FIDE snubs Karpov; to miss World

FIDE snubs Karpov; to miss World
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

New Delhi, November 21: Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov has received a snub from chess’ world governing body for demanding the right to enter FIDE World Championship at the semi-final stage, and the Russian Grandmaster has decided to pull out of the prestigious event.

The rival World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, wizard of the chequered game Garry Kasparov, and ‘moody’ American Gata Kamasky will all be missing from the field of 100 players who will be in the contest for the millennium’s first champion.

Indian GM Viswanathan Anand will be favourite in the absence of the class players with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, Spaniard Alexei Shirov and Russian Peter Svidler also in the contention in the November 26 to December 16 event.

Defending champion Alexander Khalifman of Russia and the three other semi-finalists in last year’s Las Vegas event Armenia’s V Akopian, L Nisipeanu of Romania and Briton Michael Adams have qualified to the second round by right as also Anand and 18 others by virtue of their Elo ratings.

New Delhi, which will host the FIDE event till the semis before the action moves on to Tehran for the six-round final, will nonetheless produce the new Women’s World champion.

China’s defending World champion Xie Jun is considered the hot favourite, but Russia’s Alisa Galiamova and Maya Chiburdanidze of Georgia will be waiting for the kill.

Hungary’s Judith Polgar, the most feared woman chess player having wins against Anand and top rated men to show, is another strong contender who would contest the event, All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Dhruv Shawney said.

Besides Anand, three other Indian GMs - Abhijit Kunte, Ksikiran and Dibyendu Barua - will be in the fray.Kunte and Barua were handed tough opponents in the two-game first round while Sasikiran faces a lower rated Zambian Amon Simutowe.

Gilberto Milos of Brazil, with 2633 Elo rating takes on Kunte (2556) while Barua (2502) will have to fend off the challenge of Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Vladimirov (2598) in the first round.

After a successful tour of Istanbul for the Chess Olympiad, all the Indians look to be in good frame of mind in taking on the World challenge.

Interestingly, Barua had almost shocked eventual champion Khalifmann in the first round in Las Vegas before falling out of contention in the tie-breaker.

India was awarded this championship after it hosted many a successful international level event during past decade, said Shawney.

‘‘India’s technical ability, host of international class arbitrators, officials was the benchmark for the country’s selection as venue,’’ he said.

The $3.5 million event with the winner pocketing $ 660,000 (approx Rs. 3 crore), will have many firsts including live coverage by Doordarshan.

GM Valery Salov of France has been entrusted by FIDE to live commentary of the day’s topboard game which will be available to the audience through over 150 headphones at the venue. Fide’s official site fide.com will also have live update of the event with the organisers expecting over 100 million hits during the championship.