12/15/2005 - Your Honor, members of the jury, today, I will make the
case for the Kramnik vs. Topalov chess world championship match. I will
prove today, that both champions' titles have flaws, but these flaws can be
repaired. I will prove, beyond a shadow of doubt that the 14th classical
chess world champion, Vladimir Kramnik is a worthy champion. I will also
prove why the current FIDE Champion, Veselin Topalov should accept Kramnik's
challenge.
Veselin Topalov made some very interesting comments in the 8th issue of
2005 New in Chess magazine. He said: " a world champion should do three
things: play chess, popularize chess, and win money." I say:" A world
championship match is a good way to accomplish all three." This is
especially true when Topalov doesn’t have to do any legwork to find a
sponsor. Vladimir Kramnik has a 1.4 million dollar offer waiting in the
wings.
Topalov feels that Kramnik is not a worthy contender, because
he is only rated 7th in the world. However, the case for Kramnik
is very strong. In 2000, He did decisively defeat Garry Kasparov. This
victory was significant in many ways, Kramnik defeated the greatest champion
in chess history, who happened to be the highest rated player of all time,
and the only man, at the time, rated over 2800. Kramnik didn’t fall apart
immediately after winning the title. Kramnik also became the 2nd man
to break the 2800 barrier, when his rating hit 2808 in 2002. Kramnik also
was the last man to really take it to the silicon beasts, when he took two
games from Deep Fritz in Bahrain in 2002.
Since winning his title, Kramnik has won Amber and Linares twice.
He finished in 2nd place at Dortmund twice. He also was the
runner up to Anand at Cap De Age. Although Kramnik has had a horrible
year in 2005, he had a very good year in 2004, with first place finishes at
Linares and Amber, and a 2nd place finish at Dortmund, behind
Anand. Vladimir Kramnik finished 2004 by retaining his title against Peter
Leko at Brissago, Switzerland. At 30 years of age, Kramnik
can’t be written off yet.
There is no question that Veselin Topalov had a dominating
year in 2005. He started out with a 3rd place finish at Corus,
and followed up with two
first places at Linares and Sophia. Topalov finished the year off by taking first at the
San Luis FIDE Championship. He took the lead early and never
relinquished it. At San Luis, he became the third man in chess history
to break the 2800 plateau.
I think that both Kramnik and Topalov need each other in
order to make their titles more legitimate. Each player's title has serious
flaws. However, these flaws can be repaired.
Kramnik’s main flaw is that people believe he was
undeserving in his title shot against Kasparov in 2000. Kramnik didn’t have
to qualify in an interzonal and win three candidate matches, as prior
challengers did. This is backed up by the fact that Kramnik lost to Shirov
in a candidate match in 1998. But we really can’t hold this against
Kramnik. In 2000, Kasparov asked Kramnik to play a match for the world
championship. Kramnik wisely accepted the challenge and went on to become
the 14th chess world champion.
Kramnik made a series of mistakes since winning his title in 2000.
Firstly, he was not a busy champion after winning the title. Secondly, he
was reluctant to defend his title against Kasparov. Thirdly, his less
than decisive defense of his title against Peter Leko, cast further doubt on
his title. Finally,
Kramnik
allowed his rating and standings to fall in the last year with a number of
bottom half finishes in tournaments. Over the last three years, he allowed his place
in the rating charts to fall from 2nd to 7th place.
The flaw with Veselin Topalov’s title is that
he didn’t gain it by beating a world champion in a match. Many people feel
that all Topalov accomplished at San Luis was winning an old style
interzonal tournament. Even though Topalov dominated the chess world in 2005
by winning 3 tournaments, he didn’t have to win three candidate matches and
mano-a-mano contest against a world champion. So his title is flawed as
well.
I believe you can’t win a title by winning a double round
robin tournament. In 1948, Mikhail Botvinnik won his title in a 5 round
robin tournament against 4 of the top players in the world.
Botvinnik won all of his matches against Smyslov, Reshevsky, Euwe, and
Keres. Botvinnik shored up his title by having successful world championship
matches against Bronstein, Smyslov, and Tal. Whereas at San Luis,
Topalov won all of his 2 game matches, except for his drawn match against
Vishy Anand, who was the top rated player in the tournament.
Topalov might be thinking Kramnik is unworthy, but lets not
forget Spassky was rated 7th in the world when Fischer, the best
player in the world, played him in the 1972 match in Reykjavik, Iceland. No
one questioned Spassky’s right to be champion. After all, Spassky’s road to
the title is the toughest in world championship history.
Lets not forget that Capablanca faced a similar decision
back in 1921. It was a fading 53-year-old champion, Emanuel Lasker, who
wanted to renounce his chess crown and bequeath it to Capablanca. Even
though Capablanca was the dominant player during that time, he wisely knew
that he had to play a match to win the true title. Lasker even insisted at
being called the challenger. The match was played in Cuba in 1921;
Capablanca won it decisively in 15 games with 4 wins and no loses. I
guess that Capablanca knew that there was a power transfer during a decisive
match against the world champion. This transfer of power and energy can
only occur during match play.
In view of FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
outrageous demands that a challenger be rated 2700+ and have a sponsor
willing to pay FIDE 20 percent of the prize fund in order to challenge
Topalov, it is obvious that FIDE is not interested in match play. There
reluctance to find sponsorship for such matches is very telling. FIDE is
planning another world championship tournament in 2007.
This leaves 2006 vacant. Topalov can achieve all his goals
he described in New in Chess magazine. He can do this by playing a world
championship match against Kramnik. Should Topalov choose not to play such a
match, then for the rest of his life, he will hear the proverbial “ you
never won the big one” from every chess journalist. Topalov will be
without a defense, especially considering Team Kramnik already found a
willing sponsor and has issued the challenge.
I suggest Topalov and Kramnik fix their flawed titles by
playing a world championship match. They should do so without FIDE. The man
who beat the man tradition is worth continuing by the world’s top players.
This title has value.
Since this match is only 14 games long, I don’t think
the champion should retain the title on a tie. There needs to be a tie-break
blitz process, so that a decisive champion can emerge. In the shortened
match format, a tie is too much of an advantage for the champion.
Topalov by
defeating Kramnik can inherit the bloodline of past champions from Steinitz
to Kramnik. Kramnik can add to his legacy by defeating another 2800+ player
named Veselin Topalov. The chess world would benefit from a Topalov vs.
Kramnik match. The winner of such a match would gain power and energy.
Moreover, this match would heal the fracture chess world.
Your Honor, members of the jury, the defense rests.
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