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Reunification Ruminationsby David SurrattI got into chess just before the Fischer boom of the early 70s, and Bobby became my instant hero, even before that incredible match in Reykjavik. It should be no wonder then that after 1975 I considered there to be two World Champions, the FIDE Champion (Anatoly Karpov) and the real World Champion (Bobby Fischer). But where was Bobby? Over the years, somewhen, I grew to realize that, despite my beliefs, despite resolutions from the US Congress, even despite winning the rematch 20 years later, Bobby was no longer King. He had abdicated the throne. So it was with a certain amount of bemusement that I watched Garry Kasparov take his title out from under the auspices of FIDE, while FIDE once again placed an all too familiar puppet on the throne. We knew who the real Champion was though, didn't we? He was the guy that had not yet been beaten over the board, not the winner of the consolation prize match FIDE sanctioned. Unfortunately, Garry couldn't quite keep on schedule in defending his title. GMA, PCA, ...ABCs all, nothing more it turned out. Years started slipping by without a regular cycle. It started to look like boxing, where the real challengers, after being ducked by the popularly recognized Champion, sought consolation in alternative organization's titles. WBA. WBC. IBF. NABF. How many others were there? Who knows. Who cares. I began to long for the "old days", with the exhaustive qualification cycle of Zonals, Interzonals, and finally the Candidate's Matches, leading up to the World Championship Match. Order. Predictability. Sanity. Unity. So it was that I was well prepared, psychologically, for Yasser Seirawan's initiative. Reunification became the newest mantra of my World Championship watch. Hope, at last! A regular process where we the fans would no longer be subjected to the whims of the players, or the marketplace, or worse - some chess politician. And they all agreed! I wasn't willing to believe it at first. I had been burned so badly by the past 25 years of turmoil that I didn't really think Yaz could pull it off. Yet, there it was - ink on paper. The agreement had been struck. And all the principles signed off. Of course, the agreement was less than perfect, wasn't it? It left Anand & Ivanchuk standing out in the cold, hat in hand, waiting for others to claim that which they sought. Waiting for another chance, waiting for the cycle to come around again, for another opportunity. I didn't care. I felt badly for them of course, but mainly I was happy for me and for the average Fan. New developments are beginning to give the appearance of unraveling the Reunification Process though. Ruslan Ponomariov, the current FIDE champion, wants things. He wants to retain his title in the event of a drawn match, and he wants to play at the same time controls he won the title at. I don't care. Please don't hear what I am not saying - I am not saying that I disagree with what he wants; in fact I think he has some very legitimate complaints. So what am I saying? I am saying that I am tired of all the bickering over the title. I am saying that I want a single world Champion, someone who won the title at classical time controls by defeating the previous Champion. I am saying that this is more important to me than what Ponomariov wants, or what Kasparov wants, or what FIDE wants. I am saying that the World Championship doesn't belong to FIDE, or Kramnik, or Ponomariov, or even (gasp!) Bobby Fischer. The World Championship belongs to us, the average chess Fans around the globe. We deserve better than what we have received over the past decade. We deserve better than a once-a-decade World Championship match. We deserve more then a Knock-Out lottery winner. We deserve better then a barely-longer-than-Action-chess-time-controls World Champion. The Championship belongs to us, the Fans, and it's time to get the title reunified and a regular cycle reestablished. That is the single most important objective in all of the machinations taking place. So long as that is accomplished, I am willing to live with the imperfections of the process. Will FIDE forfeit Ponomariov if he refuses to play the match under whatever time controls and match requirements? I hope so. I want that title reunified; after all - it's my title. And yours, the average Joe & Jane Chess Fan. As the saying goes, to make a cake, you have to break a few eggs. The best possible outcome of course, would be for both sides to continue working towards an agreement that will work for all sides. It needs to be done quickly though. As British Chess Magazine put it "one can have more sympathy for his general view that conditions not should be imposed upon him without a due period of negotiation; that everything should be out in the open and agreed upfront." Lev Khariton (Pakistan Chess Player) says "Why should Ponomariov be deprived of the same right [draw the match and retain the title]?" We agree. As a last resort though, I think young Mr. Ponomariov should play the match under whatever conditions are set out by FIDE. After all, the title he is playing for is theirs - the FIDE World Championship. Win lose or draw, Ruslan will have plenty of other chances at a World Championship. Cooperating in the reunification process, even at the cost of his own short-term interests, will be best for the long-term interests of chess. And what's good for chess will, in the long run, be good for Ponomariov. I received a letter from Ukrainian GM Mikhail Golubev, Editor of the excellent web site Chess Sector - Ukrainian Chess Online. In the letter Mikhail argues for his compatriot's position. This is an admirable stance for him to take. He wants to see Ponomariov retain his title until the reunification process is completed, even if he loses to Kasparov. He raises the specter of yet another title, a special "intermediary" title. With all due respect to my fellow Editor, I have to say - I have to shout - NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need one Champion. One Champion who won the title at classical time controls against the previous title holder. The Reunification process is too important to let it get bogged down in further squabbling. We don't need yet another title, nor yet another "Champion". We need One World Champion. Below I have reprinted GM Golubev's article, preceded by some remarks I have excerpted from his letter. He has a right to his opinion, and I respect both him and his opinion. We have a right to One World Champion though.
You hardly will be surprised to hear from me that the situation around Ponomariov-Kasparov (or even Kasparov-Ponomariov if you personally strongly prefer) match is disastrous, and according to all reports it can become much worse at absolutely any moment. That's what we have now and that's why I wrote an article called 'Is there any way of saving the Reunification Championship?' Everything that can be of importance regarding that article, I tried to express in the article. So, I will add below just few words for you, about myself and about my intentions. I am Ukrainian grandmaster, and editor of chess website chess-sector.odessa.ua which is my personal project. I am not an employee of Ukrainian Chess Federation and I represent only myself now. I have quite a large experience of co-operation with Ruslan Ponomariov, current FIDE World Champion. I accompanied him as a trainer at the Bavarian Open 1999, and the Russia vs the World Moscow 2002 Match. Also, starting from August 1998, I regularly update 'Ruslan Ponomariov's Page' in www. In the beginning it was an absolutely amateur web attempt, devoted to a very young and very talented Ukrainian player. I tried to support Ponomariov in 1998 and so of course I try to do so now. Therefore, despite the fact that I am not Ruslan Ponomariov's representative and never had (or aimed to have) rights to represent him in any official negotiations with FIDE, it would be simply untrue to say that I 'stay' or am able to 'stay' at some intermediate position between Ponomariov and FIDE in the current situation. The problem is that between World Champion Ponomariov and FIDE is a permanently increasing gap, and there nobody now can stay. Consequences of such a situation are really unpredictable. If we really need to have a single, recognized by absolutely everyone, world champion in chess, we all should create a BRIDGE between the FIDE World Champion and FIDE, and save the unification process that was initiated by GM Yasser Seirawan, whom I highly respect. I like to support the interests of Ruslan Ponomariov, my friend, compatriot and colleague, and I like Yasser Seirawan's Fresh Start initial ideas. That's my real position, and now you probably will believe me if I will say that I didn't consult with Ruslan Ponomariov, who is concentrated on extremely tense Wijk aan Zee tournament, when I took my recent publishing actions. If you get the impression that I have just at some point decided that I am someone like Yasser Seirawan or Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, it would mean that I made something wrong. My intention is to propose specific ideas that will help to solve a specific, still local, problem - and of course, I can't be absolutely sure that I managed to do even that, despite my permanent consultations with chess colleagues from different countries. Yours in chess.
Is There Any Way of Saving the Reunification Championship? by Mikhail Golubev 16 January 2003 The text below is part of a review of rounds 1-4 of the Corus Tournament, prepared on the 16th January 2003. It relates to latest developments regarding the World Championship. To a large extent it represents more than just my own personal thoughts, is the outcome of my extensive correspondence with colleagues - grandmasters and chess journalists from many different countries who are also concerned with the situation. I am publishing this extract as independent material. I have nothing against its reproduction or distribution (without changes, with or without identification of a source, but with an indication of author and date). It is very strange that the gist and hidden motive of the conflict between Ruslan Ponomariov and FIDE, which seems obvious, is still obscured by an argument about time control and FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov's privilege (or lack of privilege) to retain the title in the event of a draw. I don't know whether FIDE had hopes of "managing" the opinion of its champion with the assistance of third parties - or if FIDE just did not succeed in showing sufficient respect for the 18-year old World Champion. (Everything in history happens once for the first time, and we then learn by trial and error... Never has the World Champion been so young!), but all the signs are that from the very beginning (since Spring 2002) Ruslan Ponomariov has, in practice, been kept away from negotiations on reunification. The second mistake made by FIDE, i.e. the participation of the world chess organization in preparation for the upcoming Kasparov vs Computer match, was fatal and almost deprived the chess world of a chance for an agreement, which has been so agonizing to reach. The balance of the strongest players' interests was completely destroyed. As far back as 2001 the FIDE President (at least, in his speech broadcast worldwide by the mass media) had promised the further, 16th FIDE World Champion (later it was Ponomariov who won this title) a match against the strongest computer programme. The unification had the purpose consolidating the two world champions and the player with the highest rating into one unification world championship cycle. How was it possible not to take into account the interests of all these chess players equally? At the end of September Ponomariov lost his chief coach, whose health could not withstand the stress, restriction of his pupil's rights, pressure on him personally and the reticence and long wait for FIDE Congress. ...Of course, Garry Kasparov, the most famous chess player in the world, has every right to the highest fee in any unofficial match. But from an ethical point of view FIDE should not have taken part in it! It is also astonishing that FIDE supported Kasparov's match as the FIDE President being the compatriot of one of the opponents should have avoided any hint of double standards regarding the participants. It is possible to understand and excuse a lot, including the state of euphoria, which possibly engulfed FIDE after they had managed to come to a peaceful agreement with Garry Kasparov, their, till then, long standing opponent. And that for some time this euphoria made FIDE forget about their own champion. But should Ponomariov agree to further restriction of his interests if the international federation fails to restore the status quo with respect to its attitude to the leading chess players? Certainly, it's up to the FIDE World Champion to decide. In any case, it is impossible not to conclude that the development of the situation; persistence of the international federation representatives and Ruslan Ponomariov's strong resistance, leave no chance to hope that the contract signed by Ponomariov (under incredible pressure) based on principles suggested by the international federation so far, will have anything to do with the spirit of the chess world unification. Other options (such as proclamation of Kasparov as a World Champion without any match or announcement of Kasparov's match against another opponent) are similarly disastrous. Is there any chance of saving the reunification championship in spite of it all? Since the FIDE Congress (that took place in Autumn 2002 in Bled) Ruslan Ponomariov has been insisting on the privilege to retain the title in the event of a draw in his match against Kasparov (It would not be a contradiction to chess traditions and it would give Ponomariov the same privilege that Classical World Champion, Kramnik, will have in the parallel match against Leko). In his second demand Ponomariov stated that his match with Kasparov should be played with the new FIDE time control, used in 2001/2002 FIDE World Championship, which brought Ponomariov the title of the World Champion. This requirement is more than in line with chess traditions and common sense, but it contradicts FIDE strategic idea of coming back to the classical time control. FIDE does not accept the demands of the World Champion, at least not all of them, and the situation has been giving the impression of an absolute deadlock for a long time. At the same time there must have been a normal solution, and probably even more than only one such solution. The solution, which will take into consideration the reality of the current situation, without any mad approaches such as Ponomariov's disqualification or revision of the schedule for the Kasparov vs Computer match that is currently being fulfilled in New York. If FIDE does not intend to just support Garry Kasparov in obtaining the Champion title in the quickest possible time (because if it does, what is currently the matter of worrying in the international chess community, the situation is really hopeless and there is no normal way out), but, instead, has a purpose of a Reunification World Championship with the classical time control, then, for instance, there should have been no obstacles for Ruslan Ponomariov to retain the title of the World Champion regardless of the outcome of the semi-final unification match (this match should not have the status of FIDE World Championship) until the final unification match has been played. If, for example, Ponomariov is defeated by Kasparov, then Ponomariov will lose his title only after the final unification process and return to the classical control is completed, i.e. after the final reunification match ends - when the new FIDE World Champion will be announced. If it is impossible to arrange the already promised chess world reunification final match with the classical time control (i.e. a match between winners of the Ponomariov-Kasparov and Kramnik-Leko matches), FIDE should, in such a case, return to Championships with the FIDE time control (yes, now this is the right time for FIDE to take responsibility for the things that will happen after the Ponomariov-Kasparov match, including taking into consideration the possibility that the winner of the Kramnik-Leko match can refuse for any reason to play in the reunification final match). ...In this case Ruslan Ponomariov will not lose his title (with all the consequent rights and privileges) even for a single moment regardless of the result of his match against Garry Kasparov with classical time control. It is reasonable because Ponomariov won his Champion title with the FIDE time control and nothing should make him lose this title unless the transfer to classical time control is fully completed. An opinion exists that a Ponomariov-Kasparov match without World Championship status has no sense. But quite the opposite is the truth - a Ponomariov-Kasparov match has no sense if it is arranged in another way than, first of all, as a semi-final unification match, because the unprecedented decision to grant the player with the highest rating the right to play against the World Champion can be approved only if all existing championships are unified. Without any doubt, the interest of the sponsors require special care in selecting a proper title for the official match in case it is not a FIDE World Championship (which, in my view, is the right decision). It is necessary to concentrate on the words "unification" and "classical" (implying time control) but not on the word "semi-final". If it is impossible to meet sponsor interest even under such a condition, the winner of a Kasparov-Ponomariov match can be awarded a special "intermediary" title, for instance, FIDE Classical Chess World Champion, the title that will be absolutely independent (!) of the current title of Ruslan Ponomariov. Both Garry Kasparov and Ruslan Ponomariov can win this intermediary title (so, Ruslan Ponomariov will be able to obtain both titles of World Champion at the same time). It should be absolutely strictly stipulated that the present intermediary title (FIDE Classical Chess World Champion) will not be given any advancement within FIDE in case the final reunification match against the Kramnik-Leko match winner has not taken place (for any reason) within the predetermined period of time. In this case FIDE has to come back to a FIDE World Championships with a FIDE time control (and the intermediary title should possibly be automatically abolished after the first championship of that kind). If the final reunification championship with the winner of the Kramnik-Leko match has taken place, the intermediary title (FIDE Classical Chess World Champion) should also be automatically abolished (and in this case this is absolutely critical) immediately after the final reunification match has been played and the winner (Ponomariov, Kramnik, Kasparov or Leko) has obtained the most honourable title of FIDE World Champion, which currently belongs (and will belong until the end of the final reunification match in accordance with all I suggest above) to Ukrainian grandmaster Ruslan Ponomariov. This is my suggestion that I have not discussed so far with any of the supposed participants of the reunification championship or their official representatives. This suggestion might seem artificial, but ...artificial is the whole process of unification (and especially, the currently critical match between Ponomariov and Kasparov). Unfortunately, from many points of view, it is always more "natural" to destroy than to build. It is my view that, after the conflict has recently reached the public stage, now is the time for independent chess experts, those who are not indifferent to the future of the World Championship, to express their opinions. Someone can possibly offer a better scheme, I will be happy if such an attempt leads to success. In any case the balance of interests has to be met. To enter a reunification championship cycle with the status of the current champion diminished would lay a foundation for new disunity in the chess world for many years ahead.
The article was first published in the Russian language at chess-sector.odessa.ua/unity_r.htm on 16th January 2003. On 16th-17th January it was re-published at the web sites www.chesspage.kiev.ua, www.bs-chess.com, www.chess-express.ru. The translation (V1) is by Zoya Vlassova (zoyav@yandex.ru) and Mikhail Golubev (gmi@europe.com). Edited by Graham Brown (www.easytorecall.com).
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