We reported
on the developments of the last two days. FIDE gave its world champion Ruslan
Ponomariov a deadline until noon on Au8gust 28: sign and fax an agreement to
the conditions for the FIDE title match against Garry Kasparov, scheduled for
September 18th in the Ukrainian city of Yalta, or face disqualification. The
Ukrainian GM did not comply but instead invited representatives of FIDE, the
Organising committee and Kasparov's team to meet in Kiev for further negotiations.
Today at a press conference held at the Interfax News agency in Moscow FIDE
President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov called the match off. In its stead he announced
a 128-player knock-out tournament, at classical time controls, to be held in
November-December 2003. The winner of this official FIDE World Championship
is to be crowned World Champion (Ponomariov retains his title until then) and
will play Garry Kasparov next Spring.
Unification, Kramnik vs Leko
FIDE has not abandoned Prague
unity agreement. In fact it has taken responsibility for staging the rival
Kramnik vs Leko match, which has been faltering after the Einstein Group, owners
of that title, went
into liquidation. Apparently FIDE has taken over the organisation from Einstein
and will arrange a Kramnik-Leko title match in Buenos Aires, with a $500,000
prize fund, in November this year.
Assuming this match is carried out as planned then the winner of the Spring
match between Kasparov and the new FIDE world champion will play the winner
of the Kramnik-Leko match in a final unification match some time in the coming
year.
Garry Kasparov
In Moscow Garry Kasparov said that he was shocked by the turn of events. "I
am shocked. I expected my opponent to try my nerves, expecting various provocations.
However, I could not imagine that my opponent would simply escape! I suffered
moral damage, and my material damage is comparable to the prize fund of the
match. For half a year I had to decline various invitations and I invested a
lot of time and money into the preparation for Ponomariov."
Kasparov said that he was not currently contemplating legal action but would
concentrate on preparations for his upcoming match
against X3D Fritz in New York.
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FIDE Press Release
Cancellation of the Ponomariov-Kasparov Match
FIDE delivered the Players Undertaking to World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov
and Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, to sign before August 12, 2003. Kasparov returned
his duly signed contract before the deadline but Ponomariov signed the contract
with reservations.
At the Presidential Board held in Abuja, Nigeria, FIDE reiterated that the
contract shall be signed without reservations and extended the deadline to August
25, 2003. FIDE again extended the deadline to August 28, 2003. Without the signature
of Ponomariov on the Players Undertaking, FIDE is unable to move ahead with
the planned Match which was due to start on September 18, 2003 in Yalta, Ukraine.
Since the signing of the Prague Agreement, FIDE has tried patiently to meet
with the recommendations of the players involved. However, as the governing
body of world chess, FIDE will not give in to unreasonable request or pressure
from any player involved in the unification process.
In place of the FIDE World Cup earlier scheduled for December 2003 FIDE shall
organize the World Chess Championship (Knockout) Tournament to determine the
next World Champion and FIDE shall not allow the selfishness of any one player
to cause a hindrance to the unification process as already scheduled and approved
by the FIDE General Assembly in Bled last year.
It is with deep regret therefore, that FIDE has to cancel the Ponomariov-Kasparov
Match. However, FIDE shall endeavour to proceed with the unification process.
A proposal shall be placed to the forthcoming FIDE Congress in Halkidiki, Greece,
27 October – 3 November, 2003. The winner of the FIDE World Championship in
December 2003 shall be crowned World Champion and he shall play Grandmaster
Garry Kasparov next year. The winner of this match shall then play the final
unification match.
In the coming days, FIDE shall give a full account of its negotiations with
the players in the now cancelled Ponomariov-Kasparov Match.
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
Lausanne, Switzerland
[No date given – received on August 29, 2003]
FIDE press release Russian version
ПРЕСС-РЕЛИЗ
Отмена
Матча Пономарев-Каспаров
ФИДЕ
предоставила
Чемпиону
Мира Руслану
Пономареву и
гроссмейстеру
Гарри
Каспарову
Контракт,
который
должен был
быть
подписан до 12
августа 2003
года.
Каспаров
подписал
Контракт
своевременно
до
указанного
срока, в то
время как
Пономарев
подписал его
с оговорками.
На
заседании
Президентского
Совета в г.
Абуджа,
Нигерия, ФИДЕ
повторно
заявила, что
Контракт
должен быть
подписан без
оговорок, и
установила
срок до 25
августа 2003
года. Затем
ФИДЕ вновь
продлила
срок до 28
августа 2003
года. Без
подписи
Пономарева в
Контракте,
ФИДЕ не может
провести
запланированный
Матч,
официальное
открытие
которого
намечено на 18 сентября 2003 года
в г. Ялта,
Украина.
С
момента
достижения
Пражских
Соглашений
ФИДЕ
терпеливо
прилагала
усилия для
того, чтобы
удовлетворить
рекомендации
вовлеченных
игроков. Однако ФИДЕ
как
руководящий
орган
мировых
шахмат не
будет идти на
уступки в
ответ на
необоснованные
просьбы или
поддаваться
давлению со
стороны
любого
игрока,
заинтересованного
в процессе
объединения.
Вместо
Кубка Мира
ФИДЕ, ранее
запланированного
на декабрь 2003
года, ФИДЕ
организует
Чемпионат
Мира по
шахматам по
нокаут
системе с
целью
выявления
следующего
Чемпиона
Мира, и ФИДЕ
не позволит
эгоизму
любого
игрока
воспрепятствовать
процессу
объединения,
который был
намечен и
одобрен на
заседании
Генеральной
Ассамблеи
ФИДЕ в г. Блед
в прошлом
году.
С
чувством
глубокого
сожаления
ФИДЕ вынуждена
объявить об
отмене Матча
Пономарев-Каспаров.
Однако ФИДЕ
будет делать
все
возможное,
чтобы
продолжить
процесс
объединения. Предложение
будет
представлено
на
предстоящем
Конгрессе
ФИДЕ в
Халькидиках,
Греция, 27
октября – 3
ноября 2003 года.
Победитель
Чемпионата
Мира ФИДЕ в
декабре 2003
года будет
объявлен
Чемпионом
Мира и
сыграет с
гроссмейстером
Гарри
Каспаровым в
следующем
году.
Победитель
данного
матча затем
сыграет в объединительном
матче.
В
ближайшем
будущем ФИДЕ
представит
полную
информацию о
ходе
переговоров
с
участниками
ныне
отмененного
Матча
Пономарев-Каспаров.