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Vladimir Kramnik Halts Champion Match
The match for the World Chess Championship in Elista is jeopardized. Vladimir Kramnik, indignant at his rival’s accusation of cheating, declined to play the fifth game. World Chess Champion Topalov has thus won a forfeit victory. It was unclear Friday night if the match was to continue.
The fifth game for the World Chess Championship was not played. Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov was awarded a forefeit win. The match came to 3-2.
Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik did not play the match protesting the decision of the Appeals Committee to close toilets in the players’ restrooms and open another toilet available only to the two players.
The decision was made following a protest by the Topalov team that Kramnik visited the restroom and the bathroom too often. The bathroom is the only place without video surveillance and the Russian make get prompts there, Silvio Danailov of the Bulgarian delegation claimed.
Vladimir Kramnik and his representatives sent an open letter to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, saying that the Kramnik team received the decision a few hours before the start of Game 5. “The Appeal Committee is clearly violating both the rules and regulations of the WCC match and the rights of Mr. Kramnik,” the letter reads. The Kramnik team calls these suspicions are “disgraceful and touching Mr. Kramnik’s privacy”. They say Kramnik “will stop playing this match as long as FIDE is not ready to respect Mr. Kramnik’s rights.”
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov tried to save the match yesterday, sending an open letter to Kramnik. “I am also asking you in good faith to continue your participation in this match for the sake of the principles of our sport.”
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 30, 2006
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