Kramnik wins reunified world chess championship

Vladimir Kramnik after defeating Garry Kasparov in 2000
Photo: ChessBase.com

For the first time since 1993, there is only one world chess champion.

Vladimir Kramnik defeated Veselin Topalov today in a playoff round of four rapid chess games, 2½-1½, to win the reunified world chess championship.

Kramnik won 2 games and Topalov won another, while one game was drawn.

The world title became divided in 1993 when FIDE stripped Garry Kasparov of his title in a move that had even less effect on rank-and-file followers of chess then the WBA's taking the title from Muhammad Ali.

Kasparov continued to organize and win his own title matches until 2000, when he lost a match in London to Kramnik.

Meanwhile, FIDE liquidated the old world championship cycle and replaced it with a knock out event that more than occasionally produced improbable champions. The knock out even was replaced in 2005 with a super tournament, which was won by Topalov.

Kramnik entered the match as the classical world champion, while Topalov was the FIDE world champion.

Now Kramnik is simply the world champion.

More details on Sunday.