The full interview, conducted by Bulgarian GM Inkiov, can be read here. Here, meanwhile, are two hilarious excerpts:
Question:It is well known that Veselin Topalov was the first World Champion who did not receive the right for a return-match...
Either this is a poor translation or it's an example of the worst sort of hyper-partisan propaganda. Topalov is the first world champ not to receive the right to a rematch only if one ignores the following brief list:
Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official world champion Emanuel Lasker, the second official world champion Jose Capablanca (3rd WC) Alexander Alekhine (4th) Max Euwe (5th) Mikhail Botvinnik (6th) [He got two rematches, but he didn't get one when he lost to Petrosian.] Vasily Smyslov (7th) Mikhail Tal (8th) Tigran Petrosian (9th) Boris Spassky (10th) Bobby Fischer (11th) Garry Kasparov (13th)
We can add to this that none of the FIDE k.o. champions (Alexander Khalifman, Viswanathan Anand, Ruslan Ponomariov and Rustam Kasimdzhanov) had any sort of special privilege for the subsequent cycle. In short, Inkiov is right only if the only two world champions in history are Karpov and Kramnik, and it's not even true about Kramnik. While he is getting a sweetheart deal compensating him for not winning in Mexico City, I don't think he had a rematch clause vs. Leko, and he wouldn't have received any privileges had he lost to Topalov.
Further, while Topalov didn't get an automatic rematch after losing to Kramnik, what he wound up with was pretty close: an automatic rematch if Kramnik had won in Mexico City, and even now he needs to win only one match to get a new title shot next year. And that leads to the second bit of (unintended) hilarity:
[From part of Kutin's answer to the question that began with the previous excerpt:]Still, I think that comparatively good solution was found. Topalov received the chance to participate in the new cycle and will play against the World Cup’s winner Gata Kamsky in September or October. My personal opinion is that the match should be in Bulgaria. FIDE tried to find another country to organize the event and raised the requirements about the price fund, but I am not optimistic that candidates will be found. Kamsky should sign the match contract within a few days. If he does not, he will be replaced by Alexei Shirov. [DM: Emphasis added.] Everything will be clear until 11 April. [DM: The translator presumably meant by April 11, but with FIDE you never know!]
Those of you new to the chess world may not see the rich irony here, so here's a brief explanation. In 1998, Kasparov was looking for an opponent to challenge him for his non-FIDE world championship title, and to that end a Candidates' Match was arranged between Vladimir Kramnik and Alexei Shirov. Shirov won that match, but the subsequent match with Kasparov never took place, as Kasparov was unable to find a sponsor who would raise a sufficiently hefty prize fund. In due course, Kasparov simply moved on, discarded Shirov's rights, and invited Kramnik to play for the title, which the latter duly won in 2000. Needless to say, neither Kasparov nor Kramnik has been on Shirov's Christmas card list since that time. And now it's at least possible that Shirov will "become" the new Kramnik. Better still, we could have a Shirov-Kramnik rematch in 2009! All that would be left at that point is for Shirov to win and offer Kasparov a match, and the chess world will have come full circle.