Friday
Mar052010
Topalov Interview
Friday, March 5, 2010 at 9:29PM It's relatively drama-free, but there are a few broadsides sent Anand's way over the latter's failure (according to Topalov) to help develop bids for their world championship match. Read it here.
HT: Brian Karen.
Reader Comments (11)
After Anand crushed Kramnik in their 2008 match he said in several interviews that he was motivated by Kramnik's comments prior to the match. Kramnik had said that he felt the only legitimate way to win a world championship was in a match, something Anand had not done against a unified World Champion (He did beat Karpov to become FIDE champion in a match).
As insults go this wasnt the worst. Kramnik was possibly being honest and in any event its what you would expect him to say if for no other reason than to promote the match. But Anand said several times that it motivated him and he went on to crush Kramnik.
Now, I know this, I'm sure many of you know this, so why does it seem team Topalov does not know this ?? Seems a funny prematch strategy and one that I hope backfires.
Brian,
I'm not especially fond of the "crush" claim - that seems to me a mischaracterization of the Anand-Kramnik match. And unless I've been deposited it an alternative universe, there's no Anand-Karpov world championship match that ended in a victory for the Indian. They played in early 1998 in the final of the Groningen/Lausanne FIDE k.o., and while the setup was unfair for Anand it was Karpov who won that match. When Anand won the FIDE k.o. in 2000/1 Shirov was the final victim.
Tendentious and fictitious historical claims aside, your main point about the danger of Topalov's trash talk seems correct.
While Anand is popular in India I doubt anyone would plonk down $5 million for a chess match - they would rather spend it on some mindless "premier league" cricket. Also it could be that Anand preferred Bulgaria for the same reason Topalov mentions - too much pressure on the home town boy. Incidentally, this is mild stuff compared to what Danailov was dishing out in a interview to a tv channel a few months ago.
I want to see Topalov and Anand going at it on "Dancing with the Stars"...
Blah, blah, blah, usual Topalov talk. I just hope he doesn't cheat during the match, be it using a computer himself or hurling public accusations of such use at his opponent. Danailov should be given a restraining order and not be allowed anywhere within the radius of 10 km from the match venue.
Yeah, right. Funny thing, posing as an absolutely sure favourite to play an unknown underdog, seeing how Topalov never actually was a real, universally recognised World Champion.
I like his answer about the prize fund- "it's from the private sector, sponsorship money, but guaranteed by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov"- what, guaranteed from the man's own pocket or Bulgarian taxpayers?
I will only add- purely for information- that Bulgaria ranked equal 72nd out of 180 in the Transparency International 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index, with a fine score of 3.6 (scores ranged from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt)).
I don't think trash talking is going to hurt his chances. Sure, if Anand wins he'll say it motivated him to win even more. Do we really think that defending his title isn't motivation enough for him to prepare as best he can, and play his absolute best? Saying that their trash talk was the reason you won the match is just a way of getting back at the person who did the trash talking. It's not like Anand is going to "take it easy" if he acts super-polite.
Topalov has a valid point regarding Anand's failure as a World Champion to bring a bid to the table. Anand does not seem to have an effective management team behind him like Kasparov, Kramnik or Topalov. It may be time that Anand fires his wife and get a real manager. Otherwise the prospect of Anand holding on to the title may be bad for Chess as an effective World Champion as a duty to promote the game as well.
Anand does not seem to have made any public effort to garner funding, like Topalov or his [snip] manager. Although I am an Anand fan, I have to say that this charge atleast seems to have some merit. It is important that the top clash in world chess should have the best sponsorship - surely a professional management company can achieve that for Anand. Cricketers in india get the big bucks because they are managed by professional management companies (such as Professional Management Group for Tendulkar). Why cant he hire one of these companies? Tend to agree with Polo.
Everyone: Let's scale things back a bit, please. I'm no fan of Danailov's manager either, but let's stick to family-friendly language and claims that don't verge on slander. Thanks.
apologies DM- uncalled for to spew venom on Danialov... his comments seem unnecessarily insulting and my emotions got the better of me!