Topalov-Kramnik Match: World Chess Championship 2006.
Vladimir Kramnik is now “officially” recognized as The World Chess Champion, some seven years after defeating then World Champ Gary Kasparov in a monumental match. That FIDE has plodded along, producing its own string of “world champions” has been to turn a blind eye to its own mismanagement and failures. You’ve probably heard of Viswanathan Anand, but do you know Alexander Khalifman, Roslan Ponomariov, or Rustam Kasimdzhanov? Well, they all are–in FIDE history, at least–World Champions, listed as successors to the line starting with Steinitz and ending with Kasparov. What a load of horseshit! None of them ever faced Kasparov in a match, save for Anand (and he got his ass creamed). The game five forfeit in the Topalov-Kramnik match was such a farcical piece of mismanagement that even Karpov and Korchnoi–who have never agreed on anything–both stated they would have walked under similar conditions! Kramnik is the only player in the world to have beaten Kasparov in match play, he successfully defended his title several years ago, and has placed at or near the top in every super-IGM tournament he has played in since gaining the crown. Let history toss FIDE’s “champions” out with the bath water: Kramnik has been World Champion since 2000.
The only player to have beaten Kasparov in match play. Good point.
As they say in boxing, “The man who beat the man.”
World Champions, listed as successors to the line starting with Steinitz and ending with Kasparov.
Schroeder points out that the line of Kramnik’s World Championship title does NOT go back to Steinitz:
The first World Championship cycle goes from Steinitz to Alekhin, and ends when Alekhin dies.
The NEXT cycle is Botvinnik to Fischer, ending when Fischer “retires”. Fischer successfully defended his title against Spassky in 1992.
The THIRD cycle is Karpov to Kramnik.