Under the latest Ilyumzhinov plan for reunification, current FIDE Champion Kasimdzhanov and Grandmasters Kasparov, Anand, Topalov, Kramnik, Leko, Morozevich and Adams (ranked #1-7) will play a double-round-robin tournament to decide the world title. All the participants would have to agree by March 15. If any of them refuse, they will be substituted by their follow-ups in the FIDE rankings. Ilyumzhinov said that the likely venue for the event would be Kalmykia's central city of Elista, but several other options are also being considered. "The minimum prize-money for the event is set at $500,000, but it will most likely rise," he said.
Source:Associated Press
Some random comments on this news
1. "Scheme" somehow seems a much more appropriate word than "plan."
2. I'm assuming they didn't write what they meant, and that if Kasimdzhanov (#25) is a no-show, he would be replaced by Svidler (#8) and not Sakaev (#26).
3. Heck, with the exception of Kramnik and Morozevich, all these players are currently playing in Linares. Why not just declare Linares the world championship and get it over with?
4. A $500,000 prize fund? I guess they'll use all the money which didn't get spent on the Kasparov-Kasimdzhanov match. I mean, after all, back in November Ilyumzhinov said, "I have the bank's guarantees on my desk." And he wouldn't lie, would he?
When did professional chess become such a joke? No need to answer; that's just a rhetorical question; I know the answer. When FIDE Presidents GM Max Euwe (1970-1978) and GM Fridrik Olafsson (1978-1982) were followed by Florencio Campomanes (1982-1995) and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (1995-). Seriously, I'd rather see Don King run the world championship.
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3 comments:
Kasparov has been burned by Ilyumzhinov before (the debacle in dubai). He'd be a fool to accept this scheme.
If I were him, I'd tell Ilyumzhinov to take his blackmail and shove it.
In other news, fugative from US justice, Bobby Fischer, is going to iceland.
Also, chess could only be so lucky as to have a promoter like Don King. Although he personally may be a scumbag, he's one hell of a promoter.
"Only in America."
I agree re Don King. I wasn't kidding; I really would rather see him promoting international chess. He may be a scumbag, but he's a better person than Ilyumzhinov (who is basically a tinpot dictator). And he's definitely a better promoter than either Campomanes or Ilyumzhinov.
Between their inept management and the grandmaster draw epidemic, it's a wonderful there's anybody still willing to sponsor professional chess events.
Obviously in my previous comment I meant "wonder" not "wonderful."
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