Kramnik forfeits game 5. Has the match finished?

Classical World Champion Vladimir Kramnik forfeited game 5 of the match against FIDE Champion Veselin Topalov for the re-unificated World Title, which is currently taking place in Elista (Kalmykia). Kramnik failed to appear on the stage an hour after the game started, and the main arbiter Geurt Gjissen awarded the point to Topalov. Technically, the match is now 3-2 for Kramnik, but there are serious doubts about whether the match will continue. Kramnik has said that he is willing to play the fifth game on Saturday, under the rules agreed before the match.

Everything began when Silvio Danailov (Topalov’s manager) sent a letter to the Appeals Committee denouncing that Kramnik was going to the bathroom too often, up to 50 times during a game, and that the bathroom is the only place in the playing venue that has no video or audio surveillance. Topalov threatened to abandon the match if the Appeals Committee didn’t attend his demands.

In his letter, Danailov stated that “The careful study of the video recordings from the rest rooms done by the technical experts of the Bulgarian team revealed the following facts which we would herewith like to bring to your attention: 1. After each move Mr. Kramnik immediately heads to the rest room and from it directly to the bathroom. During every game he visited the relaxation room 25 times at the average and the bathroom more than 50 times – the bathroom is the only place without video surveillance. 2. Unlike Mr. Kramnik, the World Champion Veselin Topalov spends his time mainly at the playing table. The average number of times he visited the rest room and the bathroom is 8 and 4 respectively.”

The letter continued: “In our opinion these facts are quite strange, if not suspicious. In relation to the above, and to ensure the best conditions for fair play and rule out all suspicions we demand: To stop the use of the rest rooms and the adjacent bathrooms for both players. If a player needs to go to the bathroom, he can use the public bathroom, but only with permission from the Arbiter and accompanied by an assistant arbiter. The Organizing Committee should present the video tapes from the rest rooms to all journalists accredited in the press-center so that they can verify for themselves the facts described by us”.

Silvio Danailov, manager of Topalov.
(Photo: WCC official site)

Finally, Danailov threatened to abandon the match: “Should this extremely serious problem remain unsolved by 10.00 o’clock tomorrow (September 29th, 2006), we would seriously reconsider the participation of the World Champion Veselin Topalov in this match”.

• Full text of the Danailov's letter to the Appeals Committee

The Appeals Committee (formed by Mr.Makroupolus, Mr.Azmaiparashvili and Mr.Vega) had an urgent meeting to address this subject. They issued a press statement, with four main resolutions. “In order that the World Championship can continue running smoothly, the Appeals Committee decided:

(a) To close both the toilets in the players’ rest rooms and to open another toilet that will be available only to the two players.

(b) Not to accept the request of Mr. Danailov, to stop the use of the rest rooms by the players.

(c) The Appeals Committee believes that the publication of the videotapes to the mass media is not within our authority and we consider such action to be against the privacy of the players.

(d) The Appeals Committee will return the fee of USD 5,000 for the appeal to Mr. Danailov”.

• Full text of the Appeals Committee resolution

Makropoulus, FIDE Vice-president, in the press conference.
(Photo: WCC official site)

Although this note was basically in favor of Topalov, soon afterwards Danailov sent a new open letter in which he insisted that the players must be accompanied by an assistant arbiter when going to the bathroom.

In addition, Danailov stated “The World Champion Veselin Topalov is outraged by the suspicious behavior of his opponent Mr. Vladimir Kramnik who in actual fact takes his most significant decisions in the bathroom. Despite the above, in the name of the chess game and out of respect to FIDE, to Kalmikia and the millions of chess lovers, Veselin Topalov is willing to continue his participation in the match provided that measures to guarantee fair play are taken. If the match were to continue, the World Champion would refrain from shaking hands with Mr. Kramnik before the games and would not take part in joint press conferences with him. Veselin Topalov will make statements for the media separately”.

• Full text of the second letter of Danailov to the Appeals Committee

Immediately afterwards, Kramnik’s manager, Carsten Hensel issued an official response in which he rejected the decisions of the Appeals Committee and went as far as to state that the members of the Committee, specifically that Makropoulus and Azmaiparshvili, should be replaced.

Here are some of the main sentences of the letter.

“The reasons that Mr. Kramnik is entering his own bathroom often is simple: The restroom is small and Mr. Kramnik likes to walk and therefore uses the space of the bathroom as well. The Appeals Committee has been informed about the issue before they decided. It should also be mentioned that Mr. Kramnik has to drink a lot of water during the games”

“Mr. Kramnik believes that the latest decision should increasingly concern the world of chess as it shows very clearly and once again the biased stand of the Appeals Committee members involved. In person: Mr. Makropolous, Mr. Azmaiparashivili (well known as a close friend to Mr. Danailov), Mr. Gelfer (now replaced by Mr. Vega). Therefore Mr. Kramnik requests to exchange the mentioned persons immediately. Enough is enough”

Illescas, Kramnik and Carsten at the press conference.
(Photo: WCC official site)

“The protests of the Topalov team into the direction of Mr. Kramnik and the suspicions in the press release of Mr. Topalov are utterly disgraceful and are touching Mr. Kramnik’s privacy. We do not think that the Topalov team has any right of getting access to the recordings. This shall be job of the nominated arbiters only”

“In the meanwhile Mr. Kramnik will stop playing this match as long as FIDE is not ready to respect Mr. Kramnik’s rights, in this case to use the toilet of his own restroom whenever he wishes to do so”.

• Full text of the open letter of Carsten Hensen to Ilyumzhinov

CURRENT SITUATION

Kramnik didn’t appear on the stage for the fifth game and at 17:00h local time Chief Arbiter Geurt Gijssen confirmed that Kramnik had forfeited the 5th game. Meanwhile, Kramnik was in his rest room, and waiting for his toilet to open. Makropoulos started a press conference just 10 minutes after the clock of Kramnik has been put into motion and Kramnik joined him, making the following statement:

“Makropolous and Azmaiparashvili are very good friends of Danailov. Their actions are clearly biased in favor of Topalov. The decision to grant Danailov full access to videotapes is incorrect and outrageous. I did not sign the contract for acting in a reality show. This goes against all ethical norms and violates my privacy”

“I am ready to continue the match and play the 5th game tomorrow on the conditions that were accepted prior to the start of the match. My dignity does not allow me to stand this situation. Now I am going to return to my cottage and rest"

THE LAST CHANCE

Ilyumzhinov has interrupted his visit in Sochi, at the meeting of the Heads of the Regions of the South Russian Region of the Russian Federation led by the President of Russia V. Putin, and is on his way back to Elista. Is this the last hope?

September, 30th. GAME is postponed
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov accepted the proposal of the Chief Arbiter of the World Chess Championship Match Topalov-Kramnik Mr. Geurt Gijssen to postpone the Game of today. In his Letter to the players, the FIDE President calls the players to discuss the actual situation and solve the problems.

September, 29th
Classical World Champion Vladimir Kramnik forfeited game 5 of the match against FIDE Champion Veselin Topalov for the re-unificated World Title, which is currently taking place in Elista (Kalmykia). Kramnik failed to appear on the stage an hour after the game started, and the main arbiter Geurt Gjissen awarded the point to Topalov. Technically, the match is now 3-2 for Kramnik, but there are serious doubts about whether the match will continue. Kramnik agrees to proceed with the match, starting from game five, if certain conditions are met.

Ilyumzhinov and authorities at the start of game one.
(Photo: WCC official site)

LIVE COVERAGE ON THE ICC

ICC offers, only for members, an extraordinary LIVE COVERAGE of the World Chess Championship Match. Your favorite grandmasters will commentate on every game during the ICC Webcast: WGM Jennifer Shahade, GM John Fedorowicz, GM Larry Christiansen, GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, GM Joel Benjamin, GM Gregory Kaidanov, IM Elliot Winslow, IM Dr. Danny Kopec, and anchored by IM Bill Paschall. Also, the Spanish ICC Webcast will feature: GM Am. Rodriguez, GM Viktor Moskalenko, IM Michael Rahal and IM Angel Martin.

ICC Webcast schedule for match Topalov vs Kramnik All times are US eastern. Add 4 hours for GMT. Add 6 hours for CET   07:00   GAME 6 POSTPONED Saturday, September 30    IM Bill Paschall and WGM Jennifer Shahade    GM Amador Rodríguez (spanish)   07:00   GAME 5 or GAME 6? Sunday, October 1 - Reversal of Colors   07:00   GAME 7 Topalov vs Kramnik Monday, October 2    IM Bill Paschall and GM Gregory Kaidanov    IM Angel Martín (spanish)   07:00   GAME 8 Kramnik vs Topalov Tuesday, October 3    IM Bill Paschall and GM Gregory Kaidanov    GM Amador Rodríguez (spanish)   Replay   REST DAY Wednesday, October 4   07:00   GAME 9 Topalov vs Kramnik Thursday, October 5    IM Bill Paschall and GM Larry Christiansen    GM Viktor Moskalenko (spanish)   07:00   GAME 10 Kramnik vs Topalov Friday, October 6    IM Bill Paschall and GM John Federowicz    IM Angel Martín (spanish)   Replay   REST DAY Saturday, October 7   07:00   GAME 11 Topalov vs Kramnik Sunday, October 8    IM Bill Paschall and GM Joel Benjamin    GM Viktor Moskalenko (spanish)   Replay   REST DAY Monday, October 9   07:00   GAME 12 Kramnik vs Topalov Tuesday, October 10    IM Bill Paschall and GM Larry Christiansen    IM Michael Rahal (spanish)   Replay   REST DAY Wednesday, October 11   07:00   TIEBREAKS Thursday, October 12    IM Bill Paschall and GM Larry Christiansen    IM Michael Rahal (spanish)   View this week's entire Webcast schedule

Related information:

• ICC Newsletter XVII: Topalov vs. Kramnik is on!
• ICC Newsletter XXXV: Kramnik and Topalov Re-unification match.
• ICC Newsletter XXXVI: The Duel begins!
• ICC Special Section of the Match.
• ICC LIVE COVERAGE webpage.
• ICC Webcast weekly schedule.
• World Chess Championship official website.
  

  The "Toilet incident"

by John B. Henderson

IT’S more a case of 'My Cistern' than Nimzowitch’s 'My System' – but one things for sure: the $1m Unification World Championship match in Elista, Kalmykia, between rival champions Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramik is now in serious jeopardy of literally going down the drain, as one player accuses the other of spending too much time in the toilet.

In a written complaint to the match organisers, Topalov’s manager, Silvio Danailov, detailed what his team regarded as “suspicious behaviour” from their Russian rival, gleaned from the study of nearly twenty hours of video surveillance from his restroom during the opening four games of the match. The complaint detailed that Kramnik retreated to his off-stage rest and relaxation room on average 25 times per game (about once every two moves) – and then visited the toilet, which is outside the range of the video cameras, with remarkable frequency, more than 50 times every game.

The Topalov camp also supplied a detailed record of Kramnik's trips away from the board while it was his opponent's turn to move. During Tuesday's third game, which ended in a draw, the Bulgarian team said a "short statistical sample" based on video recordings produced the following timeline:

"3:54 p.m. -- Kramnik plays Move 15.
"3:55 p.m. -- Goes into the bathroom.
"3:56 p.m. -- Goes out of the bathroom.
"3:57 p.m. -- Goes into the bathroom.
"3:59 p.m. -- Goes out of the bathroom.
"4:03 p.m. -- Goes into the bathroom.
"4:04 p.m. -- Goes out of the bathroom.
"4:07 p.m. -- Comes out for Move 16."

Although there were no direct accusations of cheating, the clear inference from the Topalov camp, who – surprise, surprise - are losing the match 3-1, is that Kramnik could be getting outside assistance or perhaps using an electronic device to assist in his analysis during play. While the Appeals Committee for the match said that the frequency of the bathroom visits were exaggerated somewhat, they opted to take action by locking the private toilets in both restrooms with the intention of opening another only available to the two players.

Kramnik's team not surprisingly reacted angrily by describing the allegations as "utterly disgraceful and are touching Mr. Kramnik’s privacy", said manager Carsten Hensel in a statement issued on behalf of his client. On the charge of Kramnik's frequent visits to the toilet, Hensel said, "the reason that Mr. Kramnik is entering his own bathroom often is simple: The restroom is small and Mr. Kramnik likes to walk and therefore uses the space of the bathroom as well".

The crisis deepened when Kramnik carried out his threat to stay in his restroom before the start of game, and would only agree to come out after his toilet was unlocked. Two hours after the scheduled start the game was abandoned in favour of Topalov, after Kramnik failed to appear on the stage. Kramnik later appeared at a press conference to further accuse the Appeals Committee of being biased in favour of his Bulgarian opponent, but was willing to play game five on Saturday, according to the rules contractually agreed prior to the match, with his private toilet unlocked.

The farce though has more to do with ‘head games’ and psychological warfare in chess, as the losing side attempts to disrupt the rhythm of the opposing camp – and the latest dispute is nothing more than a storm in a teacup compared to other world championship matches.

The 1972 Cold War epic in Reykjavik between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky turned nasty when Soviet officials accused the United States of trying to throw off Spassky by using secret electronic devices pointed at their man. Fischer's chair and the whole playing area were subjected to a thorough examination. All light fixtures were removed from the ceiling, but only two dead flies were found. A member of the Soviet delegation was finally rebuked for demanding that an autopsy be performed on the insects. Not to be outdone, Fischer had all fillings in his teeth replaced on the eve of the match, fearing the presence of Soviet implants that could be activated to distract him at crucial moments.

In 1978 Soviet defector Viktor Korchnoi was certain that Russian parapsychologist Dr. Zukhar was trying, through the process of thought transmission, of interfering with his concentration from the front row of the audience during his match in the Philippines against World Champion Anatoly Karpov. When Korchnoi was unable to have him removed, he engaged the Ananda Marga, a religious sect, in an attempt to counterbalance the 'bad vibrations'. Wen they were refused entry to the playing hall, the Korchnoi camp then claimed that Karpov’s trainers were sending him coded hints by selecting different flavours of yogurt to offer him during play.

The last word on the subject though goes to British master and wit William Hartston in his seminal work 'How to Cheat at Chess', when he wrote in the days before sophisticated hand-held computers: “If God had not meant us to analyse on our pocket set in the toilet he would not have given us toilet paper on which to make notes.”