Reunification is just a state of mind

12/11/03

Reunification is just a state of mind.

    I took a look at the reunification process. Don’t reunify the world championship, reunify before, then just have a world chess championship. I hear by unify the Chess World. Whoa that was tough; whom do I send the bill to?  Apparently FIDE wants to be represented in the world championship process, so they are going to stage another knockout tournament to find Ponomariov replacement. What FIDE does not understand is that they are already represented by three of the top players in the world. The current World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the current ex World Champion Garry Kasparov and Peter Leko are all part of the current world championship process. So Lets just stage a world championship. 

   
Since Leko vs. Kramnik is stalled, because of money issues, lets just match Kasparov and Leko. The winner can then face the true World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik,  for the title. I guess FIDE wants to see if their knockout winner will beat Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko and become the champion, however this is unlikely. Not because there aren't players strong enough to do it. It's because the process FIDE uses is like spinning the roulette wheel.  I think if FIDE persists in selecting a FIDE Champion, they should just throw a dart at the current rating chart, I would advise then to aim high. This could save a lot of time and money.

  Problems with the FIDE World Championship process:

      1)      World Championship could be decided by rapid, blitz or Armageddon games. I can’t believe that the classical chess title will be decided by blitz play.

2)      The World Champion has to play  8 game candidate matches; this violates the man who beat the man who beat the man. It devaluates the World Title. You may not see a great showdown.

3)     The  World championship match will only be 12 games long,  these matches use to be 24 games. This would be like Ali fighting Frazier only 6 rounds (they went 15 rounds the first time, and 12 the last two)

4)      Instead of zonal, interzonal where players play each other, FIDE will use double round elimination matches. The players will play a two game match of classical chess, then if tied they play rapid and blitz games to decide the winner.  Great players will be eliminated, one bad move and you are out.  Zonal and interzonal tournaments are better because they show how well the players do against their contemporaries.

 

Bottom Line: 

   This process introduces too much luck into the championship. It violates the rich tradition of the man who beat the man who beat the man. It will devaluate the World Title, it will dilute it as well. It is an insult to the great champions of the past.  Blitz play will decide who will challenge for the title and who wins it. Classical chess play and strength will play a minor role in the process. FIDE is destroying the rich tradition. Kramnik could be the last great champion. The title is only as strong as the process that decides it. FIDE does not respect the great champions of the past.    

 FIDE Plan