Topalov threatens to withdraw from WC Match!

[Javier]

Although I very much doubt that Kramnik is using any kind of external "help" (the quality of his games has been really bad!), I must admit Topalov's complaint is justified in this case:

 

 

To the Organizing Committee of the match Topalov vs Kramnik

 

To the Appeals Committee

Mr. Makropoulos

Mr. Azmaiparashvili

Mr. Vega

 

To all mass media

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

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.

 

A short statistical sample derived from the camera recordings in the rest room during the third game shows:

 

15.54 – Kramnik plays move 15

15.55 – Goes into the bathroom

15.56 – Goes out of the bathroom

15.57 – Goes into the bathroom

15.59 – Goes out of the bathroom

16.03 – Goes into the bathroom

16.04 – Goes out the bathroom

16.07 – Comes out for move 16

 

The behavior of Mr. Kramnik is very similar to the above during all games played so far.

 

The logical question arises: How many times during a game does a player need to go to the bathroom and with what regularity? The logical answer is: between 5 -10 times at the most, but not 50 as the statistics from the games played so far shows.

 

We would like to once again remind you that the bathroom is the only place without video or audio surveillance.

 

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:

 

1.

 

To stop the use of the rest rooms and the adjacent bathrooms for both players.

2.

 

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.

3.

 

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.

 

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.

28.09.2006

Elista Sincerely:

Silvio Danailov

Manager of the Bulgarian team

[mudchess]

The following is my take on this not that anyone really cares:

 

Surely there has to be some level of trust at the top level of sport. In Soccer the players kick the ball out if someone's injured. In rugby league the referee asks the captain to sort out any of his own players.

 

If Topalov does not trust Kramnik to such a minimal degree then Topalov should not be playing chess at all. Of course the bathroom is the "only" area not under video scrutiny; no brainpower is needed to work out why that is.

 

That is not to say that I have any time for either player; they have both been prima donnas. Ban them both from pro chess events for a year [ not that I can see that occurring]. Restage the match and have 2 players who want to play: Susan Polgar versus Carlsen, Shirov versus Morozerivch...

 

Unbelievable. An incident which will now be in the notebook of every standup comedian on the planet.

[Javier]

This is an extract of an article just published in chessbase. "There's still hope"

 

There has been no official announcement yet, but our sources in Elista tell us that there will be no game played today. After the announcement by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (below) that the toilet issue has been decided in Kramnik's favour, and that the Appeals Committee has resigned, the issue remains how to resume the match.

 

As negotiations continue the problem remains: will the fifth game be played or will Kramnik be forfeited. The latter option has become unlikely with the concessions made to Kramnik's demands, and especially with the resignation of the Appeals Committee, which is a tacit admission of having taken a false decision. On the other hand Kramnik's failure to appeare at the board when the game was started on Friday at 15:22h constitutes a technical breach that can be penalised.

 

It is unlikely that Kramnik will agree to forfeit a game after the organisers have admitted that his demands, presented before game five, were correct, and have taken measures to fulfil them. Kramnik also has the full backing of his federation. The same applies to Veselin Topalov: the Bulgarian Chess Federation has formally backed his position, and from outside sources we hear that the Bulgarian President has personally urged Topalov's manager Silvio Danailov to stick by his guns.

 

On the other hand Veselin Topalov has stated that he wants the match to continue: “At the moment I only know that there won’t be a game today. All the negotiations on my part are being led by my personal manager Silvio Danailov,” he said. Asked about his mood Topalov replied: “Absolutely normal. I am preparing for the next game. I strongly hope the match would continue. There won’t be any hindrances on my part”.

 

So there is still hope...