Kasparov stripped of world chess title: Champion accused of showing 'bad faith'

GARRY KASPAROV is no longer world chess champion, according to a decision by Fide, the International Chess Federation, yesterday.

The title will be decided by a match between Anatoly Karpov and Jan Timman, as the highest qualified players from the last title-eliminating matches, for which bids have been invited.

The Fide presidential board has accused Kasparov of 'negotiating in bad faith' over plans to resolve the problems created by the decision of Nigel Short and himself to play their world title match outside the auspices of Fide. Under their regulations, Kasparov and Short have forfeited their rights as world champion and challenger.

In an interview yesterday in Izvestia, Kasparov responded by saying: 'The most stupid thing Fide can do now is launch a war against myself and Short.' Kasparov's own plans involve setting up a lucrative professional world championship run outside Fide, which has controlled the event since 1948.

The current shambles began when Short and Kasparov jointly rejected a Fide decision to award the title match to Manchester, who had offered a pounds 1.2m prize fund of which 20 per cent would go into Fide coffers. Despite Short's apparently unequivocal decision to break with Fide, Kasparov resumed negotiations which resulted in Manchester increasing its bid to pounds 1.6m, all to go to the players.

Talks broke down, however, when Kasparov's negotiators demanded that Fide renounce their rights to the world championship for future contests.

The status of the forthcoming contest between Kasparov and Short, ranked 11 in the world, is now unclear. Short's legitimacy as a challenger comes only from his having won through the official Fide cycle.

Nigel Short interview, page 16