The Guardian also find this shaking hand dogma somewhat absurd: I quote from today's 'The Fiver' ('The Guardian' Email newsletter about British football):
(concerning Arsenal match with Tottenham last night)

"But while Bendtner may accept this apology, which has thus far been
unaccompanied by the ludicrous sight of both players being hauled
before the cameras to shake hands and grin at each other through
gritted teeth, the FA may not be so happy to let it lie."

@Stephan:
Agree, we have consider all the results, not a single tournament (don't forget about the Tal Memorial, for example :)). This we called statistics. As for personal preferences, I respect you admiration of Topalov stile, it's bright, indeed. The beauty of Kramnik (Karpov, Kapablanca, etc.) positional chess is somehow under surface, sometimes very deep. May I love it?

I would also draw your attention, that Kramnik's funs for some reason are much less aggressive, than ones of Topalov, don't you think so? Should I think that ones are more civilized than others? Have Kramnik himself ever accused Topalov of something?.. Should they start an "anti-spy campaign" induced by Danailov statement that he was 100% sure, what Kramnik was going to play? I answer the last question myself: NEVER, because it would be a paranoids behavior; an opposite to a civilized one.

Someones like Mozart others prefer Wagner. Should they fight each other?

Wolf Gray, chess doesn't start and finishes with Zee, if matters Topalov wins the last 3 times this tournament where were these players then? The point is players like him still makes chess more than just grinding positions and he proves it all the time
This is the reason chess masters like Fisher, Kasparov are remembered the most, Topalov follows their model, it takes more to be the best than just showing good condition

Amos Sky, when someones seems to play unfair and goes suspiciously to the toilet like baby all the time I would leave such corrupted game,too! Especially when the pawn is world champion title which Topa had gained with so many work

Lajos:
The whole point of what I'm saying is that the way one observes Silvio's tactics is a matter of opionion. Some people think they were dirty, some people think they were just. It's a matter of how you look at it. Get it? Probably not but some people talk about how Topalov has to take responsibility for what happened at Elista. What responsibility? Their is no responsibility to bear. The tournament took place and it was great to follow. If Kramnik walked away from the tournament and refused to play then their might be some true controversy, but he didn't. And more power to him for that. They played. It was splendid. It was grand. People got high entertainment. Don't kid yourself and try to make Topalov or Kramnik the bad guy. It's a viewpoint you're taking and it's not objective reasoning!!!

Peter great site!!! You do an amazing job!! Keep up the great work!!! (Next time Kramnik and Topalov play I expect you to sneak into Kramnik's bathroom and see what's actually going on in their. But i expect you to do the same with Topalov. We've got to keep this journalism fair. Imagine if Topalov was the cheat!!! Then I'd have to jump on Anand's bandwagon. In the long run I find it hard to believe either guy was cheating at Elista....all right...I said enough....or did I? Once again, it's a matter of opinion.)

Getting tired of modern chess funs... Topalov lost to Anand, Aronian and Van Wely. Why no one is shouting that they are better than Topalov? Have a look at the standing. You may discover that the best player in this particular tournament is Carlsen, chased by Aronian. Have a look at the games. You may discover that the only one who never had troubles is Ivanchuk... well, maybe also Adams. Who is the luckiest guy? Perhaps, Carlsen, who made a miracle escape in the last game... well, he's closely chasing by Topalov. More nominations?

What I suggest to "modern chess funs" is not to turn to football ones, otherwise you'll start discussions on streets and in bars in the way they do. I suggest to relay on statistics, not on (often artificial) emotions. Get a pleasure, while analyzing games of great guys.

oh come on, Topalov and Silvio are the bad guys in Elista and Kramnik is the poor guy with a terrible arthritic disease!
Don't make me laugh, going permanently to the bathroom in the greatest championship game is shown not as dirty doubtful trick but as disease, in contrast to Danailov and Topa actions!
No one doubts that Russian chess society have given much to the chess and deserves to be called "The top chess nation" but they have to use to that they couldn't be world champions anywhere all the time ! These ambitions are sick , they are better chess players than Kramnik, I am sorry! Tthis is what happens when you want to be the first on any cost, when you don't deserve it! The inevitable truth emerges

I totally agree with Adrian. People are judged by their decisions and actions, not by their advisors. Topalov decided to follow Danailov's advice, so he agreed with Danailov in that matter. He participated in Danailov's dirty tricks.

Adrian:
Topalov, Danialov, Cheparinov are more than a team. They are a chess family!!! Of course their actions are calculated off and on the board, as logically as they possible can be. I never said Danailov was an evil advisor. He advises Cheparinov and Topalov in a way that he feels will benfit them most. Topalov obviously trusted him in Elista and rightfully so. Kramnik was going to the bathroom more than a classroom of three year olds attending a potty training seminar. I feel bad for Vlad because he has to deal with a terrible arthritic disease but that doesn't excuse him from being questioned for his actions. I don't even think that Topalov is a clueless myrmidon of Danialov's. I just think he likes him and trusts him. And when you go into a chess championship it is a psychological war. Look what happened with Fischer and Spassky. Fischer made ridiculous demands and a lot of them were accomodated. Then there were the kicking and bewitching antics in Karpov and Korchnoi. What about Karpov and Kasparov, their first time around. Danailov reminds me of an overzeolous sports dad lurking in the back of his son's games, willing to do anything in his power to get his son to be the ultimate star. Fortunately, at the end of the day there is only so much that lurking father can do for his son's success. The game is always determined on the field, and in chess it is always determined on the board. I don't know anything about about Danailov as a person but he makes for an interesting character. (The guy obviously eats a bowl of combative wheaties every morning.) There are some who see him as the devil and I think it's fair to say nobody sees him as a bible toting angel who sings hyms to children at the Ronald McDonald foundation, but he makes for great chess drama, and in Topalov's case just because you're being lead by a man of questionable character doesn't make you a bad person. Just like a kid's unethical/overbearing/overzealous sports dad doesn't make his son a bad person. Who knows the child may grow up into a great human being! You just never know. Just like us!! In the long run we are just clueless fans who are feed by the media. Vlad beat Topa anyway, but thanks to that man of questionable character lurking in the background, it was great entertainment!!! And who knows maybe if we did get to know Danailov as a person, we'd like him.

finally we get to see the lady with the nice voice ;-)

Check out Timman-Ljubojevic. Timman repeats Topa's knight sac, I'm very curious how both guys spent the night and what they did or did not find.....

Agree to Arne's comment. This game is not greatly played by Topa, it's just great preparation by his second.

A good home prep gives you a suitable position, sometimes a practically won position... But here that was not the case - the 40 moves in depth home analysis did not occur in the game, so Topalov played a brave and beautiful 27. cxd5!! over the board. Just a great game and no hateful comments can take away anything from it. He had his home prep (yes, not that spectacular) against Anand also but it didn't work out.
it's good that after these pressconferences and interviews people who never met him (or Ivan) ,but read some biased crap, can see that he's actually a nice, humble person. Best of luck to both Topa and Kramnik, they, along with Anand are just some other-league-players. It was truly a great game and we would have enjoyed it aesthetically even if it was the other way round and was Kramnik who made all the incredible moves. Both these guys are geniuses

hahaha nice one arne :)

Cheers !

Totaly agree with Amos Sky. And to all critics - are you better? No one is perfect ,you cant have it all in a person. Go Topalov !!

Great players,great game,great win.

Quite interesting game as a matter of fact.
I was irrelevant to both players because my favourite player was Garry Kasparov.
But after Elista I became a fan of Topalov.

Great game by Cheparinov :-)

in moments like these Topalov proves that he is simply a great player. Sacrificing a knight, the queen, etc. to get a mating attack, that's what makes a true attacker. Topalov-Kramnik was excellent. It raises expectations for the second game.

Thumbs up to Chessvibes from bringing these videos to us! Keep up the good work Peter.

I wonder if there is any news about Topalov-Kamski match. Perhaps Chessvibes could interview Danailov about that. Topalov is obviously the clear favorite vs Kamski but as far as I know it will be a short match of 6 or 8 games so anything can happen. I am a big fan of Anand but Kramnik is looking very strong. Chances are high we are going to see another Topa-Kramnik match in 2009!

1. d4! for sure, his best chance for success is in playing double edged positions. He wont get them against the Petroff. Kramnik easily diffused Kasparov's 1.e4. I'm sure vishy will be all to aware of this...

This game shows how "important" is Kramnik for Topalov. If I were Topalov, I would have save it for a very possible Topalov-Anand match, because Anand plays the same variation.

Topalov shows here that he is very humble and has a good sence of humor. He not once talks bombastically about himself. The whole toiletgate scandal did not do any harm to his reputation in my eyes. He took the advice of Danailov and played his heart out. What more can you ask of him. At the end of the day i think toiletgate did very little to sway true chess fans away from their admiration of him.
When it was all said and done Kramnik fans remained Kramnik fans and Topalov remained Topalov fans. Those who crossed over to cheer for Kramnik weren't objective in their thinking and had their views skewed by the negative publicity the entire Danailov camp endured.

@ Amos Sky:

Interesting comment. Topalov does come across as a nice and humble person, but he has to take his share of responsibility for what happened in Elista. Danailov may have cooked up the scheme, but Topalov did not have to oblige him. What happened in Elista did damage Topalov's reputation and rightly so.

I see that some people still believe in the old "the noble king and his evil advisors" myth.
Wake up! Danailov, Topalov and Cheparinov are a TEAM. Their actions on and off the board are carefully planned.

Before Elista I was a great Topalov fan.

Anyway, for the match mayby Anand should focus on 1.d4.
Leko did, and he almost succeeded.

Peter Doggers,
congratulations on your great work!

topalov is a great chess player and gentleman. we remember that before the elista "toilet war" he never miss to be kind with all chess fans and journalists. he give a lot of interviews, press conferences... he is every time elegant- with suit... but probably his manager make the all "bad thinks". nevertheless it is good for chess too, because the chess is in the focus of many newspapers, magazines, tv, etc. the interest about chess is great now.
i hope topalov will continue to play in the same spectacular style and will give us pleasure with beautiful games

Great win from Topa ... to be honest I thought it would be either a draw or a loss for the Bulgarian cause he is sometimes trying to win too hard.

anyway, hands up for Topalov, I am sure that win is worth a lot to him. Also hope all you haters will shut up now.

I think V.T. comes over very well as a person.

Thx again to Chessvibes.com for all this pleasure for chess fans; It used to be so difficult finding out anything about tournaments e.g. in the 1960s one would get a badly printed and boring bulletin! Compared to Veselin's rock & roll

Very strange game by Kramnik, Way below his usual standards, especially Q x d4 ?. Not very Kramnik-like. He seemed to selfdestruct today, you dont se that often. Anyway the tournament is wide open now. Even Leko or Topalov can win, not likely though. Carlsen will have his big test with the black pieces against Kramnik in round 12. Aronain is the favorite now i think.

@Rubinstein

I think that the very best players simply play what's best to current knowledge, so if that's Russian (quiet) and Semi-Slav (wild), so be it. They play what works.

Besides, in what opening should Kramnik hide for Topalov's aggression? Maybe the normal Slav or some a6 Slav, but that doesn't necessarily safe him from suffering (as their match showed). And even if one plays the Queen's Indian, one can be confronted with some nasty Nxf7!? (e.g. Topalov-Anand, Sofia 2005).

You can run, but you can't hide...

Que bien poder seguir las partidas comentadas con analisis en video de los propios protagonistas.
Par verlos en castellano pasate por mi web.

Indeed --- shows he must in fact be a very nice guy.
Pity he lost about 70% of his fans after Elista ....

I think Topalov himself is OK. But Silvio is the evil guy!
If Topalov fires Danailov, I might respect Veselin again.

That was another Theo, by the way.
But I don't fully disagree with my namesake.

Silvio has predicted what Kramnik would play!

Come on Topalov, put that laserbeam away, that don't work, you can't see it on the board

respect to silvio! actually he is my coleague of psychology from sofia university. He is bad at PR but predicting the overconfidence of Kramnik and ergo his opening defence is very good. And rather bad psychological preparation from kramnik, he must feel very bad in the moment, i dont believe he will win tournament but the same about topalov. He will be too calm

He is so humble. No matter what his relations with other players are, he will remain one of the greatest players of the last two decades.
I don't think that Kramnik is a bad person (or player). I just like Topalov's style better.
Mi miss the Kramnik from the 90's and his aggressive and attacking style.

Good luck to both of them.

Agree with Gary, Kramnik should have opted for a more quiet/strategic opening today. He played right into Topalovs style and that i very unlike Kramnik, very strange. You can bet your life that he had not done it if it had been in a match with Topalov, unless it was a must win situation. Todays games was not a must win situation.

I think things are simple. Perhaps, Kramnik had never analyzed this sacrifice (look at the time he spent) and the main line is relatively quite. Hard to explain why he didn't identify the main threat, Qg6 and didn't play Rg8 instead of Qxd4.Well, it's a men (although a great one...), not a computer.

"I'll have to ask Ivan, if he has more ideas". Nice, funny remark at the end.