| Player | Title | Country | Game1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 | G6 | Total | |
| Akopian, Vladimir | GM | ARM | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | |
| Khalifman, Alexander | GM | RUS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4.5 | |
Conversation with Alexander Khalifman after the Sixth and last Game of the Final
Q: It was sporting of you to play an active game that allowed your opponent some chances.
A: I told myself, “Come on, this is the final game, I have to play the best moves.” And I think 4 d5 is the best move. At the end of the game, I was no longer fighting to find the win. I said, “Enough is enough. I only need a draw.”
Q: How do you feel now?
A: At this moment, I do not fully realize what has happened. But dreams come true.
Q: Do you really think of yourself as the world champion now?
A: I do not claim that I am the world’s best chessplayer, but I am the FIDE World Champion, the only championship of the world that we have now. Kasparov has some informal claims to be the world’s best chessplayer. I am afraid to say anything about Karpov because he is very experienced in lawsuits.
Q: You played about 24 games here. What about next year? Will you make special preparations?
A: Next year will be a different problem. This year I did not care what happened, so I was not too nervous. This year I was nobody. I only thought first about Barua, then Kamsky, and so on. This attitude worked well for me. Step by step, I started to take things more seriously, especially after winning the first game of the Final. I think many of the best players here were unable to manage their nerves, so they lost and were eliminated. During the last week, sometimes in the middle of the night, I would wake up and realize, “I’m playing in the World Championship Final.” And this idea would disturb my sleep.
Q: Would you play a match against Bobby Fischer?
A: It would have to be played in some strange venue, maybe prison. I have great respect for Robert J. Fischer. He was a great chessplayer, probably the greatest of all time. But after reading his recent interviews, I am worried that playing such high-level chess certainly causes brain damage.
Q: What was your toughest match here?
A: The Final against Akopian was hard because it was the longest match. The strongest player I faced was Grandmaster Boris Gelfand. Probably the most critical game for me was game 2 versus Kamsky. When I won that game, I felt, “I can play here.”
Q: Do you think Kasparov and Karpov stayed away from here to protect their images?
A: You had better ask them. They have their own reasons, their own special logic. If you imagine any answer, they will have yet a different one.
Q: It seems that anything can happen in a tournament with this format. Look at your match against Kamsky.
A: This result was not surprising, because he spent three years away from top-level chess. In my opinion, it was not a sensation. To me, the biggest sensation that I produced was beating Boris Gelfand, who is very successful in these knockout tournaments, and a very stable, very high-class grandmaster.
Q: What will you do with the money you won here? Will your wife have some ideas about how to spend it?
A: I have given no thought to this yet. My wife is a very reasonable woman; we agree on most things. For some years we have lived modestly. I don’t think she will spend half a million dollars in the first week.
Q: Are you now the king of chess?
A: No, this is the king [holds up chess piece]. I am the FIDE World Champion.
Q: Have you read Garry Kasparov’s latest comments on his Web site?
A: I don’t know why this great chessplayer is always insulting everybody else.
Q: Would you now play a title match against Kasparov or Karpov?
A: I do not feel this title belongs to me; it belongs to FIDE. It’s easy to criticize FIDE, but they are now the only viable organization that can organize world championships. I would like to point out one thing: I have played two games with Garry Kasparov while he was world champion, and both games were draws. Vladimir Akopian has also played two games with Kasparov, and they were both draws. The following statement was offered by Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President: I want to congratulate Alexander Khalifman, the 14th World Chess Champion. I want to invite him to play again next year to defend his title. From now on, the World Champion must defend his title on the chessboard, not in press conferences or in the courts.
Garry Kasparov reported weekly on his website:
“The final match in Las Vegas happened to be a very reasonable chess exhibition especially if we consider an exhausting on-month marathon. Alexander Khalifman has won the last match quite convincingly and despite the minimal victory score he was in charge almost all the time. Vladimir Akopian could blame only himself for constant unwillingness to study chess more thoroughly. 3.b4 in game 1 and 5.d3 in game 5 are not best weapons to fight even for FIDE title.
Probably, Akopian felt invincible since he was able to avoid losses during his first 6 matches… Alexander Khalifman in my opinion fully deserved his sensational victory in FIDE KO championship. He played very well throughout the tournament and looked better than any other player. His outstanding success could be more triumphant if on the way to the FIDE title he had played with one of participants of the last tournament in Linares. But Ilyumzhinov`s KO system didn’t give him such a chance – all big players had been eliminated by someone else.
In this short review I’m not planning to continue endless discussions about validity of FIDE title and the nature of FIDE current financing. Unless one decides to apply common sense all argument will remain irrelevant. Big majority of chessplayers is very happy with such events at a time of general decline of chess sponsorship worldwide. They left Las Vegas with plenty of cash in their pockets and this fact alone is worthy to be appreciated. For how long Kirsan’s magic will work – it’s another story. Chesspalyers should hope that no finance for FIDE was going through Bank of New York!
Finally, my congratulations to Khalifman – at age 33 he managed to be back in business! It shows that our generation is not going to give up easily under the pressure of young folks!”
In November 1999 Garry Kasparov gave a long interview published on the ICC website:
Q: How long do you think you will hold the championship?
A: When I won my title I promised to keep it till the next millenium. I am very close to keeping my promise. Seriously, I believe I have quite a few years ahead of me.
Q: Should there be separate world championships for match and tournament play?
Kasparov: I don’t think it makes sense for chess.
Q: Who was the strongest player not to become world champ?
A: Obviously Keres, but Anand also has a chance to join his company.
Q: Are you in your prime – if not when was it?
A: I hope I am now , but sometimes I doubt it.
Q: Who was your chess mentor and who influenced your chess style the most?
A: Mikhail Botvinnik had the greatest influence on my game, and I was heavily influenced by games of Alekhine and Fischer.
Q: Where would Bobby Fischer rank today if he never stopped playing?
A: Very hard to imagine, but I think he would be today behind Karpov.
Q: On whose authority do you consider yourself World Champion – you are merely the world’s strongest player?
A: On the authority of tradition that is 112 years old, and my legacy is as good as Capablanca’s and Alekhine’s. I don’t believe FIDE has any legal right to claim the ownership of the title which was introduced to the public almost 40 years before FIDE’s creation…and I would like to note that FIDE proclaimed Botvinnik the 6th World Champion., i.e recognizing old tradition and not strating its own line of champions.
Q: Who do you think will be Champion after you?
A: Since the creation of a world champion requires me losing in a match I am not very happy to make such predictions.
Q: Why was your match with Shirov cancelled, and are there plans to reschedule?
A: Mr. Rentero unfortunately couldn’t fulfill his promises and didn’t come up with the money which forced both players to look for other aternatives. There was a good chance in early September to organize the match in California, but Shirov thought the prize Fund too low. I believe his expectations were too high because since that time we didn’t receive any serious offers. Sadly the chess world didn’t take Shirov’s challenge seriously, although he earned his rights by convincingly dosmantling Kramnik. I think that the chances to see the match are virtually nonexistent now.
Q: If Ilyumjinov is jailed for his acts do you foresee your participation in a FIDE World Championship match?
A: Whatever happens to Mr.Ilyumjinov, I am afraid its not going to change the rotten nature of FIDE politics. I think I can play with a FIDE challenger, but I don’t want FIDE to be the organizer of a world championship match with my participation.
Q: Which one of your games most typifies your style? And which one was the hardest?
A: I first of all like to mention game 16 from matches in 1985 and 1986 with Karpov. But the list is quite long, and I wuld rather mention the most memorable games. Among which I would point out game 24 in Sevilla.
Q: How important is physical activity preparation and control for key matches?
A: I pay a lot of attention to my physical condition; to be fit under the terrible pressure of big competitions. Obviuosly this is becoming more important with age.
Q: Will you ever play Bobby Fischer in a match?
A: I don’t play ghosts – so Fischer is not a possibility.
In March 2000 Vladimir Kramnik, the second best player on the rating list, gave an interviewed to A. Roshal for 64:
Q: While we’re on the subject, who do you think deserves the title of World Champion these days?
A: I consider Khalifman the official World Champion according to FIDE. Even in Las Vegas, I insisted that they should add that four-letter abbreviation to their title.
Q: Is that because of Kasparov?
A: It’s because the strongest chessplayer in the world today took no part in the FIDE Championship. I see nothing in that statement to denigrate the official title; I would wear such a title with pride myself, had I been fortunate enough to win it. For the moment, I am neither the world’s strongest chessplayer, nor the FIDE World Champion. But I will try…
Q: Could you not foresee a situation where a match for Kasparov’s title is postponed until someone starts beating him in tournaments, or until he himself starts playing badly?
A: At least for the moment, a Kasparov-Anand match would look strange, and even stupid (and I don’t want to say anything to offend the brilliant Indian grandmaster, who is also a brilliant “untangler”). A match with me? – I have not, perhaps, fully demonstrated my right to it. As for the match with Shirov, unfortunately for Alexei, that has already been “played out”the chance for that match has come and gone. The problem lies in the lack of a selection process. Well, there is the FIDE World Championship, which could yet take place – who knows?! Now, if everyone knew exactly the what and where and when of this system, put it up on a chart – then, they could make a few corrections, and everybody would be happy with it. But neither the Kasparovian, nor the “FIDE”-rovian system has been fully laid out for us. All we can do is play the best we can, and then – we’ll see.