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Vladimir KRAMNIK:
(...) The FIDE has taken an obligation in Prague to establish a professional structure in charge of holding world championships. However, nothing has been done: the FIDE is not going to part even with a tiniest fraction of its power. Neither of the obligations that the FIDE pledged to in Prague was fulfilled though more than half a year has elapsed.
(...) I witnessed the methods used by the FIDE in Wijk aan Zee and just wondered. The FIDE must alter something in its structure, replace people and change the mentality. A straightforward pressure was applied on Ponomariov which is absolutely unwarrantable! I am not in the know of all particulars but most probably I would have behaved myself in a similar way being in Ponomariov's shoes. When one sees that all terms are dictated by your adversary in the world championship match and that all organising structure also takes his side, everybody would hate it. I believe this to be the main reason why the problems with the match originated.
One can as well understand the FIDE when it apparently prefers one of the adversaries. But is it necessary to demonstrate it so visibly?
(...) It is quite evident that the FIDE needs its own champion, and either Ponomariov or somebody else is obsolete. Still, the FIDE is an international organisation and we wish it were definitely objective.
I do not know who is right and who is wrong. Maybe, everything happens through no fault of Kasparov and it is just the FIDE officials who wish to oblige him.
(...) As far as now two parallel cycles are in progress. «Einstein's» task is to hold my match with Leko, and it will be held surely. Afterwards, it will be possible to talk about some consolidation. Nowadays we are absolutely not bound to each other.
(...) It is likely that the match Ponomariov - Kasparov is in the pending category. As far as I grasped it, in Wijk aan Zee there were some talks with Ivanchuk about his match against Kasparov. With all due respect to Ivanchuk, who is an absolutely fantastic chess player, it all looks absurd: why the world championship match is to be played between Kasparov and Ivanchuk who have not been selected and hold no titles? We may just as well have the match Anand - Topalov, and why not?!
The main trouble with the FIDE is that it does not follow clear rules. Everything gets mixed. The FIDE begins to act not as the worldwide professional chess body but as a private sponsor keen to see this or that match
(...) Should the match Kasparov - Ponomariov or any other cycle of the FIDE world championship struggle with the participation of these players do not occur (it is worthwhile to invite also Anand who is now in a wonderful shape and several other grandmasters), it might result, regrettably, in the end of all consolidation process. Certainly, any contestant can be appointed but it will be a fiction. To say nothing about the fact that no basic condition of the Prague agreement has been fulfilled, but if even this would not happen?! Everything that had happened until now is frightening. Exclusion of Ponomariov from the world championship is just ridiculous as it would mean the dead failure of the FIDE.
The interview was taken by the Shakhmatnaya Nedelya editor Vladimir Barsky, e-mail: editors@chessweek.ru.
Translated for chess-sector.odessa.ua by Nikolai Borodavkin, e-mail: aleshin@te.net.ua.
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