From a Fresh Start to a New Dawn
Part 3
Editors of chess magazines and websites may reproduce my
account in full or in part, subject to giving a credit to the Chess Café
website.
GM Jeroen Piket
Unlike my relationship with Kasparov, where I can place
exactly when we first met, I cant do the same with Jeroen Piket.
Ive known him for approximately 15 years and Im sure I met him in
one of the many great Dutch events, but was it Tilburg during the series of
Interpolis tournaments? Wijk Aan Zee? VSB? Melody Amber? Donner Memorials? Or
perhaps it was Ohra and one of the many Dutch Swiss events? Whatever the date,
it has been a wonderful friendship. We worked especially closely with one
another when we, along with Swedish GM Ulf Andersson, assisted Jan Timman in
his 1993 FIDE championship match against Anatoly Karpov.
The chess world is full of truly outstanding people and
Jeroen is a pearl. Hes an honest, forthright person. Ive a
tremendous respect for his skills as a player and even more for him as a
person. Jeroen was fortunate to be born Dutch and to take up the game of chess
in a nation that truly appreciates it. Following in the trail blazed by Max
Euwe and Jan Timman, Jeroen has been the beneficiary of numerous great Dutch
tournament invitations and had a wonderful benefactor in Joop Van Oosterom.
Therefore it came as a puzzlement to hear him say in Prague, So these two
games (with Peter Svidler) are my parting gift to the chess world.
What, I asked Jeroen, are you talking about? Jeroen
then proceeded to tell me that he was retiring as an active grandmaster, that
he wouldnt be playing any further major events, only the occasional
league, blitz and an exhibition simul and that was it; he was hanging up his
spurs.
In a concentrated period full of surprises this was a
completely unexpected blow from a different direction. I mean, my goodness! If
Jeroen, with all his fortunate benefits as a leading Dutch grandmaster
and I dont mean to embarrass him with this mention was giving up
chess, what chance is there that others will pursue chess as a profession?
Consider that Jeroen at one time had a rating above 2700, was Champion of
Holland many times and is still only 33 years old. That is quite young.
(Kasparov is 39 and playing the best chess of his life.)
Jeroen explained that with his family, including two small
children, he was concerned about their future. He has no pension and who knows
in a few years what the situation may be; what if chess continued its steep
decline? If there was ever a chance to make a career change, now was the time.
Ten years hence, there might be no such option.
I was shaken.
Ive witnessed so many of Americas promising
players leave the game wasnt I considering the same thing myself?
that I refocused yet again. If chess has a future, we need to have
complete unity. Goodness gracious, how do you replace such a person as Jeroen
Piket? What a loss! The thought of his absence from the chess world troubled me
deeply.
Khalifmans Contribution
A frequent contributor to our nightly, informal gatherings
in the SAS Radisson bar was former FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman.
Sasha (this Russian nickname for Alexander is a tough one in the chess world;
there are a lot of Alexanders playing chess) was vitally interested in the
unity effort and he liked the proposals in A Fresh Start for the
second and third cycles especially. His two main concerns were finding the
proper justice for the first cycle and the world qualifier format.
During the tournament in Bali, Indonesia 2000, he explained to me an intriguing
idea for a double Knockout solution to the FIDE world
championships. As I had withdrawn myself from FIDE events, I listened with half
an ear and subsequently forgot his idea. Now was the perfect moment for a
revival.
I had long conversations with many of the players in Prague,
including Michael Adams, the sixth highest ranked master in the world. Like
most players, Mickey liked the future cycles but was less than happy with the
Swiss system as a qualifier. Many players shared Mickeys view
statistics notwithstanding about its efficacy. The Swiss system has a few
downsides and in no particular order they include:
· The vagaries of a Swiss allow for a wide variation
between the strengths of the opponents;
· In a Swiss the color allocations can be badly
lopsided; getting the black pieces in the last two rounds is not uncommon;
· Once a player is in the comfort zone of qualifying,
short draws may start occurring on the top boards. (The players are well aware
that sponsors and the spectators dont appreciate GM draws but
in a Swiss qualifier the players have to put qualifying ahead of pleasing the
fans.) Mickey explained that he probably
played 25 moves for my
last three rounds
in recollecting Biel 1993 and the Swiss qualifier
that took place there.
· The darkest side of the Swiss, and all the
players complained about it, is the very suspicion of last-round
collusion. A player who wins with Black in a must-win last round game causes
eyebrows to be raised and no one likes to be double-guessed as a cheat.
For all of these reasons, Sashas idea of a double
Knockout was much preferred to a Swiss format. I hadnt realized the
extent to which the players had come to like the knockout system. Sasha was
very aware of the plan for the second cycle, that of having a world qualifier
with five players qualifying for Candidates matches. The highest
rated player other than the World Champion would join the five qualifiers and
play elimination matches. The three winners of these matches would be joined by
the defending World Champion for the semi-finals and a final championship
match. But Sasha, how do you get five qualifiers from 128 players in a
double Knockout, I asked. Simple, he said. He took my folder
and within a few seconds wrote down the system. All the players were
enthusiastic. We had a new system for the world qualifier!
"FIDE WORLD QUALIFIER (See Attachment Annex B)
The FIDE World Qualifier tournament, will be a 128 player,
double match elimination event. For the second cycle, 5 players qualify to
Candidate Match play. Concept by GM Alexander Khalifman.
Start 128
Round 1 64 64
Round 2 32 32 + 32 = 64 32 players eliminated
Round 3 16 16 + 32 = 48 24 players eliminated
Round 4 8 8 + 24 = 32 16 players eliminated
Round 5 4 4 + 16 = 20 10 players eliminated
Round 6 2 2 + 10 = 12 6 players eliminated
Round 7 1+1 6 6 players eliminated
Round 8 3 3 players eliminated
Qualifiers 2 3 Total 5 Qualifiers
I explained to Carsten that it was clear to me that the
Einstein proposal was his and not Steves. The English had been too
halting and was a dead give-away. The announcement had hit Prague like a bomb
and had made Garry totally furious; it had in fact poisoned the atmosphere and
made me feel like a mushroom.
Carsten began by apologizing to me, saying that the
announcement was nothing personal against me, that he didnt mean to
undercut my role and the work that I had been doing. While complimenting me for
my personal initiative, he explained, at great length, that my A Fresh
Start article had created a firestorm of complications for himself,
Kramnik and the Dortmund organizers. After my article appeared, it seemed to
him that everyone he spoke with wanted to talk about it. The
Commissioners press release had upped the ante. Then Garry had taken a
pro-active stance in articles on his website. FIDEs supportive press
release had been the final blow. Suddenly both Kramnik and
Dortmund were under tremendous pressure to state their position publicly.
For Carsten, the situation had grown intolerable. Rumors
were swirling around about the status of Dortmund, including the question of
whether it had any status at all. His sponsors were growing nervous. My
A Fresh Start proposals hadnt mentioned Dortmunds
inclusion, which was quite true. Kramnik just had to make a statement
that would clarify his commitment to Dortmund and to his own position as the
Classical Chess World Champion.
This was the cruxof the problem. Carsten was caught
between a rock and a hard place. He was in a classic conflict of interest. On
the one hand, his client Vladimir Kramnik had to make a statement. Fair enough.
If Vladimir had made a statement along the lines of, I, World Chess
Champion Vladimir Kramnik, look forward to defending my title against the
Dortmund winner and will support a unity effort after fulfilling this
obligation, life would have been fine. The problem is that Carsten was
also an advisor to the Dortmund tournament. For years Carsten has helped the
Dortmund organizers build up an annual world-class tournament. Simultaneously
he wanted to protect it, as well as the participants, from being subjected to
any last-minute replacements, which might have damaged the event
and all the planning that had been carried on for over one year! Thus the
Einstein plan had included a way for Anand and Ivanchuk to be involved in the
first cycle, outside of the Dortmund event. Carstens Plan, as we
now called it, was an entirely logical attempt to protect both of his clients.
The problem is that by making his announcement he took a very grave risk of
derailing a complete unity effort and he almost forced a partial unity outcome.
While simultaneously expressing my sympathy and
understanding as to why the Einstein plan had been released, I also explained
its devastating effects:
· Malcolms message of April 12th had
been received as a firm offer. An offer Kasparov and the proposed Commissioners
had accepted. (FIDE preferred the Fresh Start proposal.) The new
Einstein plan was seen as withdrawing the April 12th offer and
putting a new, less attractive one in its place.
· Einstein and Steve Timmins in particular had gotten
a black eye, as he was the co-signer of the press release, and Malcolms
message, on behalf of Einstein, meant that the two plans were at odds.
· The Einstein plan had broken our blackout rule.
Carsten accepted that all these criticisms had validity, but
he felt he had had no choice and had been compelled to make a public response.
In a strange way, I was the one to blame, for having launched
A Fresh Start. Inadvertently I had rocked Carstens world.
Real Trouble With Carstens Plan
During my lengthy discussions with Carsten I had to keep my
admiration for what he had done secret. Kasparov, Bessel and others were still
very annoyed with him. What he had managed to do was a bit of a coup: he had
momentarily focused attention away from Dortmund. It had been a clever
ruse. Unfortunately, it was entirely unnecessary for the simple reason that
Anand didnt want to play in Dortmund at all. As the days moved forward
towards May 6th, reintroducing Anand and Ivanchuk into Dortmund
again became the most discussed option during the pressure-packed talks. One
ironical note is that while everyone wanted to talk to Anand about his
participating in the Dortmund tournament he was busily winning the Prague
event. We all felt it would be grossly unfair to disturb his concentration
during the tournament. Anand won the Eurotel trophy and was thus
unreachable while we all quarreled amongst ourselves over what to
do. Strange how these things go.
While I wasnt as upset as others about the bullet
points set out above, my annoyance with Carstens Plan lay in
a completely different direction: the plan itself. My view was that while all
is fair in love and war, Carstens Plan was, as Bessel said,
A
trial balloon
designed to divert attention. Properly ignored, it
was a case of no harm no foul. No, it was the plan itself that was so grating.
The Carsten Plan was released under the guise of attempting
unity in the chess world. In truth, I couldnt think of a
single worse idea for preventing such a glorious goal. The whole world
knew that Kasparov didnt believe that any qualifier for him was
necessary. He wanted no, demanded a direct rematch. Placing
two qualifying matches in his path was designed to provoke a strong
rejection from him. Particularly pernicious was the condition that a
match with Ponomariov would cede the FIDE World Champion draw-odds. Why
deliberately bring up a condition that would absolutely be a
non-starter? Viewed from this perspective, I doubted that Kramniks side
was sincere. If those doubts were founded, then complete unity was an
impossibility. Such a realization forced me to accept that May 6th
would only produce partial unity.
Carsten explained that, yes, while his plan had its
drawbacks, it could all be negotiated. I had to accept that this was a
negotiating tactic: First you make a new unpleasant offer and then you
negotiate backwards to show what a reasonable fellow you are. Somehow this
chapter was missing in all those How to get to Yes books that I
used to read.
I expressed my pessimistic view to Bessel and to Eric
Keyzer, an attorney for the large European law firm Allen & Overy. Eric
would come to play a most important positive role in the days ahead, and I will
introduce him shortly. Bessel encouraged me to do my best to seek a solution
and reminded me that we hadnt failed yet.
Steve Timmins: Get Out of Jail Free
As the Eurotel tournament wound down, Einstein TVs CEO
Steve Timmins arrived in Prague over the weekend and prepared himself for the
May 6th peace conference. Poor Steve seemed to spend the entire
weekend apologizing to everyone he spoke with for having released the
Einstein Unity Plan. We joked that his chambermaid got an apology
on check-in.
In America, one of the most popular board games is Monopoly.
The budding young capitalists of the nation learn to buy and sell properties,
build houses and hotels and collect rents from the other players who land on
their property. As players move around the board they sometimes have to go to
jail. Cards of chance include a Get Out of Jail Free
card that helps the player get back in the game. What Steve didnt know is
that in my eyes he possessed just such a card. Back in Seattle on March
15th, Steve was very much the hero with me. If it had not been for
him at that crucial moment, there would have been no unity plan at all.
Upon seeing me, Steve was white-faced with apology. I
interrupted him and told him that there was no problem between us at all. Sit
down and have a cup of tea. He got something stronger. Still, I was curious:
How had it come to happen that the Einstein Unity Proposal had been
released at all?
Like most problems in life, it was based on a simple
miscommunication. I paraphrase his explanation: I was traveling abroad
when Carsten sent me his plan. I sent him an e-mail asking him if
everyone had received it. For me everyone included you.
For Carsten, everyone meant Kramnik, Malcolm and myself. I called
Malcolm, who had made some corrections to the text, and asked him if he thought
it was okay. Malcolm thought so but asked, Has Yasser seen it? I
told Malcolm that I thought so. So simple. Communicating by e-mail has
its obvious drawbacks.
Steve continued that Carsten had been particularly anxious
to make the plan public. I had left for Prague and Yvettes cellular phone
had been replaced with one for local use. (The Eurotel tournament was sponsored
by Ericsson and also by Juice, which is a local wireless connector.) It all
made perfect sense to me. I reassured Steve that there was no problem and we
brought one another up to date.
A point already made in Part 1 of my account is that Kramnik
and Einstein TV are not one and the same. Although they have a common interest,
their perspectives are also quite different. Put simply, Einstein TV wants to
make a cycle that is compelling for sponsors and is therefore profitable.
Kramnik, while certainly wanting the same thing, also has his own interests and
that of the chess world to consider. Steve liked Carstens
Plan because it was financed and he thought it would bring unity. Kramnik
liked the plan because Anand and Ivanchuk would be involved in the first cycle.
Thus, there was a lot of confirming and reconfirming of points just to be sure
that Kramniks side, were all in accord.
Before ending this Get Out of Jail Free section,
I ought to add that March and April 2002 was a period of stark contrasts. At
the very time when our new partner, Einstein TV, was proving itself a godsend
by injecting enthusiasm and integrity into the chess world, Raymond
Keenes old Brain Games set-up was the subject of a devastating series of
exposés about its financial dealings and practices, in the UK journal
Private Eye. We were so lucky to have Einstein TV and Steve Timmins.
Some Players Go Home
One particular surprise was to witness the many strong
players who had been knocked out of the tournament check out of the hotel and
rush home. The Eurotel tournament invitation had been particularly generous,
covering the players hotel stay through May 6th with daily
pocket money for the meals as well. Our hosts, Bessel and Serge Grimaux, who
were going well out of their way to bring about unity in the chess world, had
created a convivial atmosphere for talks, yet players such as Leko, Shirov and
Ivanchuk were scattering home. Didnt they care? I dont know how to
answer this question and can only hope that they deeply care but that pressing
business caused them to leave early.
For myself, this was a bit depressing. Especially
Ivanchuks departure. For the last few months I had been writing his name
so often that even with my poor typing skills I could accomplish it in two
seconds flat. Too, hadnt the FIDE President, for the last month, been
insisting that Ivanchuk and Anand be included in any new cycle? It was strange
that, with the most historic chess conference in recent memory upon us,
Ivanchuk would simply leave. Ivanchuk had been highly motivated and focused
upon the Eurotel tournament, I simply didnt have a chance to talk with
him while in Prague.
Kramnik: A Players Champion
Vladimir Kramnik at over 6 foot 2 inches tall cuts an
imposing yet approachable figure. A youthful-looking 26 years old, Vladimir is
surprisingly soft-spoken. Not only can he be pleased by a fabulous career to
date, he has every reason to be considered the future of chess. We had lengthy
discussions while in Prague.
I was quite surprised that Vladimir had cloaked himself with
a new mantle: that of protector of the rights of the players. By
this I mean that Kramnik took the position that while Dortmund was
absolutely fixed, the FIDE side had to do more and to include more
players in its cycle.
We went round and round in our discussions and I
couldnt understand Vladimir at all. It was not his position to take
responsibility and to protect the rights of the players. He was
usurping FIDEs role and what it was hoped would become a role for the
Chess Commissioners as well. Vladimir would counter that as the World Champion
he has a responsibility to chess and its best players. I would then go on to
ask if Anand had approached him to say, Please, Vladimir would you fight
for my rights? To which he would laugh and say no but that, yes indeed,
other players such as Grishuk had done precisely that. That he felt a genuine
responsibility for helping his colleagues that werent in the cycle.
I would then open up a new front and say that if he was so
terribly worried about the rights of the players, why was Dortmund such an
elite event? He would explain that Dortmund, or rather his Candidates
cycle, had indeed been planned to be as inclusive as possible and also had,
like FIDEs cycle, included an Internet qualifier, that economics had
dashed these plans and that, regrettably, he had to be satisfied with an
eight-player qualifier. Even so, he pointed out that Dortmund was far more
inclusive than just two players in a match.
Vladimir was insistent that FIDEs side had to do
more than just set up a match between Ponomariov and Kasparov. While
Carstens Plan wasnt perfect either, it was financed and he was
trying his best to help his colleagues. I couldnt persuade him that he
was mistaken. His role was to win competitions, not arrange them.
If he was so concerned about his colleagues, why not then
accept the proposals of A Fresh Start? The answer was like a
predictable drumbeat: I have a contract with Einstein TV and I have to
honor it.
I tried my final argument. Vladimir, right now, with
the two matches settled, we have chess unity, I said. This is far
more important than any first-cycle justice. It paves the way forwards. It
gives you a clear chance to become the undisputed World Champion. If you were
to win these two matches you could become a chess legend. Why not just state
that you have made this a primary goal for the future of chess?
Vladimirs answer was quick: I have to support the rights of my
colleagues too and cant just be blind to them.
And so it went on.
New Troubles or Old Troubles?
As well as our nightly discussions at the SAS Radisson bar,
another favorite players hangout was the VIP room at the
ofín Palace. Besides being well stocked with food and drink it was
an ideal place to watch the Eurotel Trophy games in progress and get the expert
as well as elementary explanations for the games in progress by
GMs Lubomir Kavalek and Genna Sosonko. The room was always full of people,
including visiting dignitaries, journalists, TV crews and players following the
moves and offering helpful advice. One young lady, her first name is Johanna
but I missed her last name, surprised us by correctly guessing a whole series
of moves made by Karpov. Before too long she was also taking part in our
unity talks. Dont forget about the women players,
she sternly warned us. Groan. We were all so busy sorting out the mess in the
male camp that we hadnt yet put on our thinking caps about how to insure
a Classical Chess womens championship. Johanna was absolutely right. If
chess unity could be achieved on one front, it should be doable with the women
as well.
I pushed this question about womens chess
to the back of my mind and privately wondered how exactly this issue was to be
resolved. What I wanted for the future of chess was to put it into the hands
tender mercies of market forces. Let the sponsors decide what
formats were the most successful; match play, knockouts, classical or blitz,
there would be a profusion of opportunities to back a preference. I thought
about the Chinese, Georgian and Russian women players, the Polgar sisters and
our American ladies. Im confident that there are indeed commercial
sponsors ready to support professional women players, but without unity, in my
opinion, there would be nothing to discuss.
Yes indeed, that Grandmaster Steering Committee was going to
be one busy group!
Eric Keyzer: Giving Attorney Jokes A Bad Name
I must confess a certain fondness for jokes about lawyers.
In fact I have a fairly wide repertoire. Eric Keyzer, on the other hand, is
precisely the type of attorney that makes the attorney jokes look misguided.
Thoughtful, sincere, precise, brilliant and genuinely interested in the welfare
of chess, he was the perfect person to play a key assisting role. He had been
hired by Bessel Kok at the start of the World Chess Online project and was now
in Prague on his own initiative just to enjoy the tournament. His
spectator role lasted minutes and he was soon thrust into the thick of the
negotiations to try and seek for a compromise.
Eric took on the role of the honest broker, shuttling
between all the sides. He worked very hard to reintroduce Anand and Ivanchuk
into the Dortmund event despite knowing that Anand had refused such an
invitation. In Erics view, it was perfectly all right that Anand would
decline, but he deserved the proper respect of a formal, as opposed to an
informal, invitation. Eric would also play a very helpful role in the peace
conference.
Eve of the Conference
On May 5th, FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov,
FIDE Secretariat Emmanuel Omuku, FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos,
and FIDE Grandmaster advisors Zurab Azmaiparashvili and Jaan Ehlvest arrived,
together with FIDE Commerce Director Andrey M. Orlov and the Presidents
translator Polina Tsedenova, in Prague for the Eurotel closing ceremony. Before
and after the ceremony, Kirsan visited the VIP lounge of the ofín
Palace and met everyone there. In no time, Kirsan was in deep individual
discussions with Vladimir and Garry. It was a busy evening for everyone.
Tomorrow was the day!
Before leaving the ofín Palace, I had a chance
to congratulate Vishy on his fine victory and to talk about the next day. He
asked about the unity plan on the agenda and I told him it would feature the
two matches solution. That the meeting promised to be a tumultuous one, with a
lot of discussion taking place, and that I was pessimistic about a solution. We
talked about his attendance and he said that he would prefer to do some
sightseeing; he had played chess the entire time! I told Vishy that his
attendance would be most appreciated, that I had no idea what the outcome might
be and that anything might happen. That he should be there and that the future
of chess could well depend on the outcome of the meeting. Sightseeing could
wait!
Vishy didnt attend the meeting. I was quite surprised
to read in a post-Prague interview that he was quoted as saying that he had not
attended the meeting because it would be a mere formality. Such a
view would certainly surprise anyone who did participate. Again, I was confused
by Vishys decision not to attend. He was in Prague and he should have
been in the meeting.
As usual, Carsten and I pulled another late-night
discussion. We reviewed where things stood and it was clear: Vladimir was
against the two-match unity proposal because it didnt do enough for his
colleagues. Dortmunds line-up was untouchable. An expanded format for
FIDEs side would mean either demotion for Ponomariov or no Kasparov.
Complete unity was therefore unattainable. We were right back to square one:
partial unity and A Fresh Start. I was so tired by the time I went
to bed that I was in that strange zone where because of exhaustion I
couldnt sleep. The last thing I remember was how prettily the rays of the
sun peeked through the curtains. Then the phone rang. It was an automatic
wake-up call, and my eyes burned.
Coffee!
Although Yvette and I arrived early at the Four Seasons
Hotel for the chess unity peace conference, Serge and his assistants, Katerina
Tornerová and Lucie Boublíková, Kate and Lucy, were
already there, making sure that everything was in perfect order. I staggered to
the coffee mug. I couldnt believe it. For the last two months I had been
thinking about the meeting, mentally visualizing the discussions. At moments of
crisis I had imagined that I would make a particularly insightful salient point
that would carry the day. Well, the day had arrived and I could hardly spoon
sugar in my coffee.
From 9:00-10:00 Bessel, Kirsan and their advisors had a
private discussion regarding the agenda of the meeting and its proper
procedures.
At 10:00 all the grandmasters and others who were attending
the meeting were in the conference room, also loading up on coffee and
breakfast snacks. I noticed that both Kasparov and Kramnik looked exhausted.
Obviously they hadnt slept much either. There were a number of
journalists, TV crew members, staff and interested persons filling the
corridors. It looked like a packed house.
There were packages of folders for those at the meeting
table, as well as for all the guest grandmasters attending. The folders
contained five items: the agenda and four annexes. The agenda explained them
all:
Agenda May 6 Meeting
10.00 AM 2.00 PM Four Seasons Hotel, Room
Karel A
1. Format of achieving a (one time) Unifying World
Championship.
(see Annex A Prague Unity Proposal)
2. Format of Future World Championship (post unification)
including
Qualification System / Candidate Matches etc.
(see Annex B Executive Summary Proposal)
3. Establishment of a Professional Chess Calendar
2002-2007
(see Annex C Future Chess Calendar)
4. Proposal for the creation of a Chess Management
Organisation responsible for professional Chess Events to be agreed upon
(see Annex D Proposal for a Professional Chess
Management)
5. Discussion on Financing the various events, guarantees
etc.
Just prior to the start of the meeting I had a brief chance
to ask Bessel how his meeting with Kirsan had gone. He was happy with their
discussion and while looking around the room I noticed that Einstein TV CEO
Steve Timmins wasnt to be found. I asked Bessel why not and he explained
that he had decided to keep the meeting closed. This came as quite
a shock to me. Einstein TV was clearly a full partner in the proceedings and
Steve should definitely have been attending. Once more, if not for Steves
actions on March 15th in Seattle, there would have been no unity
meeting at all! I protested to Bessel but he cut me off, explaining that there
was also a representative from the International Management Group (IMG) and he
would have to let him in, along with others too, who would want to be included.
I again protested that Steve just had to be in the room; he had come all the
way from London for this specific occasion. Bessel said that Malcolm Pein, as
an International Master, was a compromise and that Malcolm would attend the
meeting in his stead and that this had been agreed. This conversation was
extremely unsatisfactory for me and I protested to Bessel for a third time.
Bessel, who had been under intense pressure for two whole
weeks, stood by his decision and said, Yasser, please, I have to be
tough. In my view, this was a very serious mistake by Bessel. He had been
a splendid host and I couldnt see any reason why Steve, and for that
matter the IMG representative, couldnt attend the conference. Not
allowing Steve to attend the meeting endangered the goodwill that existed.
Indeed, it may have caused some harsh feelings, as I will point out later.
At around 10:20 the meeting got underway. There were opening
speeches by the FIDE President and the meetings Chairman, Bessel Kok.
Their speeches were well polished. Bessel explained that the agenda
wouldnt be followed exactly. Instead, we would start with point four.
There began a nice discussion of what we all hoped the meeting would
accomplish; an opportunity to put chess on a sound commercial footing. There
was a good exchange of dialogue and we worked our way back and forth over
points two, three, four and five.
As Ive explained, while I had mentally rehearsed the
meeting for months I hadnt counted on my tiredness. I spoke about the
background, various things that had taken place, I thanked our hosts and so on.
Afterwards I was dissatisfied with my small presentation. I hadnt been on
my best form and knew it.
There was another aspect that I had not considered in
visualizing the meeting: A highly inebriated Jaan Ehlvest. Oftentimes while the
people at the table were making their presentations, Jaan would stand up and
declare, Yes, hello, Jaan Ehlvest from Estonia is speaking
He
would then make whatever point he felt was crucial and then resume his seat. It
was remarkable and rather amusing. I cant remember any of his points,
just the way he introduced himself. Around the fifth interruption, by which
time he had become more annoying than amusing, I asked Jaan to give others a
chance to speak. It worked. For a short time.
A number of grandmasters, Gelfand and Yusupov amongst them,
also spoke on various topics, including time-controls, the Grandmaster Steering
Committee, its composition, its election, future cycles and so forth.
Thus far we had skirted around the issue of Jerusalem. That
is Annex A. We were building towards the moment when we took our first break.
It was a procedure we would repeat often. By this time, I was going through my
sixth cup of coffee, it may have been more, and I was beginning to feel alive.
During the break the discussions in the corridors were intense. Around this
time I learned that Kirsans flight would depart at 15:00. That explained
why the meeting was due to end at 14:00. He would miss his flight.
Annex A
The time had come to confront the plan for cycle one. After
it was presented, Kramnik said why he could not support it. The meeting
adjourned again. More intense corridor discussions. I spoke with Carsten,
Malcolm and Steve. This time it was my turn to apologize to Steve. I told him I
very much regretted that he wasnt in the meeting and hoped he wasnt
angry. Steve had taken the decision with good grace explaining that he was
doing work on the phone and didnt mind. I felt a sense of gloom and
couldnt shake the feeling that his exclusion was a bad mistake. I spoke
with Steve about the situation with Vladimir.
Shortly afterwards, back in the conference room, headway
seemed elusive; Vladimir felt a responsibility to his colleagues and insisted
that the FIDE side be more inclusive. This procedure went on for an hour or two
until, at last, the thing I feared most happened: Garry got angry. He had heard
enough. To paraphrase his comments: Look, we are going nowhere. You claim
that you want to help the players, fine, let us both begin right now. Let us
begin at the Candidates stages (as suggested by A Fresh
Start) right now! You and I! Lets go, then everyone is
involved! Vladimir coolly responded that he couldnt do that as he
was bound by his contract
It was time for another break.
The pressures of the corridor meetings were beginning to pay
off. The whole conference had built up such expectations that it would be
impossible for it to end without a unity agreement. The blame for such a
failure would be intolerable. Kramnik had found a possible solution: in the
joint unity declaration if it could be announced that FIDE supported the
principles of the unity plan, combined with a clear, unequivocal
statement that FIDE would take full responsibility for protecting the rights of
the players, he would feel vindicated. Furthermore, Kramnik wanted the Dortmund
tournament and his match against the winner to be outside of the
Commissioners purview, leaving the contracts and the staging of these
events to Einstein TV as already planned. Eric Keyzer and Emmanuel Omuku, the
two attorneys present, got busy together drafting a statement.
The meeting had been going on for some five hours, and there
were jokes that it could be adjourned. The response was that FIDE
had abolished adjournments and that we would play to a finish.
The meeting resumed. GM Michael Gurevich then made a speech,
and I think it was one of the very best Ive ever heard. He explained the
great need for unity. That it was vital for the chess world and not only for
today but for tomorrow. It was passionate and flowing. It hit all the right
keys. It drew applause.
This was soon followed by a well-delivered speech by Kirsan.
He explained that FIDE had been moving in a new direction for a number of
years. That FIDE had been making chess a sport without special privileges for
particular players, and this had included accelerating the time-controls. That
FIDE had been presented with a unique opportunity to unite the chess world,
which could not be ignored. That FIDE was willing to compromise and return to a
Classical Cycle and a slower time-control for such a cycle, that it would be as
inclusive as possible, with limited advantages to the Champion. That this was
quite a compromise but one that FIDE would make if unity could be achieved.
Furthermore, Kirsan made an unequivocal statement that FIDE represented the
interests of all the players and that this was its duty and responsibility
alone. It was quite a presidential speech. Serge, who was sitting next to me,
was also very impressed. Throughout the meeting, Kirsan spoke in Russian and
his words were translated by Polina Tsedenova, who did a truly outstanding job.
Mercifully, the speech satisfied Kramnik. Within minutes the
press was allowed in and the signing took place.
Second & Third Cycles
With the extremely important caveat that the Grandmaster
Steering Committee will be thoroughly reviewing Annex B,
I present here the plan that was in the folder for all to see. FIDE will also
have to approve it.
Post Mortem
Maybe it is the nature of our sport, win, lose or draw, but
following the completion of the meeting discussions began in earnest as to
which side had won. While inevitable, such talk misses the broader
point: the future of chess won big in Prague. Nevertheless, as such a
discussion is inevitable, Ill toss in my two cents.
FIDE was a big winner in Prague. It got everything it
wanted: recognition of its status as the international body for chess and
owners of the world championship titles. While it conceded a return to a
Classical Chess world championship, such a new cycle will be far more sporting
and inclusive than any previous traditional cycle.
FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov is, in my view, the
biggest winner in Prague. When elected to that post in 1995, he had promised
unity. Seven years later he has delivered on that promise. When he seeks
reelection later this year in Bled, Slovenia he will, I predict, win in the
greatest landside in FIDEs Presidential history. Furthermore, Kirsan has
been carrying an enormous financial burden for staging chess events since being
elected in 1995. He will now have a professional management group seeking
commercial sponsors, which will help relieve his financial burden. In terms of
his general performance in Prague, he impressed everyone I spoke to. Many
participants were truly surprised at how good he had been.
FIDE Champion Ruslan Ponomariov is also a huge winner.
Prague confirmed his status as the official World Champion. Unity came at the
perfect time for him. He now has the chance to face arguably the greatest
player in chess history, Garry Kasparov, in a big-money match. Should Ruslan
win this match, he has the opportunity for an even bigger payday and a showdown
for the undisputed world championship title.
Garry Kasparov gets to rectify the biggest blunder of his
life, made in 1993. He will have a chance in 2003, ten years later, to fight
once again for the FIDE Classical Chess world championship. As important as
this opportunity is to him, he is equally pleased that an opportunity to invite
commercial sponsors, on a grand scale, has been made for the benefit of the
chess world. It is a point that he has fought for throughout his whole career.
Vladimir Kramnik is also a huge winner. In a recent
interview on Kasparov Chess Online he is quoted as saying that he made the most
concessions. I dont see this at all. The Dortmund Candidates
tournament has been upgraded and is now officially recognized as part and
parcel of a unity cycle. His match with the Dortmund winner will result in a
unification match recognized by the whole chess world as the showdown. If he
can win these two matches, it is the stuff that legends are made from.
Hell earn millions in the process. He did make the key concession that
for the unification match neither player will have draw-odds. He keeps his
contract with Einstein TV entirely intact. Rejoining the official world of
chess is a marvelous coup. As Carsten Hensel said to me after the conference,
Vladimir is a big winner. He is vindicated for doing the best for his
colleagues that he could. He will play his match and if he wins, we have a
fantastic opportunity to present top chess to the public. Einstein TV is a
great partner. You will see, this was a great day for us. What Kramnik
also conceded was that an obligatory defense of his title will be followed by a
second obligatory defense. Changing from voluntary to obligatory,
while getting paid very well, doesnt seem like the worse concession ever
made.
The chess world, the federations, professionals, amateurs
and fans were big winners. The chaos and confusion as to who is the real world
champion will come to an end. A plethora of opportunities await the
introduction of a Rapid and Blitz chess champion. Putting chess on a solid
footing with a more sporting Classical cycle is fantastic.
With so many winners, there have to be some losers. It can
be justly argued that this is likely the case for the short term. For
those players not in the first cycle, say the worlds top 50 players and
with Anand and Ivanchuk in particular missing the first cycle, sacrifices have
clearly been made. A pity for all certainly, but again, in the short term only.
The chess world didnt lose anything. As Serge Grimaux said, The
next FIDE championship is in December 2003. That cycle will still begin on
time, for now we get to resolve the current mess. Serge is right. In
1994, I qualified for the FIDE championship and waited until December 1997 for
the opportunity to compete.
For the players out of the first cycle, the feeling was that
there had to be a quid pro quo. They have shown a willingness to make a
sacrifice in order to regain an organized unity cycle featuring both Kasparov
and Kramnik. With a fragile goodwill blossoming, their feeling was clear:
1993 cannot be repeated. If we were going to have a new Classical
Chess world championship cycle, the players would have to commit themselves to
firm guarantees under severe financial penalties if they failed or withdrew
from their obligations to a new unity cycle. The chess world cannot allow a
player, and especially a top player, to leave a cycle after making such a firm
commitment.
Perhaps the above post mortem doesnt sufficiently
satisfy. Too many winners and someone just has to get stuck with the bill. This
is indeed true. While I dont want to pin the term loser on
Bessel Kok, the Chess Commissioners and the new professional management group,
it would be fair to say that here we have the biggest risk-takers. Bessel has
the opportunity to prove the commercial value of chess, and if anyone can do it
he is more than capable. There is a lot of pressure on him: he has 90 business
days to submit a business plan, which the FIDE Executive Board will have to vet
and approve. In turn, the FIDE General Assembly will also have to give its
approval. Rectifying the sins of the chess world will not be an easy task.
FIDE Reforms
The Prague Spring witnessed the chess world taking a giant
step forward. It is a joyous occasion but there is clear trouble ahead. The
foundation for a new chess world very much relies upon a smoothly functioning
FIDE. In my view, FIDE has to undergo fundamental reforms in two critical areas
and now is the time. Only a very popular President will be capable of
enacting wholesale restructuring, which will inevitably raise FIDEs
future status. These areas are voting rights and openness.
For a long time it has been obvious that something is wrong
in the state of FIDE. With all due respect to FIDEs smallest national
federations, their voting power should not be identical to that of the largest
federations, such as Russia, Ukraine, England, Germany, China and the USA. The
voting rights of the largest chess nations have to count for more. A committee
of experts in the area of international organizations should be set up with a
view to reforming FIDEs governance. This might include a so-called
security council or another suitable innovation. Without some
fundamental voting reforms, FIDE will atrophy into endless vote-swapping and
backroom political maneuvers. It will miss its proper role as a vibrant world
organization and fail to live up to its enormous potential.
FIDE has to become a far more openand transparent
organization. The simplest and most direct solution nowadays is to make
comprehensive, accurate reports of General Assembly meetings freely available
on FIDEs website. All interested persons should be able to read what was
discussed, how the votes tallied and how our delegates voted. Furthermore,
minutes of the FIDE Committees should also be posted on the FIDE website.
Committee Chairpersons reports should also be available on-line for
inspection. A key part of FIDEs new open policy would be to publish its
balance sheet with appropriate auditor notes. By following the money trail, it
will be very easy to judge which goals FIDE is pursuing and whether the money
is being spent in a proper proportion to the goal at hand. Such openness would
be like a breath of fresh air and help restore FIDE as a proper governing body.
Such changes would have an initial financial cost, but the rewards far outweigh
it.
With every expectation of winning reelection, Kirsan should
institute such sweeping reforms now for the good of FIDE. The choice is clear:
FIDE can continue to be a closed organization indulging in unsavory political
machinations or it can become an open organization, tolerant of dissenting
views and open to the input of others. The choice is as stark as that, and FIDE
will be a much better organization by carrying out these reforms.
Ive written my views plainly here, and I hope everyone
will realize that I have done so out of a wish to see FIDE reform itself, and
quickly. I have set out some concrete ways of achieving that, and FIDE should
welcome further positive and constructive suggestions. Positive and
constructive should be the watchwords, i.e. the very antithesis of the approach
of those fanatical FIDE-bashers who are utterly negative. FIDE needs to be
strengthened and improved, not dismantled.
Professional Chess Management Organization
The Prague agenda referred to the Professional Chess
Management Organization. Not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue.
Obviously, this is just a working title for the moment until something more
suitable is found. The Prague meeting left a number of questions open about its
precise roles and responsibilities.
FIDE resisted the idea of a Chess Commissioners
Office. FIDE has to check its statutes and understand just how such an
office would properly function. In any case, appropriate
internationally-recognized titles should be issued. Empowering individuals
working for the benefit of chess will be fundamental to its success.
In a future cycle, the PCMO will clearly be responsible for
the financial guarantees and the staging of these events. It is highly likely
that the PCMO will encourage bids from local and national organizers. This will
lead to a situation with organizers on one side and players on the other. There
should be a buffer office between them, to which each side can direct its
comments and complaints. The Chess Commissioners Office, in my view,
provides for just such an ideal buffer.
One unresolved question is exactly how and why Kramnik and
the Einstein TV Company wanted to run their own Dortmund cycle and the match
between Kramnik and the Dortmund winner. In a sense this puts the new PCMO in
competition with the Einstein TV group. At least for the short term. Certainly,
this cant be in the best interests of everyone. In that case, instead of
parity in the prize money of each match, there will be a lot of prestige
attached to outbidding one another. So why begin with rivalry? I dont
have the answer but I look back at the Einstein TV or Carsten Unity Plan. I
note the taxes on the players prize money is lower and that,
furthermore, under this plan, Ruslan Ponomariov would be granted draw-odds. I
would surmise that Kramnik would prefer to keep draw-odds in his match with the
Dortmund winner and avoid any taxes (FIDE, players health and benefits
fund, Commissioners Office) that would be payable on the prizes for these
events. Hopefully, there is a better explanation than this crass perspective.
If this speculation is correct, and I dont know if it is or isnt,
it is penny-wise but dollar-foolish. Einstein TV is a fine company, run by a
very capable staff, but it isnt in the professional chess management
business; nor for that matter should it be. It should focus on its expertise.
If there is rivalry, the matches will not have parity in the prize funds, a
prospect which is sure to cause hard feelings for the reunification match. This
situation should be properly resolved through negotiations between Einstein TV
and PCMO sooner rather than later.
Another simpler explanation than the speculation above is to
go back to the May 6th meeting. Einstein TVs CEO Steve Timmins
was not allowed to attend the meeting. The reaction may have been that if
Einstein TV wasnt to be treated as a full partner in a unity agreement it
would rather arrange its cycle on its own. If this is the case, then feathers
have been unnecessarily ruffled and amends should be made quickly. The Prague
meeting produced a lot of goodwill and this should be kept throughout the unity
cycle.
Health and Benefits Fund
Another nice proposal in A Fresh Start, and one
that I was pleased to see adopted, was the funding of a players health
and benefits fund. The idea here is to make sure that players have health and
dental insurance to protect them in the case of dire need. Many players go
without such insurance and this is definitely a major risk to themselves and
their families. I note, with admiration, that Kirsan has quietly assisted
legendary players privately.
Grandmaster Steering Committee
This group will have a very serious role to play in the
period ahead. There are many questions to be answered. How should this
Committee be elected? How long should its members serve? How many members
should there be? Besides these, the issues that they will have to resolve are
paramount and include:
· Time-controls for Classical, Rapid and Blitz, both
for electronic and mechanical clocks.
· The number of games for the next cycle of
Candidates matches and world championship matches.
· Tiebreaks for these matches.
· Womens chess.
· Seeding players by rating.
· Format for rapid chess championship cycle.
· Format for blitz chess championship.
Once these decisions are made, should they be approved and
re-approved? If so, by whom?
Before us lies a New Jerusalem: Drug testing and possible
inclusion in the IOC Games. This whole topic needs a new spirit of
understanding and discussions. The players should be properly informed of what
is at stake. Let us also remind everyone that Beijing will be the host of the
2008 Summer Olympic Games and the success of the Chinese ladies is sure to
impress the hosts when tabulating the gold medal tables. Moreover, does drug
testing make any sense? Have we explained the sport of chess well enough to IOC
officials for them to understand that drugs and chess just do not co-exist?
Call to Arms
I will close this three-part essay with some final thoughts.
Prague was the easy part. The real work now begins. As exemplified by the
Chess Oscar night initiative, a new spirit exists in the world of
chess and this should be seized. Players, officials, organizers and fans need
to find a better way to cooperate with one another more effectively. Bessel Kok
and the other proposed Commissioners are going to need a lot of help. They are
sure to develop a website that will encourage input and bids for particular
events. I would urge organizers around the world to consider what events they
would like to stage. Im sure bids would be appreciated!
The agreement reached in Prague has given me great hope that
chess professionals will have many fresh opportunities to practice their craft.
There exists a new feeling of goodwill between the parties at Prague. A
win-win-win situation has been created. It has to be nourished and supported as
much as possible. If it is, perhaps players like Jeroen Piket will reconsider
their decision and return to chess. I certainly hope so.
END OF PART 3
DRAFT - Annex B
Executive Summary of Format for the FIDE
Classical Chess World Championship
Format First FIDE Classical Chess World Championship
Cycle (2002-2003)
FIDE sanctions a new cycle for the Classical Chess
World Championship, which is administered by a newly created, independent,
Chess Commissioners Office. The first cycle (2002-2003) takes
place as follows:
The Dortmund Candidates tournament is held in July
2002, the tournament winner plays Vladimir Kramnik a 16 game Classical Chess
Championship match in April/May 2003.
A FIDE sanctioned 16 game Classical Chess Championship match
between FIDE Champion Ruslan Ponomariov and Garry Kasparov, the Worlds
number one ranked player is held in May/June 2003 that produces a FIDE Champion
to play the winner of the Dortmund winner versus Vladimir Kramnik match.
The two winners play a 16 game Classical Chess match for
the undisputed world championship title to take place in
October/November 2003.
Tiebreaks
If the score reaches 8-8, the following Championship
Match tiebreak procedure applies until a winner is determined:
· Two further games of Classical Chess;
· Two games of sudden-death Classical Chess (i.e. if
a player wins game 19) the match is over;
· Four games of Rapid Chess (25 minutes per
player, plus a ten-second bonus per move);
· Two games at 15 minutes per player, plus a
ten-second bonus per move;
· Sudden-death 15-minute games, plus a
ten-second bonus per move (the first to win a game wins the match).
New FIDE Second Cycle (2003 2005)
The following format will determine the second cycle:
· National championships, i.e. what have
traditionally been called the FIDE zonal championships are held.
· The zonal winners/qualifiers, along with a number
of players seeded by rating, play in a double elimination Knock-out
(Classical Chess) World Qualifier tournament (WQT), comprising
approximately 128 players. The WQT to be held in November/December 2003.
(See attachment to this document.)
Candidates Matches
The top five finishers in the WQT qualify to the next
stage and are joined by the worlds highest rated player, other
then the defending champion. These six players then play elimination matches.
These matches are 8 classical chess games in length. Matches to commence in
early 2004. No player will have draw-odds in any match of cycle two and beyond.
(Note: It is also possible to have 10 players qualify
from the WQT. These 10 players would play elimination Candidate Matches thereby
reducing their number to five players. These five players are joined by the
worlds highest rated player, other then the defending champion. This
adaptation would necessarily include the additional staging of an extra round
of Candidate Matches.)
If the score reaches 4-4 in any match, the following
Candidate Match tiebreak procedure applies until a winner is determined:
· Four games of Rapid Chess (25 minutes per player,
plus a ten-second bonus per move);
· Two games at 15 minutes per player, plus a
ten-second bonus per move;
· Sudden-death 15-minute games, plus a ten-second
bonus per move (the first to win a game wins the match).
Candidates Matches Semi-finals
The three winners are joined by the defending
Champion for the semi-finals, which are played for the best of 12 games
(Classical Chess).
If the score reaches 6-6 in any match, the Candidate
Match tiebreak procedure applies until a winner is determined.
Final
The two winners of the semi-finals play the final
Championship match for the best of 16 games (Classical Chess) in 2005.
If the score reaches 8-8 the Championship Match tiebreak
procedure applies until a winner is determined:
New FIDE Third Cycle (2005-2007)
The third cycle would feature a WQT, with six
qualifying players. The six qualifying players are joined by the
defending Champion and the worlds highest rated player, other then the
defending champion, totaling eight players.
The eight players then have Quarter-Final matches of 8
classical games. The four winners play Semi-Final matches of 10 classical games
and the two winners play a Final Championship match of 16 classical games.
From the third cycle onwards, the defending champion and the
highest rated player, are seeded into the Quarter-finals with six qualifiers
from the WQT.
Two tiebreak procedures are to be applied throughout, one
for Candidate Match play and one for the Championship Match.
(Note the effect of this proposal will be to have the two
recognized world champions of today, Vladimir Kramnik and Ruslan Ponomariov,
theoretically play two matches to produce a unified world champion. For
the second cycle, the defending world champion would likewise have to win two
matches to retain his title. For the third cycle and beyond, the defending
champion would have to win three classical chess matches to retain the title.)
Fees
From the prize-funds of these events, a total of 20% is
deducted, to be apportioned as follows: 10% to FIDE, 5% to the creation of a
Professional Players Health and Benefits fund, and 5% to support the new
Commissioners Office and as a contingency fund for the organization of
events in the cycles.
Commissioners Office
The Commissioners Office, comprising Bessel Kok
(Europe), Dato Tan Chin Nam (Asia) and Erik Anderson (America), oversees the
regulations for the Classical Chess world championship cycle, the bidding
procedures, the awarding of the prize monies, the distribution of the
above-mentioned fees, etc. Any points of contention are communicated in writing
by organizers and players to the Commissioners, whose decision is final. The
Commissioners hold office for a non-renewable five-year term.
World Chess Grandmasters Steering Committee
A committee of five or seven grandmasters will codify the
rules of play, including but not limited to issues such as: time controls,
rating oversight, weighted rating lists, proper time frames for the staging of
events, a tournament calendar, seeded players into the world
qualifying tournament, tiebreak review and so on.
Health and Benefit Fund Committee
A committee of professional financial planners and insurers
would be formed to oversee the distribution of a health and benefit funds to
aged grandmasters.
Unified Rating Committee
A committee will be formed to jointly create the rules for a
unified rating system, that will rate tournaments played at Classical, Rapid
and Blitz chess time controls.
Conclusion
With FIDE licensing a stable, fair Classical Chess world
championship, contested by all the leading players and administered by
an independent Commissioners Office, there is every reason to believe
that commercial sponsors will enthusiastically support the new classical chess
cycle. With all the leading players playing in FIDE licensed events, there is
every reason to believe that global commercial sponsors will be willing to
support these events.
This document to be approved by the FIDE General Assembly in
Bled, October 2003.
END OF ANNEX B
Yasser Seirawan writes for the Internet site:
http://www.chesscafe.com
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of
TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center. |