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World Chess Championship Reunification Match Topalov - Kramnik, Elista 2006 
Game 1
This is a very painful loss for Topalov. He took almost nothing and made it very exciting. I give him a lot of credit for this. If he can keep this up for the next 11 games, Kramnik would have a very difficult task ahead of him. Topalov will have White tomorrow. I hope he will bounce back immediately. Kramnik is one of the most difficult opponents to beat. Another blunder like today may seal his fate in this match. On the other hand,
if Topalov can bounce back and have a convincing win tomorrow, the
tremendous pressure will be back on Kramnik. Game 2 Kramnik,Vladimir (2743) - Topalov,Veselin (2813) [E04]
This may come down to nerve and experience. In my opinion, if it is a World Championship like San Luis and Mexico City next year, it would favor Topalov. However, when it comes down to a head to head match, I believe it favors Kramnik. Why? - Match experience: Kramnik has been involved in more big matches including his biggest win against Kasparov back in 2000. He was not very good earlier in his career, losing badly to Shirov and Kamsky. But he improved drastically. His experience will prove to be very valuable. - Nerve: Both have very strong nerves. However, when one player is the aggressor, that player tends to be more volatile. When things go right, spectacular stuff can happen. When things go wrong, the first two games happened. This match is far from over. Topalov should have scored 1.5 - .5 instead of 0-2. He made his chances and he lost the games. He controlled his own destiny. Therefore, if Topalov can pull himself together and get moving with a spectacular win, you may see a string of consecutive wins. The problem is you may also see a string of losses like the first two games. The other big factor is Kramnik's endurance. Can he survive 10 more games with this kind of intense attack? No matter what the score is, Topalov will continue to charge like the bulls in Pamplona. This reminds me of
matches between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors and John
McEnroe, Ali and Foreman, Detroit Pistons and LA Lakers, etc. The
contrasting styles make things much more exciting! Game 3
Game 4 Topalov, Veselin (2813) - Kramnik, Vladimir (2743)
Many people complained that too many mistakes were made by both players (Topalov a few more). That only proves that they are human. When the biggest prize is on the line, the true test of nerve will occur. After all, in my opinion, this is the biggest match of both their lives! Why? When Kramnik played Kasparov in 2000, very few people gave him a chance, especially with his history against Shirov and Kamsky. The bigger pressure was on Kasparov and not Kramnik. When Topalov went to San Luis, most people picked Anand as the favorite. The biggest pressure was on Anand and not Topalov.
All I can tell you is that I have very much enjoyed this battle so far. Has it been flawless? No! Has it been at the highest quality? No! But has it been very exciting? Definitely yes! And by the way, there were 48,556 logins on [my] blog during the game this morning alone. That tells me that there are quite a few people enjoying this match as well. Topalov will not lay down and surrender without a big fight. Whether he can come back or not, he will certainly give it his best shot and I am certainly looking forward to the next 8 games! [Editor: And then, depression sets in...
Many people faulted Topalov. Some faulted Kramnik. I said all three sides are to blame (some more than others). I have my reasons to say this and this goes all the way back to after the conclusion of the FIDE World Championship in San Luis, Argentina. I will not take sides for the sake of doing it and I will not point fingers at anyone if I do not know all sides of the story. I am not there. Most of us are not there. Making judgment based on partial information and political spins will not help this matter. I do not want to get into silly and obnoxious debates with some anonymous posters here. If they are not able to communicate properly to make their points and have to rely on insults then I feel sorry for them.
If I am Topalov's manager, I would advise him that no matter how Kramnik or his team behave during game 5, do not take the forfeit win. He will win no respect from the chess world by winning this way. There are still 8 games left and plenty of time to catch up. He needs to prove himself on the board to shut everyone up once in for all. If I am Kramnik's manager, I would advise him to stop the nonsense with demanding the apology from Danailov, handshake from Topalov or to continue the match like nothing happened. I certainly do not think that Kramnik cheats but why not allow an attendant to be present in the restroom to avoid any doubt from the fans. It is reasonable for the fans to be suspicious with excessive bathroom use.
I would also tell the players, their managers to stop with the insults and unprofessional open letters. These things do not help anyone. They will only make all parties look bad. The world IS watching! Both World Champions should swallow their ego and pride and play 8 more games of chess. The chess fans deserve this. Our sport deserves this. May the best player win!
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This
is the picture of the beginning of game 2 (from the official FIDE website).
I am not at the playing site so I cannot tell you how Topalov was during the
game. However, from this picture, Topalov looks more intense and
Kramnik looks more relaxed.
(9/27/2006)
Many people may not like Kramnik's style. They may think it is too
mechanical and boring. Many people may not like Topalov's style. They
may think it is too wild and erratic. But when you bring together fire
and ice on the chess board, only one can be the winner! In many
sports, good defense stops good offence. We have the best attacker
versus the best defender in this colossal match. Would the same thing
apply to chess?
Both Kramnik and
Topalov have so much to lose in this match. If Kramnik loses, his
doubters will say he did not deserve to be a World Champion since he never
really qualified properly to challenge Kasparov. If Topalov loses, his
doubters will say that Kramnik is the true champion because he defeated
Kasparov and San Luis was not in the form of match play. Damned if you
do and damned if you don't! You cannot please everybody.
Game 5 - forfeited
by Kramnik. Game 6 postponed. Kirsan returns to Elista, enters
negotiations with both sides. Let's return to some comments by S.
Polgar in her blog:]
My interest is to
promote chess in a positive way. My interest is not to take sides or
get into political games. As someone who competed in the World
Championship and winning four different Women's World Championship crowns, I
went through this. I know what it is like to be on both sides. I
know what it is like to deal with FIDE. People behave differently when
they are faced with extreme pressure. No other tournament in the world
can compare to a World Championship match.
If I am in charge
of FIDE, I definitely would not point fingers at either player.
Nothing can be accomplished by pointing fingers. We need more
professionalism, respect and mutual trust, not verbal insults or act like
spoiled children. I am confident that I could resolve this matter and
have the match continue in one negotiation session.
