17 October 2007

News from FIDE

Three months ago, when I last looked at preparation for the forthcoming World Cup (see Qualifiers for Khanty-Mansiysk 2007, 2007-07-19), the regulations were in the process of being updated on Fide.com (FIDE Handbook, Regulations for the World Chess Championship Cycle 2007 - 2009: 1. Organisation; 2. Qualifying Events for World Cup 2007; 3. World Cup 2007; and 4. World Championship Matches 2008-2009). It's time for a new look.

First, following is an overview of relevant FIDE documents (all Fide.com) published since June, along with a few comments.

One of the big changes for the new World Championship cycle is the introduction of the Grand Prix. In future cycles, the winner of the World Cup will meet the winner of the Grand Prix to determine the next title challenger. The June report on the Tallinn Presidential Board (PB) said, 'FIDE and Global Chess will draft detailed regulations for the Grand Prix starting in 2008 for the next Presidential Board in Mexico City.' In the September report of the Mexico City PB, there was no mention of a Grand Prix. This is perhaps because FIDE President Ilyumzhinov was absent from the meeting.

Other relevant issues:

  • The ACP has made a formal complaint about the number of World Cup qualifying places for European players. • 2007-09-10: Irregularities in nominations for the World Cup 2007 • [Chess-players.org]

  • In my last post I wondered about the status of three players. • 2007-10-11: Continental Championships and Zonals (2007-Q3)Q: Have Leko, Morozevich, and Gelfand declined to play, or is there some other arrangement? A: The World Cup Regulations specify that '128 qualifiers (in order of priority): World Champion + seven (7) finalists from the World Championship Tournament 2007 in Mexico...'. It appears that the three players are indeed out of the next cycle.

Also worth noting is that the official site for the World Cup is now operational: Chess in Khanty-Mansiysk • I'll incorporate all of this into my own pages -- Zonals and 2007 World Cup -- on the World Chess Championship.

2 comments:

Martin Bennedik said...

Hi Mark,

I still don't understand why Leko, Morozevich and Gelfand are not playing in the world cup. What do you mean with "It appears that the three players are indeed out of the next cycle." ?

Mark Weeks said...

Hi Martin - Re 'out of the next cycle', I mean the cycle terminating with a title match in 2009. By skipping the 2007 World Cup, the three GMs, all of whom played in Mexico, won't be playing for the World Championship until the following cycle, currently scheduled for 2010-11. I'm surprised there hasn't been a statement explaining their absence at Khanty-Mansiysk. - Mark