Last week, I posted about President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and the World Championship in Mexico City next September. Today, ChessBase just published the interesting interview with FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on Sports Express. According to the President, Kramnik has no problem playing in Mexico City. So the interesting thing what will happen to the official challenge by Topalov for next April? This is the problem when rules and format are changed constantly. Here are 2 of the key questions:
And now the question which all chess fans are interested in – will the reigning world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, play in Mexico?
Ilyumzhinov: I don’t understand why this question arises. Vladimir has never once said that he will not play in the Tournament of Eight in Mexico. When I spoke to him in Bonn, during the opening ceremony of the match with the Machine, I understood that, as world champion, he is concerned about two things. That there should be a clear system for determining the world championship, and that at the end, the title should be decided in a match. And our reforms do both these things.
… This “next time” will depend a great deal on the outcome of the world championship in Mexico. Four of the players are already known: Kramnik, Anand, Svidler and Morozevich. All that remains is to determine the other four.
Ilyumzhinov: I can add that the entire prize fund has already been paid over to FIDE’s account by the Mexico organisers. The players will stay and play in one of the best hotels in Mexico City, the Sheraton. The people of Mexico are greatly looking forward to the world championship.
The full article can be read here. 
Ok.
We will burn Kramnik on stake
in the case he rejects to play in Mexico.
How does that sound?
Topalov’s April challenge is invalid. Any match must end 6 months before Mexico City. The rules are very clear. FIDE has 5 months to arrange a match from date of challenge, so they are under no obligation to accept Topalov’s challenge.
(Fischer complained about this in the 60s)
Fischer never complained about the title being decided in match.
You’re a little confused here. It’s mostly Kramnik’s supporters who want Topalov in Mexico City and for Kramnik to play a match with the winner.
Why Topalov is not allowed to play in Mexico ??
Topalov was only the FIDE champion…never the true world champion. Anyway, he lost even the FIDE title. He should get a day job.
Actually, this sounds very positive to me.
Topalov should be in Mexico, it is a joke if the world number one who just lost his title is out of the cycle, while 20 other players are still in it.
For this reason I support a rematch, if that is the only way back in for Topalov. He was foolish to agree to the absurd conditions that he is out of the cycle if he lost to Kramnik, perhaps too confident of victory. Kasparov made a similar mistake with Kramnik in 2000.
>>Why Topalov is not allowed to play in Mexico ?? >>
Because he lost to Kramnik. That match was not only for the title, it was for the spot in Mexico City.
yeah well he dont have to say it …….. THAT IS THE POINT….chessplayers actions are becoming predictable. Now the best thing Vladimir can do is to play and prove everyone wrong!
>>Now the best thing Vladimir can do is to play and prove everyone wrong! >>
Why would that be the best thing? Whether he plays or not, the tournament is still a pretty poor with to pick a champion. With or without Kramnik’s participation, the result will be no more meaningful than any of the many other supertournaments that will be held next year for determining who the best player is.
The prize in Mexico City is just another trophy. Like Linares. Like Wijk aan Zee.
well i wasnt referring to that…..that’s your opinion and that is completely outside of the point i was trying to make regarding the credibility of Kramnik as World Champion by playing and honoring his commitment
>> Vladimir has never once said that he will not play in the Tournament of Eight in Mexico
Kramnik did not say he will play either. Time for bargaining and contracting.
>> We will burn Kramnik on stake
in the case he rejects to play in Mexico.
How does that sound?
It sounds like the best thing to do for the sake of chess.
>>So, what if Kramnik wins in Mexico?
Apologise to Topalov for cheating and step back to oblivion.
>> Topalov’s April challenge is invalid. Any match must end 6 months before Mexico City.
The rematch is much more important than the weak tournament in Mexico City. By changing their schedule or not, the FIDE administrators will show how flexible they are, whether they can rise to the challenge, and whether they deserve their pay or not.
What a mess!! A clear system for determining the world championship is to keep the top 8 players with greatest elo FIDE and matches between them.
We need a sponsors how will offer some real $$$ say $10.000,000 and we got yourself a real match game (not run by the FIDE and not played in they’re neck of the woods)…no 1/2 point for a draws…the winner the world the real champion..forget The FIDE the evil dark side of chess..direct TV telecast world wide
>> When I spoke to him [Kramnik] in Bonn, during the opening ceremony of the match with the Machine, I understood that, as world champion, he is concerned about two things. That there should be a clear system for determining the world championship, and that at the end, the title should be decided in a match.
This is the typical hearsay and evading the direct answer from a Soviet-style beaurocrat. What Kramnik has supposedly said has nothing to do with his participation in Mexico as the question was posed. Kramnik said nothing of the sort. In fact, from those meanderings, one can make some very indirect conclusion that Kramnik doesn’t believe in tournaments but in match play.
>> And now the question which all chess fans are interested in – will the reigning world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, play in Mexico?
Clear answers are: yes, no, or “I don’t know”. From what Kirasan says it appears as “I don’t know, but what I have heard from him, this is unclear. Let’s wait and see”
The interview is entitled in the ChessBase: “Ilyumzhinov: Kramnik will play in Mexico”. However, in the interview given, Ilyumzhinov doesn’t say anywhere that Kramnik will play in Mexico. He lists the pairs of players who will compete to go to Mexico, and Kramnik is not among them. Can I read or not? Or must I read between the lines? Or must I read ChessBase at all?
Why this needless formality and back-stepping with the rematch challenge on the part of Ilyumzhinov and ChessBase. If they have decided to be inflexible about the 6 months rule, let them say that they will not accept the rematch right away.
What we have now is first Kirsan saying that he has not received the official challenge. The editor says that meanwhile the official challenge has arrived. But now in question are the bank warranties. When the bank warranties arrive, they will probably put another requirement before finally rejecting the rematch. This undermines the credibility of those apparatchiks (For those unfamiliar with Soviet terminology, “apparatchiks”are the higher level beaurocrats in Soviet time).
>>Why this needless formality and back-stepping with the rematch challenge on the part of Ilyumzhinov and ChessBase. If they have decided to be inflexible about the 6 months rule, let them say that they will not accept the rematch right away.>>
Now that Topalov has accused Kirsan of participating in the so-called cheating scandal, we may be lucky if Topalov is playing ANYTHING soon.
They hardly need to invent delays to deny Topalov’s challenge. The rules very clearly give FIDE 5 months to organize a match. That, addded to the 6 month rule means no match until after Mexico City.
Assuming Topalov doesn’t get banned before that. Ricardo Calvo was banned for life for saying far less about FIDE than Topalov just said about Kirsan.
>> Now that Topalov has accused Kirsan of participating in the so-called cheating scandal, we may be lucky if Topalov is playing ANYTHING soon.
From what Topalov said about Kramnik and Kirsan, he will be lucky just to survive alive till the end of this year. Russian mafia thugs are after him for sure.