In what apparently was not intended to be yet another open letter, Gata Kamsky nevertheless provided his personal take on the latest FIDE organizational train wreck.
(Quick contest: Homepage bold-type glory to the best comment to finish this SAT question: "FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what _____ is to _____." E.g. "what a crocodile is to a nest of baby ducks." or "..what Mig is to grammar.") [I'll call it for tomohawk with "FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Hummers are to the environment." Sounds about right. Destructive and almost exclusively for the rich and oblivious to the greater good. Honorable mention to Lakejen, a fellow member of the new dad club, for "FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what a newborn baby is to nightly sleeping - There's a lot less of it, the little there is is much harder to come by and you appreciate it twice as much when you do manage to get some - yet you never feel completely satisfied."]
Kamsky's email was sent from Almaty where he just finished in the middle of the pack at the World Blitz Championship. (Sensationally won by Lenier Dominguez; more on that in a bit.) ChessBase has put the missive up for all to see, while also providing the back story of correspondence from the USCF board to FIDE and blessedly ignoring the sniping that went on amongst the board members. The meat from Kamsky:
Throughout the negotiations with my managers, FIDE did nothing to find a sponsor on their own, despite the fact that it was solely FIDE's decision to create this match, and thus to allow Mr. Topalov a backdoor into the final steps of the qualification proceedings for the world championship title, quite unfairly, I might add.
FIDE's entire purpose, for chess players, for fairness, has been changed into a special interest group organization and I personally believe that any negotiations with FIDE rulers or tsars, or whatever you like to call them, will be unsuccessful.
The time for the negotiation is over and the only way to fight FIDE is to expose their mistakes, and perhaps fight them in a court of law if and when FIDE broke the law. Therefore, I would respectfully request all USCF Board members to unite and find ways to make sure that justice and fairness will prevail.
That last paragraph does not bode well for this match ever taking place. It's not as if there's someone with $300K sitting around waiting to sponsor this match. As Kamsky points out, FIDE dug itself into this pit by foisting this superfluous match on the chess world. The situation wasn't helped by Kamsky's manager (?) Chernenko going on about $750K offers from Ukraine, either. Why would FIDE look for a sponsor if Chernenko told them there already was one? It's almost like Kamsky is saying, "surely you should have realized my manager is a pathological liar and tried to find a real sponsor!"
Jokes aside, here's a brief timeline: The original $150K Bulgarian bid was accepted on February 11, 2008, with a deadline of April 11 for a better offer to come in. $150K was the original announced minimum prize fund, given in June 2007 when Topalov's parachute drop into the cycle was announced. $250K was given as the minimum to "raise" with an alternative bid, after which the Bulgarians would have the chance to match it. On April 9, 2008 FIDE extended that deadline without explanation to April 23, over the protests of the Bulgarian federation. Just two days later, well-connected Russian chess journalist Yury Vassiliev reported a $750K offer from Lvov, Ukraine, and confirmed it in mid-May. (In his announcement, Vassiliev quotes Kasparov as saying it was a "pipe dream" such money existed for this match and that it would disappear "like a soap bubble." I really hoped he was wrong.) Nothing official was heard from FIDE for weeks, until on June 1 Ilyumzhinov issued his now famous guarantee of the Lvov match.
[Prior to that, ICC's Macauley Peterson, in Sofia for the Mtel tournament with Topalov and Kamsky in May, wrote this excellent investigative piece in Chess Life Online on Chernenko and the entire bid. Don't tell me I have to start reading CLO for useful information!]
Since then we've had monthly non-updates and complaints with the match still scheduled to begin at the end of November. FIDE has now formally tossed the ball back to the Bulgarians, insisting on a $250K minimum prize fund with a $50K FIDE chaser instead of the $150K the Bulgarians put on the table in February. Only FIDE could spend nine months doing nothing but chasing bubbles and then come back with soap on their faces to ask for $100,000 more than they were asking before from the same people. They expect the Bulgarians to outbid themselves? I'd love to have FIDE bidding on my Ebay auctions. "I offer $20! No, $30!" Nuts.
So the relevant questions are: 1) Will the Bulgarians come up with the extra $100K and accept the bid? 2) Is Kamsky just playing hardball to maximize his leverage or will he really refuse to play in Bulgaria? I don't recall seeing anything about the players having veto rights on the venue. If FIDE could be sued for incompetence it would have gone bankrupt long ago. FIDE's new ultimata seem to be in the wrong order. It's a), c), b), obviously. Or do they really expect the players to agree to play in something that doesn't even exist yet? Who in their right mind would sign a piece of FIDE paper with the rest of it to be filled in later?
GM Shirov: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to eliminate GM Topalov....
FIDE: My anti-drug.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what George bush is to the bill of rights.
"FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Jail is to Monopoly." Nobody likes it, you wonder what it's really there for, and it gets used completely oppositely of its intentions after all the properties have been taken. Yet it can't just be done away with, it's a key power to the game, and it could in theory be much worse.
Surely Kamsky is 'superfluous' to any WC competition? He'd get crushed by Anand/ Kramnik/ Topalov level of player.
"FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Sarah Palin is to Electing a President."
You are quite right comme. That is why the world championship cycle is being abolished and the title will be held by the spirit of the immortal Capablaca for eternity. Also with your innovation, games in chess tournaments themselves become superfluous - just award the point to the higher-rated player!
> Yury Vassiliev reported a $750K offer from >Lvov, Ukraine, and confirmed it in mid-May.
>Nothing official was heard from FIDE for weeks, >until on June 1 Ilyumzhinov issued his now >famous guarantee of the Lvov match.
FIDE match May-June 2008
Kirsan-Chernenko 0-1
Chernenko the 9th-FIDE-President !
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is to Bessel Kok what
Obama Barack Hussein is John McCain, i.e.
elected FIDE president by a landslide.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what the Anti-Doping Agency is to track and field records.
Congrats to Dominguez on his blitz win. He has a very interesting sharp playing style; hopefully he will continue his triumphs. Polgar got 2.5/15 and dead last. Haven't seen her play too much in recent years, looks like it's hurting her! Has she the ambition for a resurgence?
I know you wont like this one ,but IMHO:
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what USA is to Cuba.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Topalov-Danailov is to chess sportsmanship...
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Homer Simpson is to Bart Simpson.
FIDE: "Why I ought to...!"
professional chess players: "Ack! Ack!"
This match won`t happen !
Yeap, Kamsky can sue FIDE mismanagment. The problem is to find a neutral court strong enough to say NO to an international association protect by an influent head of State.
There is no doubt at home about his damaged rights, but in this case the plaintiff would go vs. USCF, the legal authorized branch of FIDE, which, by the way, does not make any sense, for USCF is backing him right now.
Howewer, if he proofs USCF acted as FIDE warranter, then the local court path for fight is clear and his his chances are no small.
If a proper international court is found, the demand won´t prosper too long due the lack of specific international statutes to protect him.
Fide´s letter assuring the ill fate match in Ukraine, could not be easily transformed in a sort of legal tender, a necessary liability granting Kamsky strong legal protection.
Topalov´s team created in Elista a lot of over the board problems during the match. As we can see, they´ve learned a lot, and started creating problems well before the match, just to make Kamsky quit without playing a single game.
^Stronger is the general who wins without
fighting ^
( Art of war - Sun Tzu, ancient Chinese author )
Being a (very) new dad I've gotta go with this one:
"Fide is to professional chess sponsorship what a newborn baby is to nightly sleeping - There's a lot less of it, the little there is is much harder to come by and you appreciate it twice as much when you do manage to get some - yet you never feel completely satisfied"
@Holent:
It is clear that Topalov´s side want to play the match and Kamsky is exercising his new degree.
And besides , dont you forget that FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Rustam is to Gata.
:)
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Hummers are to environmentalism.
FIDE is to professional sponsorship what a bankrupt is to his debts.
g
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Putin is to Democracy.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is to Larisa Yudina.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Daily Dirt is to the FIDE website.
FIDE is to chess what Krista Allen is to 2001: A Space Odyssey
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what Kalmykian horse-trading is to public accountability.
No, wait. The horse-trading is bad enough, but what's even worse from a potential sponsor's point of view: If they don't like your offer, instead of a polite "Thank you for your efforts", you may end up being publicly accused and insulted.
Help me out here...
Kamsky is upset that HIS MANAGER LIED about sponsorship and now he wants to sue FIDE???
It is like the kid who kills his parents and complains about being an orphan.
I hate to say anything nice about FIDE but their one crime here seems to be not spotting Chernenko
as a nut case from the start. And how did Kamsky not notice?
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what MTV is to music.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what KFC is to chicken.
Agreed on all assessments of FIDE. But let's not overlook the "US Chess Federation" typically making themselves a laughing stock by the public bickering between S. Polgar and B. Goichberg. What a farce.
>Kamsky is upset that HIS MANAGER LIED about >sponsorship and now he wants to sue FIDE???
>It is like the kid who kills his parents and >complains about being an orphan.
Kamsky is to fairness what Chernenko is to sponsorship.
To Stephen Gordon: It's reasonable to assume that Kamsky himself would have nothing to gain from a phantom bid.
FIDE ratified the Ukraine bid, and Kirsan personally "guaranteed" the bid. Both Kamsky and Kirsan may have exercised poor judgment, but Kirsan is the only one proposing to weasel out of his contractual obligations.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what a politician is to Democracy.
Can't live them, can't live without them. If FIDE were to disappear today, what will happen to Professional Chess?
I found it hilarious that Susan Polgar deplored all these open letters flying about by ... sending an open letter herself :)
To paraphrase Clemenceau, chess is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
FWIW, my crystal ball says that FIDE is going to appoint Topalov as the challenger for Anand in 2009. The rights of the world cup winner will then range from being crowned FIDE World Champion (Khalifman, Kasimdzhanov) to no rights at all (Kamsky).
Anyone else want to post prognoses?
We are organizing a competition for the most correct prognosis. The prize is guaranteed by Kirsan.
In keeping with tradition, FIDE will make Topalov the challenger this year and parachute Kamsky to play the winner of the grand slam/grand prix cycle next year.
Jaideepblue's prediction sounds about right, except that it would seem that Topalov would first have to beat Shirov in a match, by Kirsan's new rules. And Shirov getting at least a shot (at getting a further shot) is about the only just part of this whole shenanigans, since he unfairly lost his opportunity against Kasparov a few years ago. Besides, even though Topalov would be heavily favored - about as heavily as against Kamsky, I'd say - there would certainly be "fire on board" in a match between him & Shirov: a treat for the fans, at least. Unfortunately, even should Alexei manage to beat Topalov, he has a dismal record against Anand, including a 4-0 loss to him in a FIDE championship.
No, no, no, that won't work. The outcome of Topalov-Shirov is too predictable, so no sponsorship money will be available. That is of no use to Kirsan.
Kirsan's new decree (the Shirov thing is no problem, guarantees are made to be broken) will be that as a twice defeated ex-Champion, Kramnik has certain 'rights'. He will therefore be parachuted in to play the once defeated ex-Champion Topalov.
Topalov-Kramnik II. That ought to be worth some sponsorship money.
FIDE is to chess sponsorship what the Volstead Act (Prohibition in the US) was to liquor distribution.
It enabled the growth of organized crime.
FIDE is to professional chess sponsorship what a large turd is to anal sex. No elucidation required or asked for I would presume...
Never forget that for all this we have to thank none other than Garry Kasparov, who started this modern wave of having multiple champions and of constantly changing requirements to be a challenger.
Wait, the problems with Topalov-Kamsky are Kasparov's fault, too? And don't forget how he screwed up the Palestinian-Israeli peace plan and caused the space shuttle explosions.
You're saying Kasparov caused Ilyumzhinov and the rest of the FIDE bunch to be corrupt and incompetent. I'm afraid only god can provide such remarkable gifts. The schism and the dueling championships, fine, but now that that's over you really need to get a new bogyman. There's no reason to avoid placing blame on the unretired people who are still screwing things up.
Everybody sees Kasparov leaving FIDE as the big plot point in modern chess history.
I n my opinion the cancelation of the match with Shirov was the real deal, the worst vodoo ever.
Since then, every time a match got cancelled was a complete disgrace for the chess-world.
Thats why i hope this match takes place soon.
We have to be fair to Kasparov and admit that indeed he didn't screw this one up :)
>We have to be fair to Kasparov and admit that >indeed he didn't screw this one up :)
It is Bush's fault
I don't think Kamsky has a case here. Cause the guarantee was on an offer, and not on a "no offer!" like mig pointed out??
If Kamsky were to sue FIDE, he has to first establish that there was a "good faith" offer and also he has to establish that the offer is still there. Also he will have to establish only due to some totally unforeseen and unexpected turn of events from the time of offer made, the party is now unable to fulfill its monetary commitments partially or fully on this offer.
Just my opinion..
Kamsky (or perhaps whoever represents him) screwed the pooch with this Mr Blood Diamond buddy - which looked very phony even then. How FIDE could be taken in by such a flim-flammer is itself remarkable.
Incidentally, Shirov had a decent record against Anand before the 2000 match - its been a lot more one-sided since then. And I would give him better chances against Topalov than Kamsky.
>I don't think Kamsky has a case here. Cause the >guarantee was on an offer, and not on a "no >offer!" like mig pointed out??
Likely that's the case. It may explain why Kamsky's letter focus on feeble points as the
fairness of giving Topa a shot, FIDE's "purpose" and lack of interest to find sponsors, etc but not on what otherwise would be the meat : Kirsan's guarantee.
Kamsky's case is weak, if any at all. He knows it but he tries anyway to throw the dead cat in Kirsan's garden.
Do we have lawyers here? Isn't the official announcement about the prize fund something binding, like a signed document or contract?
-I'm a determinist, so I'd have to say the problem goes back to the origin of the universe.
Dilbert in the 4th of November strip.
Q
>Do we have lawyers here?
rdh is a lawyer (?!)
"You're saying Kasparov caused Ilyumzhinov and the rest of the FIDE bunch to be corrupt and incompetent."
Adam (and Eve) didn't CAUSE the devil to be evil, but their split from Eden ALLOWED the devil to exercise his evil powers on earth.
But three years and 245 days after Kasparov's retirement it's tedious to blame him (or Adam) for everything wrong with FIDE-Kirsan; especially since Kasparov serves up enough adolescent, self-indulgent, gauche, bash-worthy material routinely.
>Adam (and Eve) didn't CAUSE the devil to be >evil, but their split from Eden ALLOWED the >devil to exercise his evil powers on earth.
actually that was God's fault, Adam was but human--this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple's sake; he wanted it only because it was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the serpent; then he would have eaten the serpent. (M.T.)
Conspiracy theory:
Kasparov was always a loose cannon and a threat to re-hijack the title. So Kirsan, sabotaging sponsors along the way, strung Kasparov along from 2002-2005, ultimately denying him a title shot, making it look like incompetence.
Kamsky is another loose cannon and he's getting Kirsan's "Kasparov-treatment."
Kirsan sabotaged any non-Sofia bids (if the Ukraine bid ever had any legitimacy) and, by issuing a retractable guarantee, strung everything out for months. Now, in mid-November, even the Danailov-haters accept that the only possible venue for the Kamsky-Topalov match is Sofia.
So Kirsan wins both ways. Either Kamsky will be a substantial underdog playing in his opponent's back yard. Or he'll bail on the match and few will mourn his loss as fan-favorite Shirov is tapped to replace him.
Yeah, we should expect some "our fellow Brooklynite didn't get his fair shot..." kind of whining by Mig soon. Expect some analogies with Kasparov case. Speaking of Kasparov, Putin has...
And so on.
>Kirsan sabotaged any non-Sofia bids (if the Ukraine >bid ever had any legitimacy) and, by issuing a >retractable guarantee, strung everything out for >months...
Interesting theory. Who found that Chernenko after all ?
I think Greg-theory is plausible, maybe indeed it was a big money bait engineered by Kirsan with the help of Chernenko to make sure that Kamsky won't look for, and maybe find, a real sponsor.
Kamsky may have been played for a fool by a trio of Kirsan, Chernenko and Danailov (Bulgarian federation).
> Kamsky may have been played for a fool by a >trio of Kirsan, Chernenko and Danailov (Bulgarian >federation).
...And those aliens make those circles in the crop fields.
There are too many budding fiction writers here. People spin colourful yarns from very little silk, concoct elaborate theories from scanty evidence and emit so much heat, but alas, very little light.
It would be nice to know what's really happening, from those who know- the principal actors in this unfolding saga.
[quote]actually that was God's fault, Adam was but human--this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple's sake; he wanted it only because it was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the serpent; then he would have eaten the serpent. (M.T.)[/quote]
ovidiu, but wasn't Adam a "super" human before all that? Its like missing a mate in One! When a patzer does it, it is understandable. But would you expect the absolute world champion to do the same mistake? :)
Curious: anyone have any stats on Topalov & Shirov's performance against each other? I'd guess about 60-40% for Shirov before 2005, the reverse afterwards...?!
Hey, Mig, how about a poll of readers as to the chances of either match (Topalov vs. Kamsky or Shirov) coming off at all?
Reminds me of boxing, with all the different belts...unfortunately.
"It would be nice to know what's really happening, from those who know- the principal actors in this unfolding saga."
Gosh, why didn't I think of that? No need to speculate, just ask Kirsan and Silvio and they'll tell you the real story.
Bill Goichberg hit the nail on the head. I'm certainly glad he is the president of our federation and not Susan Polgar.
Speculate all you want but don't pretend you are telling us anyhting other than the products of your fertile imagination, plausible as it may seem.
Bill Brock claimed:
{
It's reasonable to assume that Kamsky himself would have nothing to gain from a phantom bid.
}
No, not reasonable.
There was plenty of weird behavior after April 24.
"Speculate all you want but don't pretend you are telling us anyhting other than the products of your fertile imagination, plausible as it may seem."
I guess the first line of my post ("Conspiracy Theory") wasn't clear enough.
By his wording - "the time for the negotiation is over" - it would seem that Kamsky's taking the exit door to any possibility of still playing the match, unfortunately; even with Bulgaria offering (sensibly) the possibility of it being held early next year instead of "at the last minute" (i.e., in a couple of weeks), I doubt he'd reverse his position now and lose face. A shame; he's probably relying on his day in court, but it would appear doubtful that such a day would materialize at all, much less come out in his favor...and by then Topalov will have played Shirov and the winner will play Anand...maybe...
GeneM - I don't follow what you're suggesting....
Regards,
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