Official statement by Magnus Carlsen regarding the WCC in Chennai
After qualifying for the World Championship match by winning the London Candidates I have been highly motivated for, and looking forward to the World Championship match against reigning champion V. Anand.
I’m deeply disappointed and surprised by the FIDE decision to sign a contract for the 2013 match without going through the bidding process outlined in the WC regulations, and for not choosing neutral ground. The bid from Paris clearly showed that it would be possible to have more options to choose from.
The lack of transparency, predictability and fairness is unfortunate for chess as a sport and for chess players.
My team and I will now start preparing for the match. The main thing now will be to come to an agreement with the Indian Chess Federation and FIDE regarding terms and conditions before and during the match. I really hope this process will run quick and smoothly.
Lastly, I will not let the news from Baku diminish the joy and excitement derived from playing the top level Norway Chess tournament starting tomorrow.
Go Magnus! Boycott!
What the hell is wrong with FIDE? Their whole way of operating stinks. How can they organize a WC match without input from both players. Its disrespectful and demeaning to the players. There should obviously be an open bidding process and not something brought about by a back room deal. Its so unseemly and cheap. Carlsen says he’s not going to let it affect him but I don’t see how it won’t to some degree.
Magnus,
That is the way to go..
You will find chennai/India very hospitable.. Dont even think it would be like what Anand experienced in Sofia.. Probably Vishy would even dine with you at his home- probably after the match. As a chennaite it pains that you will take the title from him in his own backyard..Chennai has world class hotels and top class european food.. enjoy..
open bidding really? what do you call if another city raises the bid by 10k after knowing what was bid. What prevents the first city to increase the bid? why did norway not counter bid?
There is a article on chessbase site cautioning against chennai food etc. If the food and Hotels are good enough for fortune 500 CEO’s who jet set there regularly, it should be good for a travelling sportsperson
Magnus,
have a chat with the cricket sponsors there to pour money into chess too. A 1% of cricket money – chess players will be multi millionaires..
No need to fret, just come over to San Francisco! Beautiful city, great weather, nice food, wonderful people — and lots and lots of financiers.
What is the issue with Baku?
Let your Chess pieces do the talking Magnus. You will beat Anand anywhere. Don’t you worry. Once you will be crowned champion, use that power to clean up the organization.
what power? Gazza was WC and said the title in his hands would kill fide. FIDE is still alive and Gazza is the one who is in and out of jails. Time and again Gazza and his cronies -Kok, nosher, spragett etc would make noise about democratizing fide. Did we not see how PCA was run? one man dictatorship. Anand was not even consulted about cologne to new york move. Such is the credentials of those. Pls dont join Garry and gang.
The process of open bidding in 1972 was sealed bids by different cities and then the players would decide what was best. The Iceland location was brought about by a compromise. They had been outbid by Yugoslavia. This was no sealed bid. This was just an orchestration by Fide. Its no wonder that there is opposition to this outfit. I’m sure Chennai will be fine but I just don’t like the way it was brought about because its demeaning to the players. I’m very glad that Magnus is going to go through with this despite the way it was brought about. Its unfortunate that such great players have to put up with an outfit like FIDE.
where are the financiers in SFO.. Some hollywood guy had to provide some money to some chess players to play in a away tourney.. walk the talk Mr.
That norwegian journalist who writes as published in chessbase knows nothing about India. She is from ‘old europe’ with old opinions. The world is changing. New Europe and china/india has taken the limelight of you guys. Live with it. Ever heard ..join them if you cant fight them.
Anon May 6, 2013 at 7:43:00 –
Millions flow in deals on Sand Hill Road — these are folks who have funded Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc… and reaped the benefits.
They have ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more money than most cities can expect to raise.
But you have to make the case to them. They are business people. If your case is rationally a good investment, they will do it. But don’t expect them to come to you — they have 300 people hitting them up every day. You have to go to them.
This is not about us random chess players getting funds from them. If your world championship has business value, you will get it. Else you have to live with a paltry few million dollars.
Just ask any player about the Kamsky’s in the 90’s. They would complain just about everything. Even the Kamskys ended up appreciating India when a young Gata played there.
So dont worry Magnus. You would be enchanted by Indian experience. BTW, no offense to Gata. He has grown up to be nice Gentleman.
show me the millions(money).. Dont talk at 50000 feet high.. Garry’s obnoxious behavior put IBM off.. Garry’s highhandedness put Intel off. where is AGON? what happened.. Chess players are not in the business of hunting sponsors.. and there is no $2.5 comming from sand hill leave alone 2.5 million. The players have to go whereever it comes from. Now it comes from chennai – go there and play. long and short.
WC chess has a aura about it. It carries dignity/respect.. But after the CEO read about Toiletgate etc who want to sink money? Let us have some decent behavior first.. That is why a carlsen, anand or vladimir is good for chess, not a topa or garry.
It’s not about whether someone can enjoy the accommodations. It’s about
whether an organization chooses to follow its own by-laws and act transparently.
It’s also about whether FIDE cares more about a match played under conditions agreeable to its players or a venture pushed through by a pure promoter.
I guess we know where chess rates with FIDE when the highest rated player of all time is told do it our way or get lost.
Anand himself should have spoken out against this rotten mess. If Carlsen loses, Vishy’s victory will be tainted.
Or perhaps the old man is afraid and will take any advantage he can get?
Magnus Carlsen capitulates to the backdoor deal from the FIDE President and this wrong decision gives a big advantage to V. Anand at the expense of Magnus Carlsen!!!
UNBELIEVABLE!!!
MAGNUS CARLSEN COULD EASILY HAVE IMPOSED TO THE FIDE THAT A FORMAL BID BE STARTED for the choosing of the location of this World Chess Championship, as the regulations on this matter require, and NO ONE AT THE FIDE COULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING BUT TO COMPLY TO IT!!!
It is a 12-game match only and therefore the choice of Chennai in India is critical for Anand and it will give Anand a very big advantage, irrespective of the level of the respective chess players.
MAGNUS CARLSEN HAS DONE A BIG MISTAKE BY GIVING UP FIGHTING FOR A FORMAL BID!!!
Why? It allows the FIDE to basically keep imposing to any chess player its conditions and to change AFTERWARD the conditions set BEFOREHAND for the World Chess Championship (and for any chess competition) whenever the FIDE decides to do so and arbitrarily!!!
The rules of this World Chess Championship imposed a formal bid for the location of the World Chess Championship. It is a fact.
The FIDE President decided, completely unfairly, to completely discard these rules AFTERWARD because they did not suit his backdoor deal with the Indian chess federation for the location of the World Chess Championship!!!
IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR MAGNUS CARLSEN TO REQUEST THAT A FORMAL BID BE DONE FOR THE LOCATION OF THE COMING WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP.
MAGNUS CARLSEN MUST TAKE THE COURAGEOUS STEP OF REQUESTING THIS FORMAL BID TO BE DONE AND THE FIDE WILL HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO ACCEPT IT. Because, without Magnus Carlsen, this coming World Chess Championship is a big and ridiculous parody of a match.
FIDE needs to be careful here. The smart thing to do is the right thing. Just because they can, legally, do what they want doesn’t make it the best decision. If they do not find a more flexible solution they will further alienate chess players of all levels.
Dan
Nothing has been learned by Fide?
Is it all about money, power and dispute?
As a person born and brought up in Chennai, I am really delighted to see a WC match in Chennai. Even though Anand is a native of Chennai, I think Magnus should have lots of fan in Chennai.
Welcome Magnus! I want to see you play in Chennai.
I don’t know what is it that makes people jump up and down about a location. If it is about food, climate etc I think MC is behaving silly. You get everything in Chennai that you can probably get in Europe. The only thing that you may not get is probably the kind of attention that you would have got in Europe in terms of media coverage and fame. (Unless of course Anand is able to pull some strings and some how make it a grand event in media) I will be happy if I am wrong. As a sports person these things should be of least concern, you should primarily be focusing about your game in the upcoming event.
Yeah Magnus could take a stand against this but I’m glad he isn’t. Nobody wants to go back to the dark ages of chess when you had the FIDE champion and the real champion and then someone else who claimed he was champion. Magnus shows a lot of class by going through with the match and hopefully FIDE can get their act together so that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.