Hangin response to Ignatius Leong and Chess Today CT (50)-1199 on 2/17/2004

Ignatius Leong (FIDE Vice President) - we should do everything to engage all players to play under FIDE flag and especially to participate in World Championships, uniting the chess world. This is one of the fields in which FIDE should definitely cooperate with ACP - That's why I think the order should be to disregard all previous holders, everyone to play on level-playing field, start all from scratch through either the zonals or continentals, no rubbish about direct seeding through previous results or ratings. And who are opposing this – several of your very top grandmasters. Life will be easier for ALL if they agree to play from Round 1.

My Response to Alex Baburin :

My response to Ignatius Leong about the World Championship process.

I think the best thing to do in regards to the World Championship is for FIDE to recognize Vladimir Kramnik as the 14th and Current World Champion. After all he did decisively defeat Garry Kasparov, the greatest World Champion, in a 15 game match in 2000. Fide should recognize Kramnik's tremendous accomplishment. FIDE should then go back to the World Championship process they perfected in the mid 1960's, which FIDE destroyed in 1993. FIDE should vow never to allow this split to occur again and do everything in its power to repair such a split immediately, should another occur. Why should Garry Kasparov start from ground zero. He successfully completed a rigorous candidate process in 1983. He won the title in 85 and defended it for 15 years. He is only one match removed from the title. Why should he start from ground zero ?