my experience they can do whatever they want between games. Unless they have special rules, why not? I've seen players do exactly what you mention, checking with their seconds for theoretical lines before the next game with that color. But I'm not sure they have time here.

If Topalov thinks that Leko is "nobody" now after drawing Kramnik, what does he think of the previous two "Champions" Ponomariov and Kasimdzhanov and who WON the FIDE title he now holds to be the real title?

"Shirov... occasionally shook his head, occasionally nodded with a mouthed "good move" or something."

Yeah, well we don't know what he was looking at. He could've been thinking: 1 e4 - good move, 1 c4 - weird, 1 d4 - interesting.

is it just me who have troubles reaching the official site?

1 hour per rapid game including break...
Insane...

Kramnik looking good now

game 2 is looking won for white from where I'm standing. that's a big D pawn and a big A pawn!

kramnik is winning now isn't he ?

Kramnik 1.5-0.5 Topalov

1-0 Kramnik!!!!

Yeah!

Down goes Topalov! Down goes Topalov! Any bets on 1. e4 in the last game?

Party

Nigel S on playchess - 'this is a tragedy. There are going to be a lot of unemployed lawyers after this.'

1-0 for Kramnik!

Let's hope it IS the last game, Yuriy!

1 d4 70% 1 e4 30%.

The lawyers!!! - won't somebody think of the lawyers

This big rush between the games is strange. It's a World Championship, couldn't they have a half-hour break?
Maybe they are eating too many caviar sandwiches between the games and Ilyumzhinov doesn't like that.

rdh you're so full of it, it aint even funny. play one game one-on-one first.

The whole idea of having quick chess games determine "The World Champion" just shows how low chess has fallen in respectability and common sense.

Where do I get free games relayed? FIDE/worldchess seems to be down.

Thanks,
Kapalik

http://worldchess2006.com/main.asp?id=1132

Congrats to Kramnik on Game 2!! That was a beautiful thing to see.

'play one game one-on-one first' - bit rich coming from a Topa fan, surely, d?

lol @ Nigel S! Boy oh boy what a match!

I am unable to log onto the above link, so I have been using twic site:
http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html#news525

You can click on Live viewer, PGN...

You will have to reload the page yourself, and its usually 3 or 4 moves come at once. Not best, but it works.

http://www.worldchess2006.com/main.asp?id=1137

nothing to do with being a fan of anybody rdh. Going on yur chess comments, I find it hard to belive you're anything but a beginner. But then again, going on your excruciating legal arguments, I dind it hard to believe you have anything but an interlaw degree. Oh and feel free to employ your favourite tactic of coming out with blather when you dont have anything to say.

internet law degree.

rdh,

I hold out some hope there will be a last game in this match at some point. Whether it's rapid or blitz is another question.

"First thing we do is kill all the lawyers."
--come on, who can tell me the play and character, be specific

Ach, I've heard it before, I know that. Was it actually in English?

Easy with google: Shakespeare's Henry VI

The character: “Dick The Butcher".

Speaking of butchering, Kramnik's position looks very sound in game 3.

Computer cheating knows no boundaries, evidently....

Good job I didn't guess. I was about to say Brecht!

Do you think, by the way? I was thinking we were getting a bit smug; I'm not wild about Black's position myself. Didn't Tarrasch say something about knights on b6?

Tarrasch is dead.

Well, maybe Kramnik's position isn't that solid anymore.

Isn't it a wee bit scandalous that they can't get the live transmission to work even for a game as historic as this one?

Can someone provide the moves for the games here since CB sucks?

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Be2 Nbd7 8.
O-O Bd6 9. g3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Be2 O-O 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. e4 e5 14. f4
exd4 15. Qxd4 Qe7 16. Kg2 Bc5 17. Qd3 Rad8 18. Qc2 Bd4 19. e5 Nfd5 20. Rf3
Nxc3 21. bxc3 Bc5 22. Bd2 Rd7 23. Re1 Rfd8 24. Bd3 Qe6 25. Bc1 f5 26. Qe2
Kf8 27. Rd1 Qe7 28. h4 Rd5 29. Qc2 Nc4

30. Rh1 Na3 31. Qe2 Qd7 32. Rd1 b5 33. g4

30. Rh1 Na3 31. Qe2 Qe7 32. Rd1 b5 33. g4

Kramnik is winning as far as I can see.

33...fxg4 34.Rg3
Sirocco, I don't see the winning line yet. For Black, that is.

The board, the board, the board is on fire.
We don't need no water... :)

Well, this got crazy quickly. Call Garry, Mig.
I am sure he'd be consfused by this one :)

Even computers cant agree with one another and these guys are playing blitz!

Assuming he can solve the problem of the e pawn, and that seems to be a challenge. He'll soon be in time trouble.

33...fxg4 34.Rg3

Topalov: 9:20
Kramnik 5:40

But that's a couple of minutes old

34...Ke7 35.f5 gxf5 36.Bg5+ Ke8 37.e6

the key to Kramnik's advantage is that white's bishop d3 is pinned by Alekhine's gun on the d-file

any computer evaluation yet? fide site appears to be down

At the position I get (49. Rf3), Topalov has a won game, it seems.

I guess there is some starving nomad Kirsan has forgotten to rob blind in order to finance decent server capacity.

What a magnificent sport we're having.

37...Qd6 38.Bxf5 Rxd1 39.Bg6+ Kf8 40.e7+ Qxe7 41.Bxe7 Bxe7 42.Bd3 Ra1 43.Qb2 Rd1 44.Qe2 Ra1 45.Qxg4 Rxa2+ 46.Kh3 Bf6 47.Qe6

The bishop is what?

I just wanted to use the phrase buttock clenching somewhere. God this match is tense.

47...Rd2 48 Bg6 R2d7

The Bishop lives. Hard (for me) to see Kramnik surviving this one since it's Blitz and the light squares are loosey goosey.

The King is not dead yet :)

Go, Topa, we want his blood!

49.Rf3 b4 50.h5

48. Bg6 R2d7

Yup, Topalov has it now. How did Kramnik squander that?

I guess Kramnik resigned due to h pawn push.

Kramnik resigns.

If the pattern continues, of having White and winning, Kramnik's draw in the 1st game would have been critical.

Alekhine's gun = Q+R+R, wrong order there. /pedant.

Zee dynamic potential of zee bishop pair, ja.

If the pattern continues, of having White and winning, Kramnik's draw in the 1st game would have been critical.

I was about to congratulate Kramnik and his fans on a well deserved championship a few minutes ago, but now it has to wait...

Unfortunately, I have to take my son to school...

D.

Henry the VI part II, bear. And yes, computer cheating knows no bounds.

Forget school DImi, your son will get an education right here!

DImi, why don't you let the poor kid stay home on this historic day.

Geez, can't your son have the day off?

omigawd, this guy Topalov can play. Some tough moves to find in that attack. precise move order required as well. hung on to the B pair like the crown jewels, and spanked Kramnik hard.

Poll: When is better to play: after a win or with white pieces?

Tarrasch lives. That b6 knight never figured.

yeah, I think that was more like Zinger's gun. It worked here about as well as it does in my games. ;)

You know, if you forget about all the other stuff, this is truly great sport. Topalov - Kramnik is a classic no one will ever forget!

Who wants a rematch? I sure do!

Grudge match for the chess championship of the world... in the white corner, the one, the only, Vladddyyy... Kramnik!

In the black corner, coached by the forces of evil, the Beast from the East, Vesssyyy.... Topalov!

Bring 'em back please, this is great stuff!

Yeah, I think that was Zinger's gun. It seemed to work here about as well as it does in my games. ;)

Game4 starting.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3

no, 4. Nc3

The FIDE server is back up. Interesting game, both guys playing aggressively. Which of course means they will both lose.

Great show so far. If only the servers could take the load and relay the moves :(

Thanks to all those who provided alternate links.

Having such lousy servers for the world championship! I guess all the money was spent on the security etc.

Kapalik

ps: What is the gap between games? One game seems to be starting right after another. Don't they need any break?

Remember, Kapalik: chess is now officially a sport.

10 minutes, isn't it?

Queenless middlegame, looks equalish. Blitz here we come. Steinitz would have loved it.

Doesn't the bishop pair give Kramnik a slight edge?

The bishop pair's only good if your opponent doesn't have one too, Kapalik, or is your server ahead of mine? (after Bf1)

Yes it does, but Topalov equalizes with his own bishop pair.

Flashbacks to Khanty-Mansiysk anyone? Déjà vu all over again...

I wonder if this fiasco will have consequences for anyone? In any other human activity I can think of, people would get fired.

[Event "Wch T/B"]
[Site "Elista RUS"]
[Date "2006.10.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "GM Kramnik, Vladimir (RUS)"]
[Black "GM Topalov, Veselin (BUL)"]
[Result "*"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Xmas"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2006.09.21"]
[EventType "match (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[TimeControl "1500+10"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2
Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5
15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1 Na4 21.
Rab1 *

rdh: Where are you watching the games? Is it game 3 or 4 now? Thanks.

Mig, eval?

rdh, at the time I posted white bishops were better positioned and active. After the retreat by white, it seems the other way round. With the Knight attack added, Black looks better to me.

Kapalik

White marginally better

white wins with basically what amounts to extra q-side pawn better rook mobility more critically sharper initiative

How was 19..Ne4

on the main site, ryan - sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

Oy, Rab1, big shot. Black has to be a bit careful now maybe? Either he's thinking a long time or the server's down again.

Language, I think, kapalik. In English we only talk about a bishop pair if the opponent doesn't have two bishops.

Why can't Topalov take the bishop in A3?

I can just imagine the scenario, they play blitz, live coverage loses the position completely and then we're suddenly involved someone is champion....

TWIC mirror site gives 21...Be4 22.Rb3

Bxa3 23.Rxa3 Nc5 24.Nb3

24...Ke7

1.d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1 Na4 21. Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 25. Rd4

Slight edge for Kramnik but I expect a draw.

Official site stuck on Rab1,
TWIC has
21. Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 *
Hope I’m wrong but this is headed for a draw
Hey Jeff, havent heard or read anything from you in a while, where are your charming articles?

1.d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1 Na4 21. Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 25. Rd4 Bg6 26. c4

During game 4 somebody on PlayChess said that Kramnik is playing for 3 results: win, draw, or lawsuit!
:-)

What's the time left for each?

Thanks, never heard "charming" before! I should have an article on Chessbase about age-based improvement (esp. Topalov's recent rise) in about a week. Gotta write it first...

I think the FIDE site is still messed up. I can
get on, but from what I can tell the moves
are being delayed.

With 10 minutes left for both:
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8.
Be2 Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5
Nxc5 15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1
Na4 21. Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 25. Rd4 Bg6 26. c4
Rc6 27. Nxc5 Rxc5 28. Rxa6 Rb8 29. Rd1 Rb2 30. Ra7+ Kf6

ok, this looks like the kind of position that Kramnik squeezes and squeezes and Topalov finally cracks. Solid pawn up. Endgame maestro at work again.

31 Ra1 on the site

Official site is back after refresh on move 31, 10 min each

what's with the friggin' FIDE page? This is like a blackout during the last seconds of superbowl...
Thank's for the updates, Russianbear!

31. Ra1 Rf5 32. f3Re5 33. Ra3

+1.5 shredder

Please, don't let this go to blitz. Finish him already, Vlad.

Looking forward to it, sounds like an interesting read. Do you talk about Blackbourne and O’Kelly?

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8.
Be2 Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5
Nxc5 15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1
Na4 21. Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 25. Rd4 Bg6 26. c4
Rc6 27. Nxc5 Rxc5 28. Rxa6 Rb8 29. Rd1 Rb2 30. Ra7+ Kf6 31. Ra1 Rf5 32. f3
Re5 33. Ra3 Rc2 34. Rb3 Ra5 35. a4 Ke7 36. Rb5 Ra7

+1.8 Shredder

world of chess requires better anticipation of spike events like these otherwise will lose critical mass required to rises above marginal dot cannot get live feed with all the technology available today zero excuse

Kramnik winning after all??!

oh well, congrats to all sane Kramnik fans, Topa had his chance, and was found wanting.. This is the time for Topalov and his team to be gracious. Lets hope they find it in them.

37 a5 Kd6 38 a6 Kc7 39 c5 Rc3

It's not like it's over yet though.

Looks like after the fireworks of game 3, Topalov was left without a spark. Pity to lose the match like this.

31...Rc8 followed by ... Rcb8 and ...Rb1 looked good enough for Black to me.

Can Krammy get his King in the game?

are we watching the same game? This is far from over. Check the way Leko, Gelfand etc. can patch up and hold endgames like this...

KRAMNIK WINS!!!! YESSSSS!!!!!

What a silly move of Topalov and his team: if he gave back the point and played Game 5, all would have considered him a true sportsman, had it even cost him the match and the title. Now if he loses, he is left with no title and what a reputation.

40. Raa5 Rc1 41. Rb3 Kc6 42. Rb6+ Kc7 43. Kf2 Rc2+ 44. Ke3 Rxc5 ?? 45.Rb7+ !

Seems like 1-0.

What a silly move of Topalov and his team: if he gave back the point and played Game 5, all would have considered him a true sportsman, had it even cost him the match and the title. Now if he loses, he will be left with no title and what a reputation.

Thank God!!! Chess lives...!!

Kramnik is 6-5 in classic chess, and 2,5-1,5 - in rapids!!!
Topa can go to hell!!!!

Polgar says Tpy hung his rook!?

40. Raa5 Rc1 41. Rb3 Kc6 42. Rb6+ Kc7 43. Kf2 Rc2+ 44. Ke3 Rxc5 ?? 45.Rb7+ !

1-0.

Kramnik! The true champion!

Officially 1-0?

Hurray! What a great ending! Justice has prevailed! :-)

[Event "Wch T/B"]
[Site "Elista RUS"]
[Date "2006.10.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "GM Kramnik, Vladimir (RUS)"]
[Black "GM Topalov, Veselin (BUL)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Xmas"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2006.09.21"]
[EventType "match (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[TimeControl "1500+10"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2
Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5
15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1 Na4 21.
Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 25. Rd4 Bg6 26. c4 Rc6 27. Nxc5
Rxc5 28. Rxa6 Rb8 29. Rd1 Rb2 30. Ra7+ Kf6 31. Ra1 Rf5 32. f3 Re5 33. Ra3 Rc2
34. Rb3 Ra5 35. a4 Ke7 36. Rb5 Ra7 37. a5 Kd6 38. a6 Kc7 39. c5 Rc3 40. Raa5
Rc1 41. Rb3 Kc6 42. Rb6+ Kc7 43. Kf2 Rc2+ 44. Ke3 Rxc5 45. Rb7+ 1-0

Kramnik! The true champion!

Topa played most interesting chess. His wins were more interesting than VK's.

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that justice I smell?

Say it ain't so!

Congratulations to the World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik. Per aspera ad astra!

perhaps kramnik should insist on playing blitz and armageddon too, so that he can win in all four time controls

Congratulations to Vladimir Kramnik.

He won the Classical part of the match 3-2 and the rapid part 2-1.

40. Raa5 Rc1 41. Rb3 Kc6 42. Rb6+ Kc7 43. Kf2 Rc2+ 44. Ke3 Rxc5 ?? 45.Rb7+ !

1-0.

Kramnik! The true champion!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to Vladimir Kramnik, the reigning Unified World Chess Champion!!!!!! Yes. :) I'm so happy.

Hope the unification works so we all can win. Congrats to Kramnik! He is doing a better job filling the big shoes than I thought he would.

Toilets are flushing in celebration all over the chess world. Yeehaw!!!

Is that justice I smell?

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik - World Chess Champion!!!

Kramnik should call on FIDE to include Topalov in the Mexico WC. Then he would be a true gentleman.

Hopefuly all you nuts will stop talking of Topalov using Computer aid!!! Do you need more proof against???

I can't see any of the tie break games at worldchess2006.com
I guess the site is swamped.

Who won?

I expect he will. As a Candidates tournament.

Congrats to both players for a helluva brawl!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Karma.

Toilets are flushing in celebration all over the chess world. Yeehaw!!!

I'm still a huge fan of the chess that Topalov plays and the way that he is trying to make chess at the top level interesting, but I think this result is something of a relief and can only be the right result, given the shenanigans in this match! Well done Kramnik!

"Win with White" was the theme of the tiebreaks. In retrospect, the Topa's first game draw was very costly.

Kramnik wins the 4th rapid game and is the new FIDE World Chess Champion :-)

Congrats Vladimir!

"Toilets are flushing in celebration all over the chess world..."

Unfortunatly the flashing will never clean Topalov - Danailov reputations - LOSERS !!!

Congratulations to Vladimir Kramnik.

He won the Classical part of the match 3-2 and the rapid part 2-1.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

A few thoughts:

- This tidies up the Kirsan mess since the first WCh in Groningen. The title went Fischer-Karpov-Kasparov-Kramnik. All those FIDE guys have now gone the way of the Avignon Popes.

- Kramnik has come out of this not only with an undisputed claim on the world title, but with a huge legion of fans that he never had before. He really became a sympathetic character in all of this, and comes across as a real good guy.

- Topalov lost EVERYTHING here. He lost his reputation, both matches (6-5 in Slow and 2.5-1.5 in Rapid, and maybe should have done worse in the latter), and lost the match against Radjabov. Utter disaster for him. He also really lost his fan base, which sees him as a rentless jerk (to be fair, most of that vitriol should go to Danailov). What's amazing is that Topalov never heeded the warning that Danailov made loud and clear when he cost Ponomariov a massive payday.

This is a good day for chess. We finally have a chance.

By the way, those that have a forfeit loss are now 2-0 in WCh matches. Maybe this is a good strategy? :)

Now that the title is unified, when does Nigel Short call Kramnik up with a proposal to start a new chess organization? Or should we just wait until he doesn't play in Mexico.

Oh, right, happy thoughts now, sorry. Yay!

I can't see any of the tie break games at worldchess2006.com
I guess the site is swamped.

Who won?

Both the official site, as well as Chessbase site are not working.

Yes. BIG SIGH (of relief)!!! Chess unification happened!

And fair play triumphed.

Now, let's hope Mexico officially becomes a qualifier for a World Championship match, and we have a new solid cycle... ;-))

"Jihadis" 1 "Fans" 0

Congratulations to Kramnik- I'm very happy that he won, both for the conduct during the match and the hope that we get more classic matches like this.

Fair play to both players- they both have balls this big... I thought Topalov's win in game 3 showed the highest character, but Kramnik kept his cool in game 4.

Hope that Kramnik allows Topalov in to the Mexico event and that Topalov realises the folly of his team's actions.

But we still have FIDE to screw everything up...

With this match Topalov lost both the title and the sympathy of the chess world he had.
Probably the most difficult months of his life are ahead of him. I wish him strenght to overcome the losses, and to get rid of Danailov for good.

I guess we will not be talking about Topalov cheating using computer aid anymore I hope!!!

Mig,

How about allowing fifteen minutes for celebration before we worry about your Mexico event?

Prediction - Kramnik will not play in Mexico next year FIDE WC - will find some lame excuse as usual. Kirsan will include Topalov instead. Topalov will win it and everything will be back to square one. We'll have a sequel (as in old good days Karpov-Korchnoy, Kasparov-Karpov).

THE RIGHT GUY WON !!!

Kramnik is 6-5 in classic chess, and 2,5-1,5 - in rapids!!!
Topa can go to hell!!!!

God I'm so happy.

Poor Topalov: after lost slow match, rapid match, world title, reputation, now may be he is going to loose his manager too.

"PleaseComeBackGary" sniped me by about 2 minutes - I was about to write exactly the same thing! :-)

"Toilets are flushing in celebration all over the chess world..."

Unfortunatly the flashing will never clean Topalov - Danailov reputations - LOSERS !!!

Chessbase.com doesn't work. It is the first time i've seen that.

Neither do chesspro.ru and 64.ru.

Of all the places I visit, only Mig's server is up :)

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

karma. justice. smug smile whiper. The gods of chess are just stoked. Topalov dont even get a number (Karpov 12, Kaspy 13, Kramnik 14, Carlsen 15)

Great for Kramnik, terrible for Topalov. I guess he would be happy to have Leko's status now.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Prediction - Kramnik will not play in Mexico next year FIDE WC - will find some lame excuse as usual. Kirsan will include Topalov instead. Topalov will win it and everything will be back to square one. We'll have a sequel (as in old good days Karpov-Korchnoy, Kasparov-Karpov).

Posted by: PleaseComeBackGary at October 13, 2006 11:15

At it already, Marca? ;-)

John F, I think you hit the nail on the head. I was completely in Topalov's corner prior to the match.

Ice on board!

"PleaseComeBackGary" sniped me by about 2 minutes - I was about to write exactly the same thing! :-) Except that rather than editorializing it as a lame excuse, I would call it "calm positional play" - "I won the WC title in a match with Kasparov and I have now defended it against Leko and Topalov. Let me know when you come up with another challenger!" :-)

Typical: imaginative, insightful post by John Fernandez vs. spiteful, petty post by Mig. Sometimes I dream John had his own blog (and I wasn't addicted to Mig's)!!

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Fide is in denial saying Topalov won the tiebreaks 2.5-1.5. See:

http://www.worldchess2006.com/main.asp?id=918

Only one thing to disagree with there, JFern. Ponomariov got paid for the non-match with Kasparov. So there was no lesson for Topalov to learn, other than perhaps the guy was a genius. Heck, he got him a free point here. So three cheers for karma and a tiny slice of justice in a cruel world.

Vladimir Kramnik
Classical and Rapid Chess Champion of the World
Last, not least, a good human being too!

Hurray for The New Only World Champion!

And congrats for topalov, for the fighting games !

Hah, you're right, Mig. Totally forgot about that point. It probably cost him a lot of money long-term, though. He's not been the same since.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Congratulations to Vladimir Kramnik. A great personality and a true World Champion! May Caissa smile upon You.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Fide is in denial saying Topalov won the tiebreaks 2.5-1.5. See:

http://www.worldchess2006.com/main.asp?id=918
Posted by: MSC at October 13, 2006 11:21

Well, in that case it's finally appropriate that their lousy site is down...

Whatever is this FIDE anyway? A conspiracy to make, say, the Bush administration look good by comparison?

MSC is right - in the link given, FIDE indeed seems to claim that Topalov won.

I really believe that the psychological burden of the unearned point is not worth it.
Obviously Toppy had the right to grab it, but it
was a poisoned pawn. Too much baggage.

I predict that if something similar ever happens again, the next guy will be too smart to accept the forfeit.

John Fernandez-

Nicely done!

Mig,

Any views on the numbers of visitors to your site/unique contributors to the blog etc in Elista vs San Luis - I get the impression that the match gets far bigger coverage but I was travelling around S. America at the time, so didn't follow it beyond picking up results.

Cheers,
Al

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Kirsan and FIDE must be relieved at the turn of events. A lawsuit was the last thing they wanted.

Kapalik

Despite the fact Kramnik never behaved like a world champion between 2001 and prior to this match, he got a deserved victory here and I hope he will be willing to play on, instead of hiding from playing because of his status. Congratulations and I hope he really acts in pro of unification of chess, instead of lame excuses.

For Topalov, thanks to him for exciting chess, sorry for all the things were done in his name and the unfair accusations (people accusing him of computer cheating) he received. Given that his actions and the ones of his manager are not things to be proud of, hopefully he can recover his health, his image and continue, as the world highest rated player, willing to play on and hopefully get a second chance...

Blame to all the biased media and thanks to Mig for this space.

Also, Mark C, do you have any comments about traffic for St Luis vs Elista?

Congrats to Kramnik, a unified world champion after a long time. Hope he doesn't screw up like Kaspy did in 93 and keeps it unified.

Kapalik

"Thanks" to Danailov and the FIDE clowns for providing Kramnik a chance to show his character.

Cheating accusations, videotapes leaked to the opposition, a bizarre appeals committee decision, last-second protests, press releases, a forfeited game.

And a relaxed and confident Kramnik jokes about suing because his TV doesn't get the Russia-Israel futbol game!

Will these rapid games rated by FIDE?

I hope Kramnik now tells FIDE to bite him and splits and keeps classical/match tradition alive. FIDE has shown its complete incompetence and it would be a travesty if they got control of the title - the real, Classical title.

Russianbear: Though a unified title is very important, I agree with you that it is more important that the classical title be protected from tournament play. Every world champion must dethrone his predecessor.

Chesspro.ru is now up and they have a couple of pictures on the frontpage. I can't believe how relaxed Kramnik looked during drawing of colors.

Will Topalov now play the scheduled WC Match with Radjabov or will Kramnik play instead?

Oh, this is precious. From the FIDE match homepage:

"Dear Chess Friends,

Match is over. Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) won."

And that's it. No congratulations, no cheers, no nothing. Two pouty little sentences. It's hilarious. Pout pout pout.

I think it is a good time for Amazon.com to raise prices on book on Slav defence.

Veselin was better, but what can we do..... Still, goo Veselin!

I think the chess of Topalov is so exciting he can redeem himself. But he'll need to sack his manager and apologize profusely for the actions of Dainalov and his backing of his actions.

Like John Fernandez says, with just one stupid complaint Topalov loses fans and Kramnik gains them and is seen as the savior of the championship by continuing to play after such an obscene ruling, and in fact winning to put an iron-clad lock on unification.

However there are still troubled-waters ahead. FIDE shows once again they are incapable. Also match structure itself seems problematical. Since 1972 we've had too many matches surrounded by such extraneous b.s. that distract from the chess. Matches seem much more pre-disposed to this sort of thing than tournaments. Without a strong and fair governing body one participant can walk from a match and leave a schism in the championship. Whereas in any sport with a legitimate governing body when one team doesn't show up, nobody questions the loss, so you rarely see it happen.

But those are concerns for tomorrow, today is a day to bask in the reflection of a just result. Maybe not the best result for exciting chess, but over all the best result for organized chess for this moment.

Kramnik tied match with Leko, tied match with Topalov before the tiebreak. The only match he won against Gary where he was not qualified through the cycle but rather hand picked by Gary. And he denied him right for rematch (imagine Eiwe deny Alekhine rematch!). So, all he can claim now is to be ripid-chess World Champion!
I may sound bitter but life sucks - the wrong guy won again. I would imagine next match with Kramnik will be like in famous surreal movie "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie" by Luis Bunuel - where guest sit at the toilets at the dining table. That what Kramnik should use instead of his chair for the next match - and no need to run to restroom...

Kramnik has just proven what we've known since long before the 1993 split: There has only been one "real" world champion (Kasparov then Kramnik) and one "real" lineage. There have been many FIDE pretenders. The charade is over.

Give it up, PCBG. Noone's interested. Go cry into the pillow.

Hey MSC,

If you still have the FIDE match news item in your cache, from that URL you posted, it would be funny to look at. I suspect it will be nowhere to be found now on their site. They probably had news items ready for both eventualities and just posted the wrong one, perhaps over-optimistic about their champion... :-)

New KKRRRRrrrrrramnik Wins! item up to move on from the long game thread here.

Euwe said it himself – he didn’t give Alekhine a rematch through any generosity of spirit; he did it because there was a rematch clause in the contract he signed. What he wanted was to bring the title within FIDE, but he felt it would be unfair to Alekhine to do so before the rematch.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Thanks, guys.

My point in all of this is that the personal and the political in chess are for the most part sickening and horrible. It's more or less the reason that I don't do stuff in chess anymore.

That being said, I LOVE the game, and the fact is that nearly everyone else feels the same way - they'll love the games (if good quality), and the players who play it. That being said, people don't forget these incidents. Heck, Alekhine is still seen as a rather dark figure in Chess because of the Capablanca situation (and the occasional Nazi thing). Karpov is still tainted by being the "Communist-backed guy". Kasparov is still a massively polarizing force.

Topalov had always been respected for his play, and he had a bit of a reputation as someone who lost some brilliant games in his career. In the void created by Kasparov's absence, he really stormed onto the stage in San Luis. Topalov spoke ON the board, not off of it (and when he did, he wasn't stirring up poo-storms). But now, what does he look like? Well, he seems like a very bad loser (hard to remember that 4 games in this match looked totally over 3-1), who made some blatantly stupid claims (going to the toilet too much? Having a 70-something percent Fritz match? {All the more galling considering TOPALOV has been the one most accused of perhaps getting some "computer help}). Just look at how this match can be portrayed:

Games 1-4: Kramnik lets Topalov Bugs Bunny himself and build up a 3-1 lead.
Game 5: Topalov cheats, and Kramnik, in a rightful protest, loses a game.
Games 6-7: Kramnik plays his 2nd and 3rd (!!) consecutive black, holding with all 3. This proves Kramnik's ability and superiority, as well as his ability to cope with pressure.
Games 8-9: Kramnik finally cracks under the huge pressure of being in the right.
Game 10: Kramnik ferociously comes back and heroically ties the match.
Games 11-12: It looks like Topalov gets the worst end of two games, as Kramnik once again shows his superiority.

The tiebreaks also were pretty ugly for Topalov too, except for game 3.

Gone is the breathtaking chess that Topalov showed in San Luis and in other major events this year, but he's just been exposed as a massive crybaby and whiner.

Kramnik, on the other hand, has been more or less quiet, not made any personal insults, and just played.

Now THAT gets you the respect of chess fans worldwide.

I don't care what Kasparov says :)

Topalov's lack of match experience ultimately did him in.
He will be back next year in Mexico.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Well, by current rules, there is no spot for Topalov in Mexico. But Mig hinted that FIDE will push him in. Let's wait and see..

Topalov will come back. I hope he will take it like a sportsman.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

The match is tied, 6:6. How can you call a guy winning 2.5:1.5 rapids a world champion?

--Posted by: kozyr at October 13, 2006 11:11

Because that is what they both agreed to.

Absolutely, John F.
The one way to win respect is to stay calm and quiet - in the midst of ridiculous accusations.

Topalov, for sure, plays extraordinary chess but doesn't understand first thing about PR. What a shame!

Congratulations to Mr. Kramnik, the new FIDE titleholder, on a great performance in the rapids! He has won the match according to the rules.

I regret there was all the arguing during the match about possible technology interference during the games, but the issues were important and remain so, both in the context of interpreting the result of this match and for future matches. While these issues were formally settled during the match and the two sides agreed to continue, the basic issues were not resolved and it should be done better in the future. I've made a couple suggestions during the match that I think are fair and dignified while promoting greater security. This is in the interest of the game and the best player, whoever that may be in a given event.

Mexico City is a WC tournament, not a Candidate's tournament. Imagine the arrogance of Kramnik or his side, now trying to alter the terms of the FIDE title he has won and put roadblocks in the way of his legitimate competitors. And I hope Topalov can enter the tournament too as one of those competitors in the current cycle. Excluding the unsuccessful challenger from the last cycle (in this case, the former champion!) makes no sense.

Topalov has always had the harder battle and nobody ever gave him a break. He rose to win the FIDE title in convincing fashion. I wish he could have won today but that's fate. I'm still a big fan of his. I prefer his style of chess and his personal style as well.

Thanks Veselin for the great performance. You delivered what you promised: inspiring, entertaining chess!

David Quinn,

What component of Topalov's personal style most endears you to him? Was it his statement disdaining a match with someone rated 70 points below him? Or was it his kicking back and relaxing while his manager slimed the opponent and turned the match into circus?

Well, when you've already got so many clowns, opening a circus is just good sense.