The Chess Mind

From regular reader and chess history buff Brian Karen comes this fascinating letter (also published in Chess Today):

I noticed this clause in the 'Rules and Regulations' for the Steinitz - Zukertort match of 1886. If only we had such conditions for Topalov - Kramnik and other recent matches :):

"While the match is pending the players shall be required to observe a gentlemanly behavior toward each other in their personal bearing and language, as well as in their communication direct or indirect, whether of a private character or intended for publication. Should any report, interview, or other information during the match, appear in the press, which may unjustly affect either player, then the two Umpires, or the Referee, may require a public disavowal or contradiction of any such unjust allegation, in any manner they may deem proper, to be made by one or both players. If, however, any ungentlemanly aspersion, reflecting on one of the players, be traced to his opponent directly or indirectly, the latter may be required to publish an apology and shall be subject o a fine of not less than ten dollars and not exceeding one hundred dollars, at the discretion of the Referee."

In fairness, Steinitz and Zukertort quarreled vehemently in the years leading to their match. But as the February 4, 1886 St. Louis Dispatch reported - "Steinitz has been attacking Zukertort bitterly in his chess magazine the past six months, but since they have been playing in this match they have been growing more friendly and Joseph says that Steinitz called his opponent "Zukey" yesterday.

During my coverage of the eighth round of the Grand Slam Final, I wrote this:

The upcoming world championship match is looking increasingly disappointing. At the start of the year, Anand and Kramnik were tied atop the rating list, and the match looked like the culminating moment in their careers. The two greatest players of the past dozen or so years not named Kasparov were finally having at it for ultimate bragging rights in the chess world. Now they're numbers five and six in the world, and both players are entering the match with poor results. What was an EVENT is in danger of becoming just another interesting battle between elite players.

My point wasn't that Anand and Kramnik had become bums, but that, at the moment, they have dropped and become part of the pack. They haven't really been passed by the pack either - they're more like riders who had broken away, but have since been absorbed back into the peleton. They're still great players; but they've been out of form lately and (even leaving that aside) have lost their dominance. Compare that sentiment with this one, from the ever-gracious Veselin Topalov, who, ten seconds after returning to the top of the rating list after a couple of lousy years, had this to say:

Q: Are you going to watch the Anand-Kramnik match? A: Of course I will analyse the games from this match, but let me confess, the match between no.5 and no.6 is not of that much interest for me. Kramnik is not the best player even in Russia. Morozevich, who won the Tal Memorial game vs. him, also topped him in the rating list. And Anand in Bilbao was a shadow of former great player. [N.B.: That's a Babelfish translation of part of a Sport Express interview, courtesy of Jaideepblue. Russian readers are strongly urged to correct any serious mistakes in that translation.]

These are strange comments from Topalov. First of all, didn't he learn anything from the run-up to his match with Kramnik? He had all sorts of demeaning things to say then, too, and all it did was motivate Kramnik further. Since both Anand and Kramnik enjoy (big) plus scores against Topalov, it's not as if he's going to intimidate them.

Second, while Topalov has finally regained his form and tops the rating list and leads Anand by a whopping seven points, I guess he's forgotten about the rest of the year. In Wijk aan Zee, Anand only came in third, half a point out of first, but he was a point and a half ahead of Topalov. In Morelia/Linares, Anand came in first, a point ahead of Topalov. So while Bilbao was a real stinker for Anand, Topalov's rather condescending and dismissive remarks make a lot of sense only if we have reason to believe that Bilbao was representative of Anand's current abilities.

I expect a Topalov victory against Kamsky later this year (though I won't shed any tears if the opposite result occurs), but think he will lose to the winner of the Anand-Kramnik match (hopefully very badly).