Topalov on Candidates Matches: “I won’t play in Russia”
24 July 2010, 19.27 CET | Last modified: 22:13 | By Arne Moll | Filed under: Reports | Tags:
A few days ago, we published an open letter by GM Sutovsky about the current FIDE Candidates Matches problems. Yesterday, Veselin Topalov published an open letter in response to the news that part of the matches might be played in Kazan, Russia.
According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, the Russian Chess Federation has asked FIDE President Ilyumzhinov to move part of the Candidates Matches from Baku, Azerbaijan – not a very pleasant place for Armenian GM Levon Aronian, who has recently announced he won’t travel to Baku – to Kazan, Russia.
This, in turn, has prompted Veselin Topalov to write an open letter announcing he refuses to play in Kazan or any other place in Russia, in part because of what happened back in 2006, during ‘Toiletgate’. Here is Topalov’s open letter as it appeared on Chessdom:
July 22th, Sofia, Bulgaria
Dear President of FIDE, Dear members of the PB,
I am writing an open letter to you regarding the next World Championship Cycle. After many promises and changes I learn that a new place for the Candidates matches is being discussed, the one of Kazan, Russia.
I believe that it is a strategic mistake to stage almost all the cycle in one country. Four events of the FIDE Grand Prix, the World Cup, and now possibly Candidates Matches are in Russia. This transmits the message that FIDE can’t find sponsors and Organizers from other countries, which is very sad.
I would also like to state that for me the venue of Kazan, or any other venue in Russia, is totally unacceptable for another reason. Everybody still remembers the unpleasant situations which my team and I had to face during the WCC Match in Elista 2006.
Having in mind all this, I would like to declare that I would not participate in any stage of the cycle for the World Chess Title that takes place in Russia, in order to avoid problems and conflicts that already took place there.
The venue of Baku was rejected by Aronian and this looked natural for everyone. Before that, FIDE have changed their own rules and regulations to avoid the WCC rematch Topalov-Kramnik with Sofia as a venue. I believe it is logical to ask, if I play any matches in the future, (especially against Russian GMs), that they should be outside of Russia.
With respect,
Veselin Topalov
You can fine more detailed background information on the Candidates Matches over at Chess in Translation.
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I’m I the only one that thinks this is a new low for Topalov? Comparing the ethic tensions (to put it mildly) between Azerbaijan and Armenia to his own shenanigans at the world championship in Elista just so he can position himself more favorably for a championship run. That’s just bad taste, even for Topalov. I suspected he was a punk before but now it is undeniable that he has no class.
Oh boy, it looks like Topalov hasn’t fired Danailov yet.
I think Danailov will prevent Topalov to play a world championship cycle no matter what. It sounds insane, but he’s done it before, with Ponomariov—who was fortunate to escape from Danailov’s grip early enough to eventually recover (although it is probably too late for Topalov now).
Well, perhaps it is time that the match be held outside of Russia. Despite the fact that what happened in 2006 was Topalov’s fault, he has a right to request a change. If FIDE can change it up for Aronian, why not for anybody else?
The Bulgarian side made complete asses of themselves and brought shame to the great game in the World Championship match against Vladimir Kramnik, who tolerated more abuse than ought to have and showed himself a gentleman throughout that contest. Why Topalov would invoke the memory of that sorry affair with this latest letter is incomprehensible. The FIDE should respond to Topalov’s missive with a terse note indicating that they have received his letter and are elated that they will not have to endure further shenanigans from the him and his tiresome manager when the candidates matches are convened in Kazan.
Topalov please for the sake of chess – retire.
What I do not understand is how he even dares to bring up Ellista. By now he should know that only patriotic Bulgarians are on his side on the Ellista incident. I really would have thought he would just avoid ever speaking of it again, but apparently he likes this kind of Don Quichote behaviour.
He has a point though, it would be better if the events were distributed over a wider area, although obviously he wouldn’t object to organizing it in Sofia
Really, I don’t understand what goes on in this man’s head, apart from nice chess insights I think I don’t even want to know…
Lets check Topalov’s record.
0-2 losses in WC matches.
2 WC matchs with controversy: name calling, blame shifting, complaints about “cheating” once he lost .
There is a big difference between issues that risk the safety of a player and some personal problems he thinks occurred. [If anyone thinks Kramnik was cheating they are just in denial of the facts.]
Lets check the situation Let topalov play and listen to complaints about cheating if he loses or he doesnt play and complains anyway. Lose-Lose
At some point organizers just should move on and tell him to get lost and focus their energy on making a fair and fun event.
Hi Arne,
Your Armenian link is from October 2009 and seems to be outdated. At least Aronian himself clearly stated “I won’t travel to Baku”:
http://www.chessintranslation.com/2010/05/aronian-i-wont-travel-to-baku/
This interview seems to be from May 2010, it also discusses the Anand-Topalov match.
Earlier today, mishanp AKA Colin McGourty posted a more extensive summary of recent developments (or rumors) around the candidates matches – also at his own Chessintranslation site, not hesitating to give his own opinion.
Thanks, Thomas, I’m rather busy at the moment and hadn’t noticed that the link is outdated. I added two links to Colin’s website in the article.
By the way, my own opinion on the matter is perhaps a bit surprising: in principle, I think Topalov is right in almost all his points.
For one, having another tournament in the Caucasus is a really poor solution to the problems – in fact it only confirms what we already knew, namely that FIDE is totally incapable of organizing serious events outside this highly instable region.
Secondly, even though Toiletgate was of course Topalov’s own decision, it can’t be denied that FIDE at the time couldn’t control the situation at all. Ilyuzmhinov rushed to Elista but couldn’t even do the most basic damage control. Kramnik lost a full point because of all this; I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened with a normally functioning FIDE.
Finally, it is indeed absurd that FIDE chose to organize the tournament in Baku, knowing Aronian was likely to qualify. This not only showed naivety but also a total lack of knowledge of and respect for international politics (something which was once again demonstrated when Ilyumzhinov recently announced he wants to organize a $100,000 tournament in Myanmar).
For Topalov, the cold war never ended.
Time to get out the famous poisoned umbrellas again … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_umbrella
No one gives a cheat about veselin cheatalov..
so go and play with danailov topo:)
where did anand play the match with you?
topalov and his dictator are like gangsters.
Why is everybody always so one-sided against Topalov and Danailov? I think Topalov is a grown man who can make up his own mind so dont blame Danailov. Topalov, a great fighting chess player who is an example to many in that respect, has a good point when he claims that too many tournaments are being held in Russia so if he feels he doesnt want to play in Russia (I dont expect the FIDE to change the location) it is his right to refuse. FIDE should be ashamed for not being able to have a decent event.
Dear Arne,
thanks, good to read something which goes beyond black and white. Topalov is correct about the state of FIDE organization, but still he is not in a position to demand anything – first he immediately should apologize to Kramnik and to the rest of the chess world for his disrespectful behaviour in Elista and in publications afterwards. He is part of the complex of problems that the world of chess is facing. It is not acceptable that “Toiletgate” was swept under the rug and that Topalov got away with no sanctions at all. Topalov publicy has to heal those wounds, and FIDE has to be strong enough to stop him from playing in FIDE events if he does not.
Besides that it is obvious that the lack of FIDE’s authority and professionalism is the main problem. As I pointed out, this is about a whole complex of problems which are interdependet: sponsors, venues, players, organizers. All acteurs have to understand this. Especially solidity and reliability are needed. Rolex wouldn`t sponsor Wimbledon if it would be possible that next year “Wimbledon” might be staged in Antarctica on ice.
It is a shame that in the aera of respectful and super-strong players like Anand, Kramnik, Carlsen and Aronian – which easily could attract further interest in chess – there is such a mess and such a chaos.
If everybody starts bitchin` about like oh i don´t want to play here and there like Topalov does then there wouldn´t be any decent event in chess no more…he is the player and has to play were the location is set to or else he can play with himself or Danailov like someone said in some comment. Though the actual FIDE organisators are completely idiots.
if you don’t won’t to play in Russia, Chess is the wrong sport for you… lol
Topalov has a point. Kasparov said something similar. When chess matches at the highest level are staged in some unknown backward Russian village, big-money media and corporate sponsors will never care at all, nor should they. Where the hell is Kazan? Or for that matter, Elista? Anyone want a vacation in Nalchik? Would you go on honeymoon in “Astrakhan”?? High class chess should be held in high-class cities: London, Paris, New York, Moscow, Hong Kong, Rome, etc. This is simply a sad reality if Western media and sponsorship are to play ANY role in funding professional chess. Hey Intel, would you like to sponsor a chess match on a goat farm in Kalmykia? No??
why would topalov be opposed to playing in russia after the events in elista? everything controversial turned out in his favor. after his baseless allegations, the rules were changed to meet his demands, and he was awarded a full point due to the kramnik forfeit after he protested the appeals committee. where else could he expect such hospitality? i doubt they’d do more than that for him in bulgaria. this is just another case of him trying to shift the blame for his ignominious defeat on the venue rather than his inability to seal the deal when he had an edge.
whatever Topalov’s real motivations behind this letter, we can be sure the ‘good of chess’ is not one of them lol
This is good news…maybe we will never have to suffer Danailov in any public function ever again now. By losing to both Kramnik and Anand and considering his antics during Toiletgate, Topalov has forfeited any prerogative to play for the world title anyhow.
@Arne : ¨Secondly, even though Toiletgate was of course Topalov’s own decision, it can’t be denied that FIDE at the time couldn’t control the situation at all. Ilyuzmhinov rushed to Elista but couldn’t even do the most basic damage control. Kramnik lost a full point because of all this; I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened with a normally functioning FIDE.¨
Maybe Kirsan was a bit nervous because of the orders his boss (Putin) gave him , (quoting Kirsan quoting Putin) ¨go there and fix this¨ , on their private and unbiased meeting…
Topalov is right on his claims , again.
But Russians should not worry , whatever the outcome of the forthcoming elections they have secured full control of FIDE , again.
It is hard to imagine that there is anything further that Topalov (or Danailov) could do to further wreck his reputation.
How can you expect opponents (Kamsky, Anand) to play both your candidates finals match and the World Championship in your own city/country and then refuse to play in Russia? This is just simply too much.
In my opinion, players who refuse to play in his/her opponent’s home country should be banned. Except in exceptional cases like violence and war. What are they to do so, friggin prima donnas? Imagine if a team from the reason World Cup sent out such a letter refusing to play in Africa. It would be gravely insulting to which ever country hosts the competitors. Topalov is insulting Russia like this.
As much as I don’t like Topailov, he has a basic right not to play in a country he doesn’t like. It’s FIDE’s responsibility to find a host country which both players can agree to.
With that being said, I really laughed out loud when I read John’s “if you don’t won’t to play in Russia, Chess is the wrong sport for you… lol
“
Arne,
sorry but I think your modified version is still a bit misleading – now it sounds as if Aronian suddenly made up his mind about not travelling to Baku last May. However, as far as I remember he had said so before. I cannot come up with source, but it’s actually in the interview (”I already expressed my opinion on the topic, as well as in a conversation with FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s assistants.”). “Aronian announced” or “Aronian recently confirmed” would do the job!?
On the rest of your comment, your points are (partly) valid but Topalov has different things in mind:
Kazan is not in the Caucasus region, Khanty-Mansiysk (Siberia) certainly isn’t – it was also mentioned by Topalov (World Cup venue). BTW some Wikipedia research for Patrick: Kazan is the eight city of Russia with a population of about 1 million, an economic and scientific center and recently named sports capital of Russia – just because you haven’t heard of it before it doesn’t mean it’s a backward village. Had you heard of Nanjing, China before they staged a major chess event? On the somewhat funny side: The unofficial motto of Tatarstan (capital Kazan) is “Bez Buld?rab?z! (We can!)”.
Baku is in the Caucasus region, but Topalov himself wouldn’t have problems playing there.
If Elista had been handled properly – in my and Arne’s opinion – Topalov would be even more unhappy!!?? It’s unclear what he actually wanted or expected, apparently something like Kramnik being disqualified or “voluntarily” abandoning the match …. .
BTW, as mishanp/Colin McGourty wrote: all the problems started when FIDE rejected the UEP bid, officially due to disagreements about the size of the FIDE logo. But Topalov also wouldn’t have been happy about a match organized by UEP given their close ties with Kramnik. Somewhat understandably, but what does he really want? All WCh matches and preliminaries to be held in Sofia? I am pretty sure here Arne would disagree … .
Simple points. If both players in a match refuse to play in a country acceptable to the other there would be no match. Aronian’s situation is is not simply a matter of personal feelings. Contributing on this site, Topalov apologists were saying that we should be grateful to Bulgaria for hosting the Anand – Topalov match. Will these same people show gratitude to Russian hosts? Seth is right – Topalov can refuse to play anywhere., but is wrong to say that FIDE is then obliged to find a host country he agrees to. Why should his opponent, who may be happy to play in the original venue, be forced to accept the change? Topalov has played his last 2 matches on home territory, so it is reasonable to expect him to compromise on this occasion. If his objections are that strong, he is free to withdraw from the cycle.
@Patrick:Intel wouldn’t sponsor chess anymore since kasparov vs ibm machine;neither ibm since the cheating accusation from kasparov;so stop invoking kasparov when it comes to chess politics and sponsorship cause he’s not an angel.
You’re right, of course, that Kazan is not in the Caucasus region, Thomas! However, it is a rather obscure location for such an important tournament in my opinion. Clearly, Topalov’s argument for not playing in Russia is based on poor reasoning, but I agree with him all these tournaments in far-away regions are not exactly good PR for chess. Even Sofia is better in this respect!
Topalov has the full right to not play in Russia, Russian mafia is dangerous, do you
not remember what happened to RCF ? They can do everything.
Kramnik himself recommend to Anand not playing in Sophia, where is the problem if Topa refuse to play in Russia.?
Forget about the reasons behind behaviours: people behave and then argue.
Oh dear…Topy throws another tantrum…whoever is right or wrong…I hope it will at least be held somewhere…I cant wait
Arne, initially I tended to agree with you, but what about the following simple facts?
- Russia (as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, +- Georgia) are leading chess nations
- Kazan is comparable in size not to London, Paris or New York, but to Amsterdam and Sofia – and Jermuk or Nalchik can reasonably compare themselves to Wijk aan Zee.
From a Russian chess player or chess fan perspective, Dortmund, Wijk aan Zee or Linares may well be considered obscure locations, but I don’t hear anyone complaining … . So what is your precise definition of “obscure” and “far-away”: lack of direct flights from Amsterdam!?
“There are already many events in Russia” may also be a weak argument based on geographic considerations. Kazan shouldn’t organize a major event because there are/were already some in the Caucasus region, Moscow and Siberia!? France shouldn’t come up with a big event because there are already some in Germany, the Netherlands, England and Spain!?
In any case, the Russian Chess Federation (let’s forget the “internal problems” they have) proposes a solution to “issues” around candidates matches in Baku. Any other federation – e.g. the Dutch or Bulgarian one – could do the same, but they don’t … .
Thomas, geographical distance from some point of reference is one of the least relevant aspects I’d say. What about infrastructure, safety, social circumstances, etc.etc.? Have you ever tried booking a cheap direct flight from one of the cities you mention to Kazan or Khanty-Mansiysk? Do you think this is as easy as booking a flight to New York or even Sao Paolo or something like that?
And of course, one tournament in one of these regions isn’t a big problem at all. It’s the fact that they are ONLY held in these areas, NEVER anywhere else (with an odd exception I’m sure). Imagine ALL important tournaments being held in Wijk aan Zee or Dortmund – it would almost be equally bad, except, of course, that it’s a lot safer than some regions where FIDE prefers to organize tourneys, the economic situation is more stable, there is a normally functioning democracy – and I’m sure you can think of a dozen other reasons yourself. This is really not a serious debate, is it?
Predictably enough it looks as though FIDE has decided to move the matches to Kazan, but Mamedyarov remains the nominee player i.e. the compromise mentioned in the Extratime.az interview that was later edited out. Ilyumzhinov is apparently going to personally try and persuade Topalov not to take any rash actions (what price a guaranteed place in the next cycle…). The source for that is Yury Vasiliev quoted at the Chesspro forum.
Thanks for the links, Arne (& Thomas). I was in a bit of a rush and wanted to get it out of the way, otherwise I’d probably have submitted the article to Chessvibes first.
Gentlemen,
This is all very interesting. These Asian regions are part of what was once known as the silk route. Kalmuk may be a outback know, once it was upon the highroad of civilisation from China to the west.
They have a very old civilisation. Chess comes not from the sky there,
Our holy bible Murray (A history of chess, of 1913) gives three pages to the Kalmuks, in a fascinating chapter “Chess in central and northern Asia, and in Russia”. This is all very interesting, and I dare say: You cannot speak until you have read your Murray, and realize how old chess is.
My favorite citation is not about the Kalmuks, but about the Siberian Yakuuts:
“A game lasts for hours, often it is not finished till the second day. Hard by sits a crowd of spectators, who stare in silence at the board. When, however a move is made, if it be unexpected, pretty, or brilliant,and more particularly if it be the sacrifice of a piece, the spectatators jump up, shout out loudly, exhibit signs of delight, or dance, or even weep through excitement, A player often thinks for an hour before he makes a move. The finishing of a game is quite a scene of festivity. Excitement often causes the players to raise their stakes, until the loss of the game involves the absolute ruin of the loser. A game, to begin with, is for the reindeers, then for the dogs, for clothes, for a man’s whole belongings, and, in the end, even the women are gambled away.”.(Peredolsky 1895)
So far the Siberian Yakoots, not the Kalmuks.
(H.J.R. Murray, A history of chess 1913, pag 366,-)
Please think twice, once this was a highroad of chess and civilisation, long before London or Paris..
You might even think thrice,
W.N.
Arne, once again your point of view is the somewhat selfish Western European one, specifically the one of a chess journalist who would like to travel to the event but has a limited budget. I agree this might result in less (English language) media coverage – some GP organizers had found a solution to this problem: invite Peter Doggers. BTW, it isn’t quite that bad: I checked that Aeroflot flights Amsterdam-Moskau-Kazan start at 400 Euros, which leaves the inconvenience of a stopover.
Now if a Dutch chess fan wants to see top players in action, he can travel to Wijk aan Zee, drive or catch a train to Dortmund, or take a cheap flight to London, Nice (Amber) or even Malaga (Linares). If a chess fan from Kazan wants to watch at the venue, he probably cannot travel as easily to the Caucasus, Moscow or Siberia.
Your remarks about infrastructure, safety and economics may also be a bit general – they do apply to the Caucasus region, but both Kazan and Khanty-Mansiysk (oil industry!) seem to be relative boomtowns. And if “normally functioning democracy” is a must, we also shouldn’t have events in Nanjing and, arguably, Sofia (democracy of some sort but suffering from corruption). Moreover, Western organizers also suffered from the financial crisis (Linares, Bilbao, Mainz).
I agree with you about
- too many events in Elista (actually little local interest, and – to put it mildly – it’s unclear where the money actually comes from)
- too many events in Khanty-Mansiysk (here remoteness and climate are issues)
But Kazan is new on the chess map, and in a different region – which happens to be also in the BIG country called Russia.
Finally, somewhat off- or cross-topic: With all due appreciation for “Western” efforts (Arne Moll, Dennis Monokroussos, whoever wrote for Chessbase), some of the best or most detailed Dortmund game coverage is from the Russian sources Crestbook and Chesspro. Russia matters in chess … .
Thomas, the problem is not about organizing separate events in obscure or less obscure towns, but in clustering events in the same global region time after time. Kazan and the Caucasus may be far away geographically, but to be honest I think that’s not how the majority of the chess community perceives it – and rightly so. They are still all within the same Russian-language area, big though it may be, and this is a bad thing from almost every possible perspective in my opinion. Even though of course Russia is probably the strongest chess country in the world, that’s hardly an excuse to organize everything there. Consider, Argentina and Brazil are arguably the most attractive football-countries in the world, but when’s the last time an official football tournament was organized there?
Arne, your football comparison is of course misleading, for two reasons:
- Argentina and Brazil are not nearly as dominant in football as Russia or rather “the Soviet Union” (two GP events were held in Armenia and Azerbaijan) in chess
- Other countries were willing and able to organize major events, including remote ones as South Africa, Japan, South Korea and the USA (football centers of gravity are South America and Europe).
FIDE gets
- full blame for letting negotiations with UEP fail – UEP is actually a bit Russo-German, combining both worlds … .
- shared blame for the fact that non-Soviet GP events (Doha, Montreux, Karlovy Vary) had to be moved to the Caucasus region. Changes to the cycle and Carlsen dropping out “didn’t help” and were unwarranted, but those three organizers turned out to be unreliable and/or strongly affected by the financial crisis. A chicken and egg question what came first or was most important?
In Western countries, available sponsor money rather goes to private events where organizers
- don’t have to deal with FIDE (but FIDE control isn’t always bad, notably FIDE insisted on postponement of the first Anand-Topalov game)
- have full control over the field, making it a mix of local heroes and strong (often “Soviet”) players. By comparison, FIDE events have an excess of Soviet players, reflecting the situation at the world top.
Imagine London proposed to organize the candidates event, but insists on four English players in the field??
Anyway, taking a pragmatic approach and viewing the candidates event in (artificial) isolation: Now the choice is between Baku and Kazan, between Aronian’s legitimate concerns (even if they might be mostly subjective) and Topalov’s anti-Russian paranoia. What do you prefer? A third country would be ideal (IMO anything but Bulgaria), but there are no bids – presumably, UEP is no longer interested even if FIDE asked them at this stage … .
Thomas, allow me a bit of nit-picking as well in pointing out that (apologies to other readers):
1. an analogy is always inaccurate (show me an analogy and I’ll show you what’s wrong with it)
2. the purpose of an analogy is to make a general point, not a precise one
3. inaccurate is still not the same as misleading.
Anyway, what would I prefer? I would prefer this whole crazy thing to just stop. Perhaps the whole cycle should simply be terminated. After all, some major players have already withdrawn, Aronian refuses to play, Topalov refuses to play – what’s the point? What are we trying to achieve here anyway? Let Carlsen and Anand play a match and let’s just see after that. I don’t think other players have much rights actually. OK Aronian won the Grand Prix, but it was a weird project from the start, and with the cancellations it’s just not credible anymore. Time to move on.
While I can see the benefits to stage high level contests in important cities I can also see some charme in having smaller internationally less famous cities as a host. Because these events are a great chance for promotion. I just had a look at the wikipedia entry for Kazan and I could be tempted to go there for a holiday one day.
On second thoughts, I think FIDE should put their foot down and tell the players that if they don’t want to play somewhere, it is their problem. STFU or GTFO. Don’t make any allowances for Aronian either.
Exactly how does Axel define “important cities”? I suspect that he equates “important” with “western”.
Last time I checked Russia is more powerful than all Western European countries combined!! In my book that makes Kazan a much more “important city” than Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin etc..
Anand played in SOFIA! haha…
atleast someone is not scared of location in world chess, and great that that someone is ‘The World Champ’