Buying a Title Match 2016

Buried among the 63 annexes for the recent FIDE Congress was a stunner:-

• 2016-07-29: 87th FIDE Congress: General Assembly Agenda and Annexes • '44. Proposal of the Russian Chess Federation for a challenge of World Champions, men and women.'

The text of Annex 44 read...

4 July 2016
To: Chairman of FIDE Commission for World Championships & Olympiads (WCO)

Dear Mr. Makropoulos,
Russian Chess Federation asks the Commission to consider and (if needed) improve and approve the below mentioned amendments to the current system of determining the World Chess Champion at the 87th FIDE Congress (04-14.09.2016, Baku, Azerbaijan). RCF suggests adding an article to the rules governing World Chess Championship matches stating that the World Chess Champion can accept the challenge of any player who can contribute to the prize fund and the costs of holding of the match. Herewith a number of basic conditions should be fulfilled:
• The FIDE President would have the power to veto any proposed match. Any proposed World Championship match would be carried out under the auspices of FIDE and according FIDE rules.
• 50% of the prize fund will go to FIDE.
• The match must be held before the end of the current FIDE qualifying round, that is, before a challenger has been determined by the Candidates Tournament.

FIDE Vice President, President of the Russian Chess Federation
Andrey Filatov

I suspect that the motivation for the proposal was that '50% of the prize fund will go to FIDE'. Whatever the reason, it brought a quick reaction:-

• 2016-08-03 Petition against proposed World Championship Cycle change (chessprofessionals.org - ACP)
• 2016-08-04: Russian Chess Federation proposal to FIDE (chessbase.com; comments)
• 2016-08-05: Should Anyone With Money Be Able To Challenge Magnus Carlsen? (chess.com/news; Peter Doggers; comments); see also chess.com/forum.

The Filatov/RCF proposal was eventually rejected:-

• 2016-09-10: RCF proposal not approved - Thanks to all who signed the petition (chessprofessionals.org; '1200+ chess people who signed ACP petition')
• 2016-09-27: General Assembly 2016 Decisions (fide.com) • 87th FIDE Congress; General Assembly; 11-13 September 2016; Baku, Azerbaijan; 'GA-2016/36. To reject the proposal of Mr. A. Filatov regarding the World Championship.'

It's curious that the ACP's announcement 'RCF proposal not approved', predated the General Assembly, but I suppose someone changed the title of the original post after the GA was held.