FIDE World Chess Championship 2005
Encyclopedia
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 took place in Potrero de los Funes, San Luis Province
in Argentina
from September 27 to October 16, 2005. It was won by Veselin Topalov
.
, FIDE (the World Chess Federation) made changes for its World Chess Championship
in 2005. It used normal (slow) time control
s (unlike the 2002 and 2004
knockout tournaments), and changed the format to an eight-player, double round-robin
event, where every player plays every other player twice, once with each colour.
The players invited were:
The participation of Judit Polgár
made her the first woman to compete for the world chess championship.
The opening ceremony took place on September 27, the matches started on September 28, and the closing ceremony took place on October 16.
N Name Fed ELO Chg 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Score
1 Veselin Topalov
BUL 2788 +102 - - ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 10
2 Viswanathan Anand
IND 2788 +19 ½ ½ - - ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 8½
3 Peter Svidler
RUS 2738 +76 0 ½ ½ ½ - - 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 8½
4 Alexander Morozevich
RUS 2707 +36 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 - - ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 7
5 Péter Lékó
HUN 2763 -52 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 - - ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 6½
6 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
UZB 2670 +2 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 - - ½ ½ 0 1 5½
7 Michael Adams ENG 2719 -53 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - - ½ ½ 5½
8 Judit Polgár
HUN 2735 -125 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ - - 4½
The first tie-break was head-to-head result; the second tie-break was total number of wins.
Topalov scored an extraordinary 6½/7 in the first cycle, one of the greatest streaks in the history of championship-level chess. He then drew
every one of his games in the second cycle, clinching the victory with one round to spare. This made Topalov the FIDE World Chess Champion.
. However, the non-participation of "Classical" World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
meant that there were still two competing claimants to World Champion: FIDE Champion Topalov, and "Classical" Champion Kramnik.
Kramnik announced before the tournament that he should not be required to compete; but that as part of the "Prague Agreement", his defense of his title in the Classical World Chess Championship 2004
entitled him to direct entry to a match against the FIDE World Champion for the unified world title. After the tournament, he expressed his willingness to play such a match against Topalov.
Although Topalov initially declined Kramnik's offer, he later acceded. The two contested the FIDE World Chess Championship 2006
to reunify the title, with Kramnik emerging the winner.
San Luis Province
San Luis is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country . Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.-History:...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from September 27 to October 16, 2005. It was won by Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
.
Background
In the face of criticism of the knockout FIDE World Chess Championships held from 1998 to 2004FIDE World Chess Championships 1998-2004
The FIDE World Chess Championships 1998–2004 all followed a similar format, radically different from previous World Chess Championship events. Previous events had had long qualifying cycles, spread over more than a year, culminating in a long match between the incumbent champion and a challenger...
, FIDE (the World Chess Federation) made changes for its World Chess Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
in 2005. It used normal (slow) time control
Time control
A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
s (unlike the 2002 and 2004
FIDE World Chess Championship 2004
The FIDE World Chess Championship, 2004 was held at the Almahary Hotel in Tripoli, Libya, from June 18 to July 13.It was won by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who beat Michael Adams in the final by a score of 4½-3½...
knockout tournaments), and changed the format to an eight-player, double round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
event, where every player plays every other player twice, once with each colour.
The players invited were:
- The finalists from the previous (2004) FIDE World ChampionshipFIDE World Chess Championship 2004The FIDE World Chess Championship, 2004 was held at the Almahary Hotel in Tripoli, Libya, from June 18 to July 13.It was won by Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who beat Michael Adams in the final by a score of 4½-3½...
: Rustam KasimdzhanovRustam KasimdzhanovRustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic...
and Michael Adams; - Classical World Champion Vladimir KramnikVladimir KramnikVladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
, and his most recent challenger, Péter LékóPéter LékóOn the way to winning the prestigious Corus chess tournament in 2005, Lékó defeated Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand with the black pieces. The moves were:...
; - The next four top-rated players: Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
, Viswanathan AnandViswanathan AnandV. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
, Veselin TopalovVeselin TopalovVeselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
and Alexander MorozevichAlexander MorozevichAlexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list....
. - Kramnik refused to play (see #Aftermath section below), as did the recently retired Kasparov. Their places were taken by the next two players on the FIDE rating list: Peter SvidlerPeter SvidlerPeter Veniaminovich Svidler is a Russian chess grandmaster.He is six-time Russian champion ....
and Judit PolgárJudit PolgárJudit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest person ever to do so at that time.Polgár was ranked No...
.
The participation of Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest person ever to do so at that time.Polgár was ranked No...
made her the first woman to compete for the world chess championship.
The opening ceremony took place on September 27, the matches started on September 28, and the closing ceremony took place on October 16.
Results
The final standings were:N Name Fed ELO Chg 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Score
1 Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
BUL 2788 +102 - - ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 10
2 Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
IND 2788 +19 ½ ½ - - ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 8½
3 Peter Svidler
Peter Svidler
Peter Veniaminovich Svidler is a Russian chess grandmaster.He is six-time Russian champion ....
RUS 2738 +76 0 ½ ½ ½ - - 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 8½
4 Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list....
RUS 2707 +36 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 - - ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 7
5 Péter Lékó
Péter Lékó
On the way to winning the prestigious Corus chess tournament in 2005, Lékó defeated Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand with the black pieces. The moves were:...
HUN 2763 -52 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 - - ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 6½
6 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic...
UZB 2670 +2 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 - - ½ ½ 0 1 5½
7 Michael Adams ENG 2719 -53 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - - ½ ½ 5½
8 Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest person ever to do so at that time.Polgár was ranked No...
HUN 2735 -125 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ - - 4½
The first tie-break was head-to-head result; the second tie-break was total number of wins.
Topalov scored an extraordinary 6½/7 in the first cycle, one of the greatest streaks in the history of championship-level chess. He then drew
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
every one of his games in the second cycle, clinching the victory with one round to spare. This made Topalov the FIDE World Chess Champion.
Aftermath
FIDE declared before the tournament that they would regard whoever won as World Chess ChampionWorld Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
. However, the non-participation of "Classical" World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
meant that there were still two competing claimants to World Champion: FIDE Champion Topalov, and "Classical" Champion Kramnik.
Kramnik announced before the tournament that he should not be required to compete; but that as part of the "Prague Agreement", his defense of his title in the Classical World Chess Championship 2004
Classical World Chess Championship 2004
The Classical World Chess Championship 2004 was held from September 25, 2004 - October 18, 2004 in Brissago, Switzerland. Vladimir Kramnik, the defending champion, played Peter Leko, the challenger, in a fourteen game match....
entitled him to direct entry to a match against the FIDE World Champion for the unified world title. After the tournament, he expressed his willingness to play such a match against Topalov.
Although Topalov initially declined Kramnik's offer, he later acceded. The two contested the FIDE World Chess Championship 2006
FIDE World Chess Championship 2006
The World Chess Championship 2006 was a chess match between Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik, and FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov. The match, which was won by Kramnik, determined the undisputed World Chess Champion for the first time in 13 years...
to reunify the title, with Kramnik emerging the winner.