ICC Chat with GM Khalifman

Former FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman was scheduled for a one hour chat on ICC December 29, 2000. When the chat was not possible, questions were collected and submitted to GM Khalifman.

A.Kh.: We're very sorry for what happened last night - but poor connection together with rather complicated software (Blitzin is good for playing chess but rather messy for chat) made it almost impossible to do this work then. Probably it was just our poor experience – still the result was no dream at all.

Now I'll try to answer most of the questions.

TheGame: is fide a for-profit organization?

A.Kh.: in general this question is not to me but to Mr.Ilyumzhinov or Mr.Tarasov or may be Mr.Makroupoulos. As for me, more I know about FIDE less I understand.

pathfinderVII: Mr. Khalifman..now that the tourney is over,can you tell us if the berlin can be broken?...and how?

A.Kh.: If I got this question right it must be Kasparov’s difficulties to break through Kramnik’s defence in Berlin line of Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6). In general, this problem is not the most principal in modern opening theory. Actually, Kasparov got a lot of advantageous positions in the match (Game 3 is a good example). His problem was that he just couldn’t win any as this type of play is not exactly what he likes. But it’s more about Kasparov’s style than about the assessment of the opening line – White gets comfortable edge with the simple means.

crimlawboy: my question is Are you upset that you weren't invited to Corus 2001?

A.Kh.: frankly speaking, I was not – I don’t feel like playing in some major events in some following months – the end of Millennium was rather tense for me (Shenyang+Hoogeveen+Istanbul+New Delhi – upph! – I’m not 17 anymore!). But in general – it’s rather funny that Corus guys just ignored the fact of my existance.

dreddertreefrog: my question is when did you realize you were good at chess

A.Kh.: well, this question is a bit too general – I played some good chess really long time ago (let’s say – in early 80-ths). The real problem was to try becoming one of the best in the world, and – believe me – it’s very tough. Somehow as I’m chess professional – I’m still trying to reach the top and work hard. But it seems to me that in some recent tournaments (like Las-Vegas-99 and Hoogeveen-2000, for example) I played some good games.

CaptainBlunder: Alex, what do you like FIDE's new time controls, and were many GM's consulted before they made their decision?

A.Kh.: That’s a good question. I’m not really fond of this administrative decision and – despite FIDE asked the opinion of some leading GMs in Istanbul and New Delhi – it would be much more serious discussion. When these time controls will be reduced (if they will) – there will be some other game (maybe also quite interesting) – but almost nothing in common with classical "serious" chess I learnt to play during the last 25 years. It would be most probably rather interesting to see these new time controls in some experimental events – but applying this practically untested format directly to the most important events including World Championships – it’s just too much, in my opinion.

youngcapa: my question is what is the difference beetween an ordinary gm and over 2700 gm

A.Kh.: I’m afraid of being unable to describe the difference between these groups just in a couple of words – it looks more like a subject for the special research. But the most basic difference is: 1)opening knowledge 2)practical skills (avoiding time-trouble, putting the opponent under pressure etc.)

Ernie1: my question is what is your favorite opening against e4?

A.Kh.: In 2000 my favorite was French – and I managed to win some good games there. But in general I don’t like to get stuck to a certain opening – so let’s wait for some new favorite in 2001.

TeeRex: My question is, Do you think the proposed new time limits for the FIDE Championship games will reduce the quality of play?

A.Kh.: OK, just a couple of questions before I already answered something about these "revolutionary news". In my opinion, it’s fairly obvious that the quality of play will be definitely poorer – and it’s really sad that almost nobody cares. I hope that all chess players (professionals and amateurs) who cares about the real magic of our game would unite to protect the classical time controls.

PVSousa: my question is I think you are as strong as Leko, ever stronger than him, so what happened on your firts match with him (4,5-1,5)?

A.Kh.: I suppose that we (Peter L. and me) are the players of about the same level – he has his pluses, and I have, too – and all our encounters after Budapest (Linares+Dortmund+Istanbul+New Delhi) are probably confirming this point of view. His future is most probably much more bright – what to do? – he’s 21 and I’m almost 35. What led to such tragic result in Budapest in January? Well, it sounds a bit paradox considering this age difference – but the main negative factor was the lack of experience on very high level (in 1997-99 I didn’t play in any real super-event – and Peter L. played in almost all of them).

Tandoori: Do you agree AA Alekhine is the greatest of them all?

A.Kh.: Alekhine is definitely ONE of the greatest geniuses in chess history. But who is THE GREATEST – is fairly subjective. I guess that fans of Capablanca, Tal, Fischer and Kasparov has some points as well.

germanicus: my question is Why did u loose your wm-title?

A.Kh.: That’s really good question. I don’t understand actually – WHY??? Probably it’s better to ask Anand or to wait for my notes which will appear shortly on www.gmchess.com

Knallo: GM Khalifman, great to have you here. What are your next chess plans (tournaments, matches, Bundesliga)?

A.Kh.: By now I have no certain plans (except Bundesliga). Anyway I need some months to recover – and then we’ll see if some good invitations will follow or not

RubberSoul: I would like to ask Mr. Khalifman whether he thinks he will have a shot at a match against Anand?

A.Kh.: I can only hope I got this question right – sorry – my English is not perfect at all. Playing Vishy Anand is a real problem for me – even when I could get winning position I never managed to deliver the final punch. But – who knows – in future I’ll try harder. Maybe – in some 30 years – I’ll finally be able to break through…

smoothg: what do you think of icc ratings and cna you get 3300 like top gms

A.Kh.: I’m not sure that ICC offers some clear way to avoid rating manipulations – but so far as these ratings don’t give some real profits it’s not so dangerous as in the case of FIDE ratings. To get to some 3000+ I must first of all improve my mouse technique – and I’m not really sure if I would be interested.

raphi: Mr. Khalifman, at 28th and 29th April 2001 will be a Rapid-Tourney in Zurich (Switzerland) to the 70th birthday of Viktor Kortschnoi, will you also be there?

A.Kh.: As I know Victor was born in March 1931 – so his 70-th birthday will be in March. There will be some events in his native city (mine as well, by chance) – St.Petersburg, and most probably I’ll take part. As for Zurich event, I didn’t get any invitation yet although it would be really interesting.

NEPTUN: who won the worldchampionships in india?

A.Kh.: Anand did in quite convincing way – so my opinion doesn’t differ from the official point of view.

PatzerForLife: what do you think of the fide system to determin a world champion, do you think they will ever go back to 40moves/2hrs etc?

A.Kh.: I told many times that the existing format is not perfect. The "classical" system of long matches is not the best solution from my point of view as well. As I know FIDE had some very interesting idea to improve on the existing k.o. format – but for some reason this idea was rejected for 2001. I had said enough about time controls already – I hope that the next World Championship will be played with the classical time control as we played before. If they will still follow their dubious decision to reduce time controls the results might be really negative for chess.

DanQuigley: GM Khalifman, do you consider yourself to be the World Champion, now or past?

A.Kh.: For a couple of last weeks I don’t consider myself to be the World Champion. But during the year before it – I was – I just won the World Championship.

innerspace: Hi! What do you say about "draw odds" in a WC match where by in a tie result the champion retains title? Does this not effect strategy and play through out the match? Thx

A.Kh.: That’s one of the most obvious drawbacks in so-called "traditional" format of the World Championship (not the only one). I could never understand why one player (candidate) must prove his advantage over everybody and the other (defending champion) has only to hold the balance in the match with this certain candidate. Strange, isn’t it?

ENDERX: he is not even on the top 50 fide list?

A.Kh.: Who is "he"? I guess I am although I don’t care too much about my rating. The existing rating system (even when we don’t speak about "Myanmar case" and the other manipulations) is not very sound even from the pure mathematical point of view. I wrote about it many times and even offered some changes in the rating system to FIDE. Surprisingly enough in this case FIDE was extremely conservative – they even didn’t want to discuss the subject.

germanicus: my question is Why did u loose your wm-title? I think Anand hasn't played the chess olympics!!

A.Kh.: Well, it’s a good hint although it’s Anand’s fault, I think that scheduling 2 major events (Chess Olympiad and World Championship) just one after another was extremely incompetent. That’s not only about me – many players who fought hard in Istanbul were quite tired in New Delhi.

corkscrew: Mr. Khalifman, having the title was a tremendous burden to have to live up to. In your honest opinion do you have any regrets (briefly)?

A.Kh.: The last year was really great for me. However, you caught it right – sometimes I found myself under some hard criticism (mostly unmotivated).

X-51: Khalifman,you consider yourself the best player in the world?

A.Kh.: Never did I say this. My points are quite simple: 1) I won the World Championship in Las-Vegas-99 2) I can play with the best players of the world – so I suppose I belong to some top group.

PatzerForLife: i notice that the Time control's for the world champ series is constantly getting shorter and shorter, now since anand and his new system are up

A.Kh.: I already told my opinion about the possible change of time controls – and my opinion is that chess world must try to protect the classical time controls. However, please don’t connect this "great new idea" with the name of Anand – it was the suggestion of his opponent in the final match – GM Alexey Shirov

PatzerForLife: will it be reduced to speed chess in future? this can't be good for chess

A.Kh.: I agree completely – speed chess and blitz are good for fun and entertainment, classical chess is just the Royal Game which brings us the great ideas and concepts. In my opinion, we must try to protect chess from becoming only fun and entertainment.

anan: my question is "who is the best player in the world now"?

A.Kh.: In my opinion, there is a very special group of 3 players (try to guess who?) – and each of them can have his own claims. Please let’s wait till Corus tournament in January – then we’ll probably get a kind of answer to your question.

Ushi: hi mr khalifman - im 16 from england - i am relitavely new to chess only 17-18 months - although i am around 1700 elo strength -- can you recommend any books for me to read -- and also a training plan - - like how many hours a day i should spend on different aspects?? thanks :)

A.Kh.: Sorry, too general question – if you really want to improve your chess please don’t hope that a couple of phrases in the chat will show you the clear way to it. However, we (I mean www.gmchess.com) are always ready to help every chess player who wants to improve in a very professional way – that’s what Grandmaster Chess School exists for.

nowherego64sqrs: my question is mr khalifman, having been the world champion of chess and thereby demonstrating a highly developed analytical and strategic reasoning ability, what do you personally feel are the remedies for the problems now faced by the majority of mankind?

A.Kh.: I don’t feel like recommending some universal remedies – I’m just a chess grandmaster. The real problem in my opinion is that people are getting more greedy and more aggressive – that’s really sad. What to recommend??? – no idea… Probably it would be good if more people would play chess – but that doesn’t seem to be the universal remedy, I’m sorry.

Epimacus: my question is do you think that Kasparov was not at his best in the match against Kramnik?

A.Kh.: This question would be better addressed to Mr.Kasparov – however, all I read in his recent interviews don’t give any special information. Anyway, the very clever "anti-Kasparov" preparation by Kramnik and his team is one of the reasons – Gary felt very uncomfortable from the very beginning, I suppose.

matthias-kleine: Mr. Khalifman, as the former World Champion: Who is the REAL world champion now ;-) ?

A.Kh.: for me there is no doubt – Vishy Anand. As you can understand from my other answers – I’ m not the most stubborn "FIDE loyalist" – although I believe that the organization like FIDE just must exist. But as a matter of fact Anand played greatly in New Delhi and Tehran and deservedly won THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Vladimir Kramnik victory in his match is undoubtedly the tremendous result us well – but I don’t see any logical reason to call this match the World Championship.

ENDERX: my question is what is your opinion about the match between kasparov and kramnik? Do you think kramnik is really better or that Kasparov just under-prepared?

A.Kh.: Let’s wait and see. What the match has shown clearly is that:

1)Kramnik can play on a really high level – no special surprise

2)Kasparov was definitely under-prepared and couldn’t stand the psychological pressure – that’s a real surprise.

I think the following events might show us who is really better now – Kramnik, Kasparov, or (also possible) the World Champion Anand. By the way, I wouldn’t recommend to say that both K’s are better than Anand if their results in Wijk aan Zee would be higher. For me there is no doubt that Anand doesn’t have enough time for complete recovery between the tough and exhausting World Championship and Wijk aan Zee.

Epimacus: my question is do you think that Kasparov was not at his best in the match against Kramnik?

A.Kh.: That’s no doubt. When having a great respect to chess player G.Kasparov, I really couldn’t understand what was going on in London. Kramnik was playing well

MeisterZinger: Thanks much for doing this, and welcome to the ICC! Have you played here before?

A.Kh.: Thanx a lot – I played on ICC a couple of times before and most probably will do it in the future. However, my poor mouse skills make it completely impossible for me to play bullet chess or something like this.

Creative-Doc: Hi Mr. Khalifman ....What do you thinking about the matches vs. V.Anand on Fide2000 - are there a good chance to beat him?

A.Kh.: This question is still very painful – in Game 4 there was a rook ending and at some moment instead of e3+ I could play gxf4 (so easy!) and everything would be over! So as a matter of fact it wasn’t "just a chance" but very clear 100-% opportunity. Anyway I was unlucky enough to miss this easy win…

PanicAttack: It must have come as a suprise to have become the FIDE World Champion, how did it feel when you were beating all the opposition before winning in the final?

A.Kh.: Well, it was long time ago – so it’s difficult to remember how did I feel then. The only thing I remember clearly is that after a couple of critical moments in the very first rounds (vs. Barua and Kamsky) I started feeling very confident and even in the finals when we both were quite exhausted this confidence never left me.

onu: To Kalifman, if game lost in top level, how much stress playeyr lost recive?

A.Kh.: This is very personal. In general, to play successfully on the high level one must be able to stand this kind of stress and continue fighting as if nothing happened. In reality, some very good GMs are not able to stand it – and we know many examples when the players went completely astray after the single lost game or missed win.

germanicus: what i said: Alex, its easier to move pawns?

A.Kh.: Sorry – I can’t catch the point. Some moves are easy to play and the other are difficult. I never noticed the difference between pieces’ and pawns’ moves.

guest1184: I am worried with a question: Who is the World Champion of chess: Anand, Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Pele, ROBOadmin...? There are a lot of chess organisations, each one has his WC. If I set my own WCO (World Chess Organisation) and set me as the WC, will it work?

A.Kh.: Anand is the World Champion. As a matter of fact I don’t know "a lot of chess organizations". There is FIDE, OK. Or should we call Braingames which organized just a single chess event "chess organization"? But you’re always welcome to try organizing something else – if you succeed it must be good for chess. Good luck!

DeathsDoor: my question is: How is the state of chess in Russia? Is the future bright? Im sure it will be a while before we see a non-russian world champion.

A.Kh.: There are some hopes for bright future as new talents are growing up every year – Grischuk is the most recent example. As for non-Russian World Champion please let me introduce you Mr. Viswanathan Anand (non-Russian).

Ernie1: ask the ex-champ " What is his favorite Chess book?"

A.Kh.: "My System" by Nimzovich is my lifetime favorite.

KillorbeKilled: We'e you suprised about kasparov's defeat?

A.Kh.: Not completely – before the match I was estimating the chances as 55:45 for Kasparov. But I was really surprised that he lost that way (without winning a single game and making a lot of really bad mistakes).

Ernie1: what openings would he recommend for a 1000-1500 player?

A.Kh.: Start with classic openings – 1.e4 with White and 1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5 with Black.

hasse: Mr. Khalifman, almost one year ago you shared 3rd prize together with Anand, Shirov and Leko in Linares. Kramnik and Kasparov, who shared 1st, were in a class of their own. Do you feel this gap has become smaller or bigger during this year?

A.Kh.: As a matter of fact the gap in Linares was not that incredibly big (both K’s – "+2" in 10 games, the rest – "-1"). Of course, there is some difference between the level of Kasparov, Kramnik (and Anand, by the way) and some 10 super grandmasters. But this difference is not that big as some chess players and jopurnalists like to tell us.

Samdog: What do you think of Kramnik's interview on the Fide WC match?

A.Kh.: Sorry didn’t read it by now.

guest551: is khalifman playing in german bundesliga?

A.Kh.: Yes, I play in German Bundesliga already for 10 years – last 3 seasons I play for the defending champion SG Porz.

Samdog: Who in your opinion is more talented - Anand or Kramnik?

A.Kh.: It’s rather difficult to answer – both have very bright talents – although of rather different nature. Kramnik’s talent was always impressing me more but it’s fairly subjective.

BruckerJay: i would like to ask Khalifman what opening repertoire he would suggest for a strong amateur to take up.

A.Kh.: Sorry, this question is a bit too general. It depends on:1) what level do you mean when you say "strong amateur"; 2)certainly your style. I tried to answer this type of question when working out the idea of the books "Opening repertoire according to…". The first book of these series "Opening for White according to Kramnik – 1.Nf3" was already published – see the details at www.gmchess.com I hope that these books will help many players to build up a suitable opening repertoire which will match up their styles.

netog: Mister Khalifman, was your ascent to grandmaster a gradual one or was there a point in your career where you made a personal breakthrough. If so, when did this happend and what were your thoughts atthe time

A.Kh.: As the first phase of my chess career was still in "good old" Soviet times I can’t describe it as "gradual one". For example, being already strong young IM for a couple of years (1986-88) I had no chance to travel abroad and to play in some good GM tournaments. However, when I finally got my chance I started winning many tournaments. This breakthrough took place in 1990 – when I qualified to interzonal from Soviet zonal and then I won New York Open and Moscow GMA finally getting GM title. However, it still seems to me that I lost a couple of years for some reason.

guest551: was the rook ending anand-khalifman in india winning for khalifman?

A.Kh.: Yes, it was easily won – just in a couple of moves – gxf4! Instead of e3+?? However, I missed it…

scapcostis: I would like to ask Mr. Khalifman how many players (if any) does he think are better chessplayers than him at the moment

A.Kh.: My view of the chess hierarchy at the moment is the following: 1)there are 3 "big guns": Anand, Kasparov, Kramnik – better then the others although this difference is not so big;2)about 10 of Top GMs (Adams, Shirov, Leko, Morozevich, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Bareev, Topalov, Svidler, …) – all a bit weaker than "top 3" but still better then the rest:3)The "Advanced Top" group including about 20-25 strong GMs etc. I suppose myself to deserve a spot somewhere inside Group 2 – the order of players inside the groups is fairly subjective. That’s my view on this subject.

netog: what's with the FIDE WC, are they going tohave one every year?

A.Kh.: FIDE claims they’re gonna have one World Championship per year – and by now they (almost) succeeded unlike any other self-proclaimed "World Chess Organisation".

A.Kh.: One more time I feel very sorry for the confusion which happened with the planned live chat. Anyway I hope that this confusion has also some bright side as without being in time-pressure like it always happens in "live chat" mode I tried to find logical and adequate answers to your questions. If you still feel that some questions remained unanswered please send your e-mail to webmaster@gmchess.com or leave your question on message board at www.gmchess.com

Finally that’s all! I wish to all of you Happy New Millennium and hope that the world (including the world of chess) might become a bit better in the future.