Vladimir Kramnik: "You should not turn our meetings with Topalov into a series"

Izvestia correspondent Boris Titov congratulated the champion on his victory and learned that a special diet, which the chess player kept in strict confidence, helped him achieve success.

What will you remember the match in the first place, apart from the notorious "toilet" scandal?

To be honest, I would like to forget as soon as possible about the scandalous side of our confrontation with Topalov. In addition, there were many positive aspects in the match. I won the battle and became the absolute world champion. Is this not a reason for positive emotions? Chess occupies a high social place precisely thanks to such matches.Now we start from scratch: a single champion has appeared, and a single formula for drawing the world championship is needed, which will determine the direction of chess development in the future. I have no doubt that we will come to a consensus with the International Chess Federation (FIDE). In people's minds, chess is associated with fights similar to the Karpov-Kasparov confrontation. We need to continue this tradition.

Was it hard to decide not to go to the fifth installment?

Of course. The situation then was very unpleasant. And my failure to appear became a gesture of despair. I realized that the Appeal Committee was biased and the next protests or complaints of the Bulgarian side would not take long. Therefore, he made such a decision. It was purely emotional. I was extremely outraged by the transfer of films from my common room and the press release that accused me of non-existent things and stated that Topalov would not give me a hand. When I came to the game and saw that the personal toilet was closed, this was the last straw in the bowl of patience. By the way, the refusal to play the fifth game greatly upset my manager. I had to reassure him, to ask not to think about the possible negative consequences.

In the midst of the scandal, Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi stated in the press that in your situation they would simply have taken and left Elista. Have you thought to follow their advice?

You know, it’s one thing to watch all this from the outside, and it’s quite another to play it yourself. I remember very well that during their match in 1978 there were many scandals. Nevertheless, they played it out. So I finished it.

And how did you admit that the friends of Topalov’s manager, Silvio Danailov, were members of the first Appeals Committee?

Nobody asked me about this. Topalov and I approved, for example, the candidacy of the chief arbiter, and the FIDE formed the composition of the Appeal Committee. If something depended on me, I would certainly not agree with him, because I knew for sure that at least two of the committee members were Danailov's good friends. I hope that FIDE will draw the necessary conclusions and in the future will attract only professionals to the jury.

Was your threat to sue an attempt to retaliate against Topalov or were you really preparing a lawsuit?

I was not going to file a lawsuit against Topalov, but against FIDE. What kind of pressure can an opponent be talking about? It’s just that my lawyers started working in this situation. They said that the decisions of the Appeals Committee were unlawful and that the case should be won in court. I still have the opportunity to sue and win it. But this desire is no longer there. Although lawyers are still working on this. But that is their business. My business is to play chess. Let's talk about more pleasant things, for example, about the good organization of the match.

Then tell us how and where you lived in Elista during the match?

The organizing committee provided our team with a comfortable three-story cottage, in which we rested after the parties and prepared for new trials. The headquarters of Veselin Topalova was located in the same house.

Did they cook their own meals or eat centrally?

Our team has a fantastic cook. The guys during the match just ate his magnificent dishes. And I was not up to the classrooms. During such intense fights I must follow a special diet.

Vegetarian?

So I told you! This is a professional secret.

Some media have claimed that you have recently had serious spinal problems. Was Elista's back hurt?

These problems began not yesterday, but several years ago. Therefore, from my two thousandth year, a professional massage therapist Valery Krylov has been working in my team. We start preparing for the competition two months before the start, and during matches and tournaments he is with me constantly. Thanks to Krylov, I withstood such a tense three-week marathon. My back did not distract me from playing chess.

Do you have any special recipes for relaxing between parties: playing soccer, swimming, an exercise bike?

I do not practice anything like this in order not to expend physical energy and not lose mental concentration. I restore strength with the help of massage and sleep. I have no other secret weapon.

What can you say about the rematch, the organization of which the team of Veselin Topalov insists?

I found out about this just a few hours ago on the radio. You see, today Topalov can challenge me, tomorrow - Vichy Anand, and the day after tomorrow - Peter Leko. I understand that Topalov is upset and wants revenge. But Leko also longs for him. Maybe Garry Kasparov also wants to. I think that now is not the time to arrange the series Kramnik - Topalov. There are many other chess players worthy of the match for the crown. Therefore, I stand for a clear system for drawing the World Cup.

In a month, you will play with the Deep Fritz computer in Germany. Are you counting on success?

The match with the car in Bonn will be very difficult, but I played well with Topalov and I hope that the positive emotional charge that I received in Elista will help me in playing with the computer. And I’ll start preparing for the battle with smart hardware after a short rest.

The applicant needs to collect 1.5 million euros

According to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Veselin Topalov really has the right to revenge, but only if a clearly stated amount is paid. “According to the rules of the federation, a chess player with a rating of at least 2700 points can call the world champion for a match if he provides financial guarantees in the amount of at least 1.5 million euros,” he told INTERFAX. At the same time, Ilyumzhinov noted that so far no official documents have been received from the Bulgarian chess player in this regard. Recall that the prize pool of the unification match in Elista amounted to 1 million dollars. Before the meeting, the rivals agreed that it would be divided in half, regardless of the outcome.

Boris TITOV