FIDE vs. PCA : World Chess Championship

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World Chess Championship
FIDE/PCA Chronology

"After all, two world champions are better than one!" - Y.Seirawan

1993 FIDE PCA

Jan FIDE Cm 1/1; Short beats Timman.

Feb 23 FIDE announces that Manchester has been selected to organize the Kasparov-Short match.

25 Short resigns as GMA president.

26 Kasparov and Short announce the creation of the PCA and refuse to play under the jurisdiction of FIDE.

Mar 5 On the last day when the players can confirm their readiness to play, Kasparov meets Campomanes. FIDE grants an extension to 1993-Mar-23.

21 Future PCA Commissioner R.Rice, a partner in the New York law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, and McCloy, meets Campomanes in London.

22 Kasparov and Short hold a press conference in London and open sealed bids for their title match. "Business is business", says Short.

23 Kasparov is stripped of his FIDE title.

31 Karpov and Timman confirm readiness to play for title of World Champion.

Apr 3 FIDE Presidential board announces support for Campomanes. Bids to host the title match invited by 1993-May-07.

21 Karpov and Timman meet with FIDE in Brussels to agree on the terms of their title match. For the following cycle, the FIDE champion will enter the candidates match during the finals.

May 12 Oman government announces intention to host the title match.

16 FIDE announces that Kasparov and Short will be dropped from the FIDE rating list.

17 Kasparov and Short announce that their match will take place in London starting on 1993-Sep-7.

Jun 12 The Dutch chess federation confirms its intention to host the 1st half of the title match on the condition that Oman hosts the 2nd half.

Jul FIDE Izt; Biel

Aug

Sep 6 FIDE WCC; Netherlands. During the opening ceremony, fireworks burn the stage banner. Later in the match, it emerges that the Dutch organizers do not have the funds (2 MSFR) agreed for the 1st half of the match. In fact, there are only funds to cover the match expenses, and nothing to pay the players. To add to the problems, the Oman organizers refuse to continue with the 2nd half of the match, and drop their commitment for an additional 2 MSFR. PCA WCC; London

25 The match is halted after 12 games.

Oct 17 The match continues in Jakarta with a purse of 1 MSFR, 1/4 of the amount originally announced, and which will be paid by FIDE.

Nov 17 64th FIDE Congress, Curitiba, Brazil. It transpires that the offer from Oman was made by EMMA, a public relations firm working for FIDE. The Congress refuses to reinstate Kasparov and Short on the FIDE rating list.

Dec PCA Izt; Groningen. The PCA decides to publish its own rating list.

1994 FIDE PCA

Jan FIDE Cm 1/4; Wijk aan Zee

Feb 1 Intel announces sponsorship of the PCA.

4 At a press conference in Paris, the PCA announces the terms of the candidates matches and of the Intel Grand Prix.

Mar

Apr The Greek Chess Federation announces that it cannot guarantee financing for the forthcoming Olympiad in Thessalonika. Intel Grand Prix, Moscow.

30 1st PCA ratings published.

May

Jun 13 FIDE announces three lists of candidates for December elections to replace Campomanes. The Presidential candidates heading the lists are J.Durao, B.Kouatly, and G.Makropoulos.

PCA Cm 1/4; New York

Intel Grand Prix, New York.

Jul FIDE Cm 1/2; Sanghi Nagar

Aug

Sep PCA Cm 1/2; Linares

Intel Grand Prix, London. Kasparov is eliminated in the 1st round by Chess Genius, a computer.

Oct 2 FIDE announces that the Olympiad, planned for Greece in December, will take place in Moscow, with the support of the Russian Chess Federation and Kasparov.

29 Kasparov is reinstated on the FIDE rating list. Short's reinstatement is pending the formal request of the British Chess Federation.

Nov J-A.Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), invites Campomanes and Kasparov to Lausanne to discuss the inclusion of chess as an exhibition event in the Olympic Games, Atlanta, 1996. Intel Grand Prix, Paris.

10 Campomanes and Kasparov sign an agreement to seek reconciliation between FIDE and the PCA.

Dec 31st Olympiad, Moscow. Kasparov plays 1st board for Russia. Karpov refuses to play 2nd board.

65th FIDE Congress, Moscow. Campomanes re-elected FIDE President, with the support of Kasparov, "to end the current confusion in world chess". J.Durao and B.Kouatly are appointed honorary vice presidents.

15 L.Rentero, principal organizer of the traditional tournament in Linares, one of the strongest annual chess tournaments in the world, announces cancellation of the 13th event, scheduled for March. He cites interference from the PCA final candidates match. Rentero had organized the PCA semifinal candidates match in Linares during September.

26 D-A.Blanc-Shapira, PCA Director for Europe, responds that Rentero's accusations are 'immature' and 'not very credible'.

1995 FIDE PCA

Jan

Feb FIDE Cm 1/1; Sanghi Nagar. Karpov and Salov complain about their living accommodations. Kamsky's father Rustam accuses the organizers of conspiring with Campomanes and Kasparov to make his son's life as difficult as possible during the match. The organizer responds that he will never organize another event in which G.Kamsky participates. R.Kamsky is fined 150 SFR by FIDE. 9 At a press conference in Paris, the PCA announces the 2nd edition of the Intel-PCA Grand Prix and the terms of the Intel-PCA title match to be held in Cologne in September. In addition, a schedule of 'Super Classic' tournaments, outside the sponsorship of Intel, are to be held in Riga, Novgorod, and Zurich.

Mar PCA Cm 1/1; Las Palmas. Kamsky fined for violating the PCA Dress and Conduct Code.

The Linares tournament is held. Seven players sign a declaration in support of Kamsky, saying 'the PCA demands too much from chess players in exchange for very little'.

Apr 1st PCA Super Classic ('Tal Memorial'), Riga.

Intel Grand Prix, Moscow.

May 2nd PCA Super Classic, Novgorod.

Jun Intel Grand Prix, New York.

Jul 1 Deadline for organizers to bid on the FIDE title match; no bids received. Deadline extended until 1995-Sep-15, on condition that the match is organized and completed in 1995.

The PCA announces that its title match will take place in New York rather than in Cologne. The German Chess Federation declares that it is 'disappointed but understands', and is ready to organize a major PCA event in 1996.

Aug Intel Grand Prix, London.

Sep 15 2nd deadline for organizers to bid on the FIDE title match; no bids received. FIDE General Assembly meeting postponed to November; venue switched from Paris to Qatar. In the face of protests, Qatar withdraws its offer to host the meeting, which is rescheduled for Paris in November.

PCA WCC; New York

Oct

Nov 66th FIDE Congress, Paris. Questions of financial irregularities arise. Campomanes announces that he will resign if he is succeeded by K.Ilyumzhinov, President of the Republic of Kalmykia. The delegates vote 95-3 that Ilyumzhinov is elected FIDE President for one year and that Campomanes is appointed Honorary Chairman for one year.
Kasparov's reaction is 'The FIDE officials are idiots. They are killing an essential agreement [on the FIDE-PCA unification match] because they don't accept that I am World Champion'.
Intel Grand Prix, Paris.

Dec 15 Ilyumzhinov meets with R.Fischer in Belgrade. Sources close to the ex-World Champion declare that the new FIDE President has 'made a good impression'.

1996 FIDE PCA

Jan FIDE proposes a World Championship reunification tournament with as many as 100 players participating. The contest would be an elimination event composed of short matches where Kasparov and the winner of Karpov-Kamsky would enter in the semifinal round. The tournament is proposed for 1996-Dec and 1997-Jan. Kasparov announces that the contract with Intel is finished. 'I've had enough of being a slave to Intel for the benefit of the other players. I am going to play against Deep Blue in February in Philadelphia.'

Feb A bid to hold the FIDE title match in Montreal collapses. Kasparov wins a six game match against IBM's Deep Blue.

Mar 7 FIDE announces that the title match will take place in Baghdad, Iraq. Later, the U.S. Department of State announces that Kamsky would not be allowed to travel to Iraq on a U.S. passport.

Apr FIDE announces that the title match will be held in Elista, Kalmykia. 'Kremlin Stars', Moscow.

May

Jun FIDE WCC; Elista

Jul

Aug Kamsky reveals that he has not been paid for his title match against Karpov. He is paid some time later. Credit Suisse Masters, PCA Grand Prix, Geneva.

Sep 14 Karpov and Kasparov sign an agreement to hold a reunification match outside of both FIDE and the PCA. A drawn match would be resolved by a series of speed games.

32nd Olympiad, Erevan, Armenia. The tournaments scheduled for New York, London, and Paris, are cancelled.

Oct 1 67th FIDE Congress. Ilyumzhinov re-elected FIDE President.

If only level heads had prevailed...
The fact of the matter is that chess has enormous global promotional value. There are very few human activities common to so many countries around the world, that have such a rich history, that carry so much cultural equity. - Bob Rice, in a 1993 interview with Chess Life's Don Maddox

We're excited about the association with the PCA and the opportunity for chess sponsorship. Chess is a global sport, we're a global industry. - Dennis Carter, Director of Worldwide Sponsorship, Intel, speaking to Don Maddox in 1994

Many [grandmaster level chess] players think that a high-quality chess event is all that is required to attract sponsorship. I'm sure you realize that that is simply not the case. You have to make a lot of compromises to run the kinds of events that people are willing to pay to see and that television stations will put on the air. - Bob Rice, in a 1995 interview with Chess Life's Larry Parr

WCC Index

1993		FIDE		PCA
Jan		FIDE Cm 1/1; Short beats Timman.
Feb	23	FIDE announces that Manchester has been selected to organize the Kasparov-Short match.
			25	Short resigns as GMA president.
			26	Kasparov and Short announce the creation of the PCA and refuse to play under the jurisdiction of FIDE.
Mar	5	On the last day when the players can confirm their readiness to play, Kasparov meets Campomanes. FIDE grants an extension to 1993-Mar-23.
			21	Future PCA Commissioner R.Rice, a partner in the New York law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, and McCloy, meets Campomanes in London.
			22	Kasparov and Short hold a press conference in London and open sealed bids for their title match. "Business is business", says Short.
	23	Kasparov is stripped of his FIDE title.
	31	Karpov and Timman confirm readiness to play for title of World Champion.
Apr	3	FIDE Presidential board announces support for Campomanes. Bids to host the title match invited by 1993-May-07.
	21	Karpov and Timman meet with FIDE in Brussels to agree on the terms of their title match. For the following cycle, the FIDE champion will enter the candidates match during the finals.
May	12	Oman government announces intention to host the title match.
	16	FIDE announces that Kasparov and Short will be dropped from the FIDE rating list.
			17	Kasparov and Short announce that their match will take place in London starting on 1993-Sep-7.
Jun	12	The Dutch chess federation confirms its intention to host the 1st half of the title match on the condition that Oman hosts the 2nd half.
Jul		FIDE Izt; Biel
Aug
Sep	6	FIDE WCC; Netherlands. During the opening ceremony, fireworks burn the stage banner. Later in the match, it emerges that the Dutch organizers do not have the funds (2 MSFR) agreed for the 1st half of the match. In fact, there are only funds to cover the match expenses, and nothing to pay the players. To add to the problems, the Oman organizers refuse to continue with the 2nd half of the match, and drop their commitment for an additional 2 MSFR.		PCA WCC; London
	25	The match is halted after 12 games.
Oct	17	The match continues in Jakarta with a purse of 1 MSFR, 1/4 of the amount originally announced, and which will be paid by FIDE.
Nov	17	64th FIDE Congress, Curitiba, Brazil. It transpires that the offer from Oman was made by EMMA, a public relations firm working for FIDE. The Congress refuses to reinstate Kasparov and Short on the FIDE rating list.
Dec				PCA Izt; Groningen. The PCA decides to publish its own rating list.
1994		FIDE		PCA
Jan		FIDE Cm 1/4; Wijk aan Zee
Feb			1	Intel announces sponsorship of the PCA.
			4	At a press conference in Paris, the PCA announces the terms of the candidates matches and of the Intel Grand Prix.
Mar
Apr		The Greek Chess Federation announces that it cannot guarantee financing for the forthcoming Olympiad in Thessalonika.		Intel Grand Prix, Moscow.
			30	1st PCA ratings published.
May
Jun	13	FIDE announces three lists of candidates for December elections to replace Campomanes. The Presidential candidates heading the lists are J.Durao, B.Kouatly, and G.Makropoulos.
				PCA Cm 1/4; New York
				Intel Grand Prix, New York.
Jul		FIDE Cm 1/2; Sanghi Nagar
Aug
Sep				PCA Cm 1/2; Linares
				Intel Grand Prix, London. Kasparov is eliminated in the 1st round by Chess Genius, a computer.
Oct	2	FIDE announces that the Olympiad, planned for Greece in December, will take place in Moscow, with the support of the Russian Chess Federation and Kasparov.
	29	Kasparov is reinstated on the FIDE rating list. Short's reinstatement is pending the formal request of the British Chess Federation.
Nov		J-A.Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), invites Campomanes and Kasparov to Lausanne to discuss the inclusion of chess as an exhibition event in the Olympic Games, Atlanta, 1996.		Intel Grand Prix, Paris.
	10	Campomanes and Kasparov sign an agreement to seek reconciliation between FIDE and the PCA.
Dec		31st Olympiad, Moscow. Kasparov plays 1st board for Russia. Karpov refuses to play 2nd board.
		65th FIDE Congress, Moscow. Campomanes re-elected FIDE President, with the support of Kasparov, "to end the current confusion in world chess". J.Durao and B.Kouatly are appointed honorary vice presidents.
			15	L.Rentero, principal organizer of the traditional tournament in Linares, one of the strongest annual chess tournaments in the world, announces cancellation of the 13th event, scheduled for March. He cites interference from the PCA final candidates match. Rentero had organized the PCA semifinal candidates match in Linares during September.
			26	D-A.Blanc-Shapira, PCA Director for Europe, responds that Rentero's accusations are 'immature' and 'not very credible'.
1995		FIDE		PCA
Jan
Feb		FIDE Cm 1/1; Sanghi Nagar. Karpov and Salov complain about their living accommodations. Kamsky's father Rustam accuses the organizers of conspiring with Campomanes and Kasparov to make his son's life as difficult as possible during the match. The organizer responds that he will never organize another event in which G.Kamsky participates. R.Kamsky is fined 150 SFR by FIDE.	9	At a press conference in Paris, the PCA announces the 2nd edition of the Intel-PCA Grand Prix and the terms of the Intel-PCA title match to be held in Cologne in September. In addition, a schedule of 'Super Classic' tournaments, outside the sponsorship of Intel, are to be held in Riga, Novgorod, and Zurich.
Mar				PCA Cm 1/1; Las Palmas. Kamsky fined for violating the PCA Dress and Conduct Code.
				The Linares tournament is held. Seven players sign a declaration in support of Kamsky, saying 'the PCA demands too much from chess players in exchange for very little'.
Apr				1st PCA Super Classic ('Tal Memorial'), Riga.
				Intel Grand Prix, Moscow.
May				2nd PCA Super Classic, Novgorod.
Jun				Intel Grand Prix, New York.
Jul	1	Deadline for organizers to bid on the FIDE title match; no bids received. Deadline extended until 1995-Sep-15, on condition that the match is organized and completed in 1995.
				The PCA announces that its title match will take place in New York rather than in Cologne. The German Chess Federation declares that it is 'disappointed but understands', and is ready to organize a major PCA event in 1996.
Aug				Intel Grand Prix, London.
Sep	15	2nd deadline for organizers to bid on the FIDE title match; no bids received. FIDE General Assembly meeting postponed to November; venue switched from Paris to Qatar. In the face of protests, Qatar withdraws its offer to host the meeting, which is rescheduled for Paris in November.
				PCA WCC; New York
Oct
Nov		66th FIDE Congress, Paris. Questions of financial irregularities arise. Campomanes announces that he will resign if he is succeeded by K.Ilyumzhinov, President of the Republic of Kalmykia. The delegates vote 95-3 that Ilyumzhinov is elected FIDE President for one year and that Campomanes is appointed Honorary Chairman for one year. Kasparov's reaction is 'The FIDE officials are idiots. They are killing an essential agreement [on the FIDE-PCA unification match] because they don't accept that I am World Champion'.		Intel Grand Prix, Paris.
Dec	15	Ilyumzhinov meets with R.Fischer in Belgrade. Sources close to the ex-World Champion declare that the new FIDE President has 'made a good impression'.
1996		FIDE		PCA
Jan		FIDE proposes a World Championship reunification tournament with as many as 100 players participating. The contest would be an elimination event composed of short matches where Kasparov and the winner of Karpov-Kamsky would enter in the semifinal round. The tournament is proposed for 1996-Dec and 1997-Jan.		Kasparov announces that the contract with Intel is finished. 'I've had enough of being a slave to Intel for the benefit of the other players. I am going to play against Deep Blue in February in Philadelphia.'
Feb		A bid to hold the FIDE title match in Montreal collapses.		Kasparov wins a six game match against IBM's Deep Blue.
Mar	7	FIDE announces that the title match will take place in Baghdad, Iraq. Later, the U.S. Department of State announces that Kamsky would not be allowed to travel to Iraq on a U.S. passport.
Apr		FIDE announces that the title match will be held in Elista, Kalmykia.		'Kremlin Stars', Moscow.
May
Jun		FIDE WCC; Elista
Jul
Aug		Kamsky reveals that he has not been paid for his title match against Karpov. He is paid some time later.		Credit Suisse Masters, PCA Grand Prix, Geneva.
Sep			14	Karpov and Kasparov sign an agreement to hold a reunification match outside of both FIDE and the PCA. A drawn match would be resolved by a series of speed games.
		32nd Olympiad, Erevan, Armenia.		The tournaments scheduled for New York, London, and Paris, are cancelled.
Oct	1	67th FIDE Congress. Ilyumzhinov re-elected FIDE President.

World Chess ChampionshipFIDE/PCA Chronology

If only level heads had prevailed...

World Chess Championship
FIDE/PCA Chronology