Kramnik is the new world chess champion!

The match in Elista is over. Kramnik and Topalov were tied after 12 games and played a 4-game rapid tie break. Three of the four games were decisive, Kramnik winning the fourth.

I had said earlier that Topalov was a deserving champion. After the toiletgate shenanigans, I was rooting for Kramnik. He managed to overcome the one point penalty (from foreiting the fifth game) and prevailed. Mig has a good quote on his blog: "I don't know if the better player won today. But looking back over the past few weeks I'd have to say that the better man certainly did. Hail the new and improved world champion! Or, dare I type it, hail the new World Champion!"

The games themselves were very exciting, though the quality was often affected by nerves. They usually are exciting when Topalov plays! Reports and game scores can be found on the Chessbase site.

The next thing to look forward to is a resumption of a regular and fair system of determining future world champions. FIDE has for too long been a highly unprofessional and highly political organization. That needs to change.

Topalov-Kramnik match

A match to "unify" the world chess championship is under way in Elista, Kalmikia (FIDE president Kirsan Ilymzhinov's backyard). Kramnik followed up his fantastic Olympiad performance by going up 2-0 after the first two games. After a couple of draws, the psychological games began and resulted in the toiletgate scandal.

Instead of continuing the hugely interesting games, we had the edifying sight of Topalov complaining about the number of times Kramnik needed to visit the restroom and getting a pliant FIDE appeals committee to change playing conditions. The full details are too silly to elaborate. Kramnik forfeited game 5, refusing to agree to a change in conditions not approved by him. The match seemed to be over then, before Kramnik agreed to play game 6 under protest. Kramnik has clearly been wronged, and there is a huge outpouring of support for him.

Kramnik's conduct with the "classical championship" had been a bit dodgy, with him refusing to grant Kasparov a rematch and avoiding playing against any other worthy opponent. I thought Topalov had a better claim to being called world champion. But Kramnik has got off to a great start in this match and it looks as if the Topalov camp decided to use every means at their disposal to turn things round.