28 October 2009

The New/Old World Championship Cycle

Remember this chart? The caption says that it 'details the new cycle and long term intentions of the new World Championship cycle'.


It was originally published as a supporting document for Tallinn Presidential Board Maps New World Chess Championship Cycle, dated 24 June 2007. In a post from 27 June 2007, New World Championship Cycle, I used a portion of the diagram to explain where FIDE was going with the concept.


Let's look at each of the events by year. First, 2007:-

  • 'Mexico 2007' was won by Anand.
  • 'Previous WCH match' was the Kramnik - Topalov match held in 2006.
  • 'World Cup 2007' was won by Kamsky.

2008:-

  • 'UEP match' was won by Anand over Kramnik.
  • 'Challenger match' was won by Topalov over Kamsky.
  • 'Grand Prix 2008-2009' is ongoing with one more event, still unannounced, to be played.

2009:-

  • 'World Cup 2009' will start next month.
  • 'World Ch match' is the Anand - Topalov match to be held April 2010.

2010:-

  • 'Challenger match' was scrapped end-2008 and replaced by a Candidates event, to be held end-2010.
  • 'World Ch match' is not yet scheduled, but London has been given an option to bid on a 2012 match.
  • 'Grand Prix 2010-2011' is not yet announced and its future is uncertain.

It's clear that FIDE has not yet managed to create a stable World Championship cycle. Will the Grand Prix endure? The Candidates event? What will the next cycle, post 2010-2011, look like?

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