woofwoof wrote on 09/29/06 at 03:10:46:


Such historical revisionism ...
(As I recall, the flies were found in the light fixture; all they found in the chair was foam rubber.)

When i think of Kramnik cheating in his toilet stall and receiving assistance at his toilet bowl, Ewan McGregor swimming in the toilet bowl in Trainspotting comes to mind... a truly otherworldly possibility. 

Just for fun:

In serious practice (no blitz, no rapid, no simuls, etc)  Kramnik has lost only 7 games (out of more than 220) as white since 1996.  About 3%.   
I'm talking the highest level of competition: Linares, Corus, Dortmund, Dos Hermanas, and a couple of World Championsip matches.
Included in Kramnik losses is that infamous match against Shirov and one to Deep Fritz (the famous Nxf7 sacrifice). 

So, in all that tournament play, Olympiads, matches with Kasparov, Leko, Shirov, and 2 games thus far against Topalov...Kramnik's lost 7 games in nearly 11 years.   So, I don't think Topalov has any chance of sneaking in a 0-1 as Kramnik has now set his cruise-control and is playing "none shall pass" chess.  When Vladimir doesn't want to lose...good luck.

As WHITE, Topalov has faced Kramnik 21 times (in serious games) and won 3.  Kramnik, as Black in those games, has won 6.
As BLACK, Topalov has faced Kramnik 22 times and won 2.  Kramnik, as white in those games, has won 8.

So, what do you think Topalov's chances of winning that match, down 2 games with 8 to go?
Yes, exactly.... about as good as the chances that Kramnik is sneaking in a computer to the toilet and nefariously cheating Topalov.
I really hope Kramnik can win at least 2 more games and embarass Topalov forever.

Cheers,
Nietzsche

ps - I like Topalov "the player"... but Topalov "the man" is a wreck.  HEY!  Maybe they should x-ray Kramnik's chair just to be sure he isn't cheating!  that would be new.

Ahhh...Topalov.
What a peach of a man.
You can see why IM Cox likes him so much.

Kramnik doesn't want to sit at the board the entire time, only has 2 places he CAN go, and is therefore cheating.
Yeah.      
I don't know about you, but if I were going to cheat by checking with a computer, I don't think I'd be doing it 200 times a game at the highest profile match in the world, and I don't think I would have played some of the mistakes Kramnik played (the losing 31...Bxf8?? from game 2 is a prime  example).  Both men have played exciting chess but also human chess with mistakes.  And wouldn't Kramnik have won game 4 if he had a computer?  But I digress...

God forbid Topalov just ASK Kramnik about it, or bring it up in any of the press conferences after the games....you know, give Kramnik a chance to respond.  But of course Topalov doesn't want answers because he doesn't actually believe it.  Think about how important this match is (especially for Topalov's legacy) and now think about how you'd act if you really, really thought Kramnik was cheating on nearly every move.  Wouldn't you be furious, wouldn't you mention it over and over again when speaking to the media after the games??   
Wouldn't you want to put your opponent in the hot seat and try to get a response from him in front of all the cameras?

The chess world is desparate for unification and yet Topalov is only desparate to explain why he cannot win.
Even if Kramnik doesn't win another game, Topalov has to notch a 1-0 in at least 2 of his remaining 4 white games.
Considering Kramnik's record against Toppy in classical chess and considering his performance as Black thus far, it seems highly unlikely that Topalov can score 3 out of 4 while not losing any of his Blacks.
No, Topalov is not going to win this match.   So, he's gonna flail around, hit the 'random' button, and hope to psyche out Kramnik.

If Topalov quits this match, he'll never make it into the pantheon of great chess champions.  He knows that.
I think Topalov's threat of forfeiting this match is about as serious out his inquiry into Kramnik's bathroom habits.

Cheers,
Nietzsche

This is absurd.

I imagine it is as simple as this: Kramnik doesn't like to sit at the borad while Topalov thinks.  Unlike a usual chess tournament one can't really walk around...there are only two places he can go, and it's not surprising that he leaves the board frequently.  Of course, this 50 count appears to include him entering and leaving the bathroom many times...the excerpt at chessbase looks to me like someone waiting for a reply.  At move 15 or whatever, he might still have been in theory, and saw no reason to sit at the board to wait for a move.

Maybe there is a health explanation (the guy does have arthritis), or the simple truth that if one sits at a chess board drinking water for ten hours...

I can't wait to hear the reactions from the Topalov partisans: first they talk about the blunders that Kramnik made and now they accuse him of cheating.

It's simple gamesmanship by Topalov to make an unsubstantiated accusation of cheating; he hopes to unnerve Kramnik.  This is part of a long and ignoble tradition in match play.  I doubt we will see anything come of it.  It would be a great disappointment if Topalov quits the match.

woofwoof wrote on 09/28/06 at 18:19:52:


The match should be fought on the chessboard and not by dirty tricks....

IF Topalov comes back to win the match I guess many with me will think of how this toilet incident affected the final result. 

My respect for Topalov as a person didnt get any better after this....

Kramnik may have very good reasons for his many visits to the toilet & rest room.
I could be as simple as that he has a bad bladder 
- or something other related to his health problems 
- or something that it is easier to think without looking at the board 
- or without having the audience eyes staring in his neck. 
- or whatever....
I dont know the reason- but the way team Topalov presented this - they indicate, without spelling it straight out, that Kramnik is cheating. That is a very serious accusation. I call it ridicculous.

Anyway, I find it a bit strange that there are no "guards" at the toilets. Even at school exams this is normal...

Hmm, maybe we have new 'Spassky-Kortchnoi' match on the way! Spassky was several games down when he began clowning around and eventually he almost equalised...


Anyway, if Topalov manages to equalise and the match goes all the way thru tiebreakes into a final 6-5 minute blitz game with black winning on a draw - would anyone take the winner seriously?