Hangin's Take:
Well in this day and age of chess championships
confusion, Kramnik has lot to prove. Many in the chess world don’t even
think Kramnik is the world champion. A lot of people feel Kramnik did not
deserve his shot at the title in 2000. Let us recall that it was Shirov who
defeated Kramnik in a candidate match for the right to play Kasparov for the
title. Kramnik is th current world champion but virtue of the fact he
defeated Garry Kasparov in a match back in 2000. But world champions must
not be content with just having the title. They should also try to show
their superiority in tournaments. There is always more to prove. It’s always
tough to follow a great champion. Boxing great Larry Holmes had a tough time
replacing Muhammad Ali as heavy weight champion. Larry Holmes won the title
and successfully defended it for 8 years. In many respects Holmes
championship years exceed Ali’s championship years.
Anatoly Karpov had his hands full when he succeeded the retiring Bobby
Fischer as world champion. Karpov’s task of replacing Fischer was tougher
because there was no direct transfer of power that can only occur in a head
to head competition. However Karpov was a worthy world champion; he was the
last man standing in a tough candidate process. He was the best of the rest.
He was forged into steel by the tough world championship process. Bobby
Fischer was the best, however Anatoly Karpov was the best of the rest.
Karpov had much to prove. He set a great example for all future world
champions to follow. He played and won a record number of tournaments as a
world champion. He defended his title three times and held the crown for 10
years before succumbing to an even greater world champion named Garry
Kasparov, who also had a difficult task in replacing Karpov
Garry had much to prove as well and also similarly dominated the chess
tournament scene. without question, Kasparov is the greatest chess champion
ever. He defended his title 6 times and held the title for 15 years. He
ruled the chess world almost from the start of his career until his recent
retirement after winning Linares in 2005. Both Karpov and Kasparov have been
great ambassadors to the game and have help promote it around the world.
Vladimir Kramnik probably has an almost impossible job in trying to
replace Garry Kasparov. Vladimir was off to a great start when he decisively
defeated Garry Kasparov in 2000. During this match, Vladimir won two games
and might have won two more, if it was not for the heroic defense of
Kasparov. Kramnik has not followed the example set by his two great
predecessors. Kramnik has not been as active or as successful in tournament
play. But we have to be fair; Karpov and Kasparov are a very tough act to
follow. But Kramnik must attempt to follow in their footsteps. Kramnik seems
to be content in the fact that he won the title from Kasparov in 2000.
Kramnik narrowly retained his title by drawing Peter Leko in 2004. Kramnik
has been in a steady decline since he broke the 2800 plateau in 2002.
For a world champion, Kramnik has had a poor 2005. He finished in the
middle of the pack at Corus. He ducked Kasparov at Linares. He finished
middle of the pack at Amber combined. He finished 2nd to last at
Mtel in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is in danger of dropping into the 2nd
half of the top 10. In fact this has already occurred. Kramnik now sits in 6th
place on the rating charts. Being in the top ten is great, however a world
champion should be near the top. Kramnik’s status as a player and world
champion are plummeting. He is endangering his title. He is devaluating his
title.
Should Kramnik’s play deteriorate further, he will have trouble
fining sponsors to put up the big dollars for his next title defense. If
Kramnik doesn’t want to be left out of the next world championship process,
he must pick up his play. He has got to care about his world ranking and his
showing in tournaments. At 30 years of age, Kramnik should be coming into
his peak chess playing years. Kramnik still has much to prove especially since
many in the chess world dispute his right to be champion. Kramnik, the
artist, must use his creativity to find new ways to motivate himself.
If Kramnik wants to be a respected champion, he must dial it up several
notches.
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