World Chess Championship 2006
The World Chess Championship 2006 was a match between Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov. The title of World Chess Champion had been split for 13 years. This match, played between September 23 and October 13, 2006, in Elista, Kalmykia, Russia, was to reunite the two World Chess Champion titles and produce an undisputed World Champion.
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Classical world champion |
FIDE world champion | |||||
| Vladimir Kramnik | Veselin Topalov | |||||
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Born 25 June 1975 31 years old |
Born 15 March 1975 31 years old | |||||
| Winner of the 2004 Classical World Chess Championship | Winner of the 2005 FIDE World Championship | |||||
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Rating: 2743 (World No. 4) |
Rating: 2813 (World No. 1) | |||||
Kramnik won the first two games, establishing a commanding lead. However, after Topalov's camp alleged that Kramnik was using computer assistance, Kramnik refused to play Game 5 and forfeited. He eventually agreed to play again under protest. Topalov won games 8 and 9, taking the lead for the first time, but Kramnik struck back with a win in game 10. The remaining games were drawn, sending the match to a tiebreak. After a draw in the first game and a win apiece in the second and third games, Kramnik won the fourth game after Topalov blundered, to win the tiebreak and the match, becoming the 14th undisputed World Chess Champion.