FIDE World Chess Championship 2002
Encyclopedia
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2002 was held in Moscow, Russia. The first six rounds were played between 27 November and 14 December 2001, and the final match started on 16 January and ended on 23 January 2002. The Ukrainian
Grandmaster Ruslan Ponomariov
, aged 18, won the championship and became the youngest FIDE World Champion.
, did not participate, as well as the previous Classical Champion and world's highest-rated player, Garry Kasparov
. However, all other strongest players of the world took part, including the top seed and winner of the previous FIDE World Championship
Viswanathan Anand
.
Rounds 1–5 consisted of a two game match, followed by tie breaks at faster time controls if required. The time control for regular games was 75 minutes for the first 40 moves and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added after each move. Tie breaks consisted of two rapid chess games (20 minutes each + 10 seconds per move); followed by two blitz games if required (5 minutes + 10 seconds per move); followed by a single Armageddon chess game if required (white has 6 minutes and must win, black has 5 minutes and only needs to draw). The semifinals (round 6) were best of four games, and the final was best of eight games, with the same conditions for the tie-breaks.
In addition to previous criticisms of the knockout format (see FIDE World Chess Championship 1998#Controversies), this tournament was criticised by Garry Kasparov
for using a faster time control, which Kasparov claimed was lowering the standard of the games.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Grandmaster Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
, aged 18, won the championship and became the youngest FIDE World Champion.
Background
At the time of this championship, the World title was split. The Classical World Champion, Vladimir KramnikVladimir 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...
, did not participate, as well as the previous Classical Champion and world's highest-rated player, Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry 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....
. However, all other strongest players of the world took part, including the top seed and winner of the previous FIDE World Championship
FIDE World Chess Championship 2000
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2000 was held in New Delhi, India, and Tehran, Iran. The first six rounds were played in New Delhi between 27 November and 15 December 2000, and the final match in Tehran started on 20 December and ended on 24 December 2000...
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....
.
Playing conditions
The championship was a knockout tournament similar to other FIDE World Chess Championships between 1998 and 2004: the players were paired for short matches, with losers eliminated. The field of 128 participants was reduced to one winner over seven rounds.Rounds 1–5 consisted of a two game match, followed by tie breaks at faster time controls if required. The time control for regular games was 75 minutes for the first 40 moves and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added after each move. Tie breaks consisted of two rapid chess games (20 minutes each + 10 seconds per move); followed by two blitz games if required (5 minutes + 10 seconds per move); followed by a single Armageddon chess game if required (white has 6 minutes and must win, black has 5 minutes and only needs to draw). The semifinals (round 6) were best of four games, and the final was best of eight games, with the same conditions for the tie-breaks.
In addition to previous criticisms of the knockout format (see FIDE World Chess Championship 1998#Controversies), this tournament was criticised by Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry 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....
for using a faster time control, which Kasparov claimed was lowering the standard of the games.
Participants
All players are Grandmasters unless indicated otherwise.- , 2797
- , 2744
- , 2739
- , 2731
- , 2730
- , 2719
- , 2714
- , 2711
- , 2706
- , 2704
- , 2702
- , 2699
- , 2695
- , 2695
- , 2695
- , 2692
- , 2690
- , 2686
- , 2684
- , 2677
- , 2675
- , 2675
- , 2674
- , 2669
- , 2667
- , 2659
- , 2655
- , 2652
- , 2651
- , 2650
- , 2646
- , 2642
- , 2639
- , 2638
- , 2633
- , 2630
- , 2630
- , 2630
- , 2629
- , 2628
- , 2627
- , 2627
- , 2627
- , 2625
- , 2624
- , 2618
- , 2614
- , 2614
- , 2613
- , 2610
- , 2609
- , 2608
- , 2605
- , 2604
- , 2604
- , 2602
- , 2602
- , 2600
- , 2599
- , 2599
- , 2598
- , 2598
- , 2595
- , 2594
- , 2593
- , 2591
- , 2589
- , 2588
- , 2588
- , 2587
- , 2585
- , 2581
- , 2580
- , 2579
- , 2578
- , 2574
- , 2573
- , 2573
- , 2573
- , 2573
- , 2572
- , 2571
- , 2570
- , 2566
- , 2564
- , 2558
- , 2557
- , 2556, IM
- , 2555
- , 2554
- , 2551, IM
- , 2550
- , 2549
- , 2548
- , 2537
- , 2533
- , 2533
- , 2532
- , 2531, IM
- , 2530
- , 2529
- , 2527
- , 2522
- , 2517, IM
- , 2509
- , 2508
- , 2506
- , 2499
- , 2495
- , 2494, IM
- , 2492
- , 2487, IM
- , 2487
- , 2481
- , 2477, IM
- , 2471, IM
- , 2464, IM
- , 2462, IM
- , 2461, IM
- , 2442, IM
- , 2425, IM
- , 2415, IM
- , 2400, IM
- , 2373, IM
- , 2348, IM
- , unrated, no title
- , 2357, FM
- , 2382, IM
Qualification
Players qualified for the championship according to the following criteria:- four semi-finalists of the previous championshipFIDE World Chess Championship 2000The FIDE World Chess Championship 2000 was held in New Delhi, India, and Tehran, Iran. The first six rounds were played in New Delhi between 27 November and 15 December 2000, and the final match in Tehran started on 20 December and ended on 24 December 2000...
(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....
, Alexei ShirovAlexei ShirovAlexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
, Michael Adams, Alexander GrischukAlexander GrischukAlexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster and Russian Champion in 2009.-Chess career:In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov....
); - the World Junior ChampionWorld Junior Chess ChampionshipThe World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
2000 (Lazaro BruzonLázaro BruzónLázaro Bruzón Batista is a chess grandmaster from Cuba. On the January 2011 FIDE list his Elo rating is 2686. Bruzón was the 2000 World Junior Chess Champion. In 2004 he finished first at the XII Torneo "Guillermo Garcia" in Memoriam in Villa Clara...
); - 20 best rated players (the average of July 2000 and January 2001 rating lists was used);
- 90 qualifiers from the continental championships;
- eight qualifiers from the Internet championship;
- five nominees of the FIDE President.
Schedule
There was one rest day during round 4 and two rest days during round 6. The tie-breaks of rounds 1–5 were played in the evening following the second game. The final took place one month after rounds 1–6.- Round 1: 27 November 2001, 28 November 2001 (tiebreaks on 28 November 2001)
- Round 2: 29 November 2001, 30 November 2001 (tiebreaks on 30 November 2001)
- Round 3: 1 December 2001, 2 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 2 December 2001)
- Round 4: 3 December 2001, 5 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 5 December 2001)
- Round 5: 6 December 2001, 7 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 7 December 2001)
- Round 6: 8 December 2001, 10 December 2001, 11 December 2001, 13 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 7 December 2001)
- Round 7: 16 January 2002 – 24 January 2002, with a rest day on 20 January 2002 (tiebreaks on 25 January 2002)