PRESS RELEASE – 7 Dec 2004

World Chess Championship match 2005
FIDE terminates negotiations with candidate Dubai organiser of the Kasimdzhanov-Kasparov match

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) announces the termination of negotiations with the candidate organiser of the World Chess Championship match Kasimdzhanov-Kasparov, originally sheduled for January 2005 in Dubai. The organiser from Dubai did not supply FIDE with the required financial guarantees within the deadline set by the FIDE President.

FIDE would like to express its gratitude to the Crown Prince of Dubai & UAE Defence Minister, His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktum, for his willingness to patronage this great event and also the UAE Chess Federation and the Dubai Chess Club for their support during our negotiations with the candidate organiser. The Kasimdzhanov-Kasparov match is now scheduled to be organised in spring 2005 and FIDE has already entered discussions with other candidate organisers and sponsors. Further information on the progress of these discussions will be officially announced until the end of this year.

• Full press release in PDF

ChessBase Articles on the Dubai reunification match

Ilyumzhinov and the Chess City in Dubai 08.08.2004 Who can say he doesn't think big? FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has just unveiled a plan to build a new "chess city" in the Emirate of Dubai. It's a US $2.6 billion project that is expected to play host to (hold on to your hats) 60 million amateur and professional chess followers annually. You don't believe he can do it?

Kasparov vs Kasimdzhanov in January in Dubai 13.10.2004 The reunification match between FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Garry Kasparov is scheduled to take place next January in the United Arab Emirates. The prize sum is US $1.2 million. The players will stay in the only seven-star hotel in the world. We have new pictures to show you what that means...

Kasparov's letter to FIDE 29.10.2004 The reunification match between Garry Kasparov and Rustam Kasimdzhanov is scheduled for January 7 – 24 in Dubai. However at the FIDE Congress in Calvià nothing concrete was announced. The funding of the match and many other details appear to be in doubt. In an open letter to the FIDE General Assembly Garry Kasparov delivers firm ultimatums.

The Turkish Federation wants the match 30.10.2004 Yesterday we published an open letter by Garry Kasparov, demanding that the FIDE leadership show guarantees for his reunification match against Kasimdzhanov, announced for January in Dubai, or to ask the General Assembly for authority to quickly seek a new bidder. Now the alternate is on the table, presented for the Turkish Chess Federation by its president Ali Nihat Yazici.

Kasimdzhanov-Kasparov is a go 06.11.2004 According to an interview with FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in the Russian paper Sport Express, the sponsorship of the K-K unification match in Dubai has been confirmed. The bank guarantees are in place and the match is scheduled for Jan. 14-Feb. 1. We now have a translation of the interview and a comment from Garry Kasparov.

Super Final R2: Dreev beats Morozevich 16.11.2004 Alexander Morozevich is a player who, on a good day, can beat anyone or anything in the world. But he can also have very bad streaks. In round one he spent seventy moves trying to win with the black pieces against Epishin; today he lost with white against Dreev. The other games were drawn. Here's a report on a memorable press conference...

A letter from Makro 22.11.2004 Two days before the start of the 57th Russian Championship Super Final in Moscow a press conference was held in which Garry Kasparov spoke defensively about the prospects of his up-coming reunification match against Rustam Kasimdzhanov actually being staged. Now FIDE deputy Georgios Makropoulos has sent us a reply to Kasparov.