FIDE proposes Anand-Kramnik match-up

Chess, champion of the brain games, and boxing, king of the brawn sports, could have more in common than anyone supposed. And the most striking resemblance between the two is the number of world champions of various hues floating around.

In a bid to end the impasse, FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has called for a showdown between FIDE world champion Vishwanathan Anand, and Braingames champion Vladimir Kramnik.

Going one further -- and rather neatly putting the boot into his arch enemy -- the FIDE president also proposed that Garry Kasparov, who lost to Kramnik in the Braingames title match, play Alexei Shirov, who was defeated in the FIDE finals by Anand.

Interestingly, Kramnik and Kasparov are due for a rematch at Almaty, capital of Kazhakstan, next month.

The FIDE proposal hopes to resolve an impasse, following a letter-war between FIDE and the three Ks. The Ks -- Kramnik, Kasparov and Karpov -- had shot off a letter to FIDE, accusing that body of trying to monopolise the game of chess.

The letter was signed by Karpov, "12th world champion", Kasparov, "13th world champion" and Kramnik, "14th world champion".

FIDE hit back immediately, with a letter signed by GM Alexei Shirov, "Vice World Champion", Alexander Khalifman, 14th World Champion, Vishwanathan Anand, 15th World Champion, Valery Salov, president, World Players' Council and pretty much every other grandmaster worth the title.

In the letter, FIDE pointed out that for Karpov to call himself world champion after formally acknowledging Anand's claim in course of arbitration proceedings before the Commission of Sports Arbitrage, was highly ridiculous.

FIDE further points out, in rebuttal of the monopoly argument, that international sports and games are governed by the respective federations. "And it is obvious that FIDE has clearly more rights than for example, BGN (Cartel of Brain Games), which had invited the participant who lost the sports qualification tournament (Mr. Kramnik) for the match, the source of the financing of which is now being investigated by the British police," the letter reads, in a stinging indictment of the Kasparov-Kramnik solo show.

FIDE points out that while it has already initiated a World Championship cycle, which is now in force, it is "ridiculous" to expect that this cycle will be turned into a "selection process to play against Mr. Kasparov, which will in its turn, be the qualification to the match with Mr. Kramnik (or vice versa)".

"The World Championship should finally become an honest sport competition of all the strongest sportsmen without any privileges for whoever," the letter asserts.

``The three Ks want to rule over the chess Olympus, dictate their conditions, choose their opponents,'' Ilyumzhinov in a follow-up interview told a television network. ``FIDE has put rules in place that are followed by 159 countries and several million players,'' he said. ``Three players have decided not to follow them, proving that they put their personal interests before the general interests of FIDE and millions of players.''