Carlsen Drops Out of WC Cycle!

Yes it is fleeting, and if its a format that carlsen thinks is not fair or just thatit is a false sense of glory.  Obviously he hos more important things going on in life than just chess and for that i applaud him.

Kobayashi Maru has a long history as a strategy. In this case, I don't think it will be effective. I don't mind. 

I realize that's a bold statement.

I know fezz i read the article.  I was commenting on the fact that he does have other things that he considers more important.

A soul reminder why Kasparov quits FIDE and why Fischer's Championship was dethroned. FIDE should change it's world championship cycle (own-point-of-view).

FIDE has tried candidates tournaments and candidates matches.  Considering some of the emabarssing ways some of the candidates matches have been decided ie: Spassky vs. Portisch  (i believe but could be wrong) decided by the spin of a roullette wheel, and another match involvng Spassky again (and again i could be wrong) being decided by who won with the black pieces. 

Then the candidates tournaments happened to be where the Russians ganged up on the best players from the rest of the world ie: Reshevsky in '53

What format is best? 

Obviously its irrelevant, these were just a few examplesof how flawed both systems are.  Surely there has to be a better way?  But what is it??

One of the main problems with FIDE is it's implementation of policies. Too often changes are made with no consultation to the group with which these policies affect. Top players must "buy in" to whatever the format is, but currently unilateral decisions are taken with no concern to the GMs.

Whether we look at match play with the current WCC, or a Candidates Tournament, there exists both pros and cons. A new mechanism is needed...maybe a hybrid of the two...or a new format all together. Whatever shape this will take, there is need for consultation with the best chess players in the world in order to obtain consensus...or at least input.

think he wants to be consider the World Champion without needed to win World Championships

expecially one very tough as is it designed this one

In my opinion, this would have been Magnus "Bruce Lee" Carlsen in 2012....

"Watahhh!"??

The champion does not just sit and wait...he keeps preparing hours together to face the challenger who has fought very strong strong players to face him.Defending a title is not an easy thing, it requires equal or more preparation than going for title.

Carlsen does have a point but just withdrawing is baseless.It just diminishes credibility of WC and creates a diversion.It will always be a point of debate, as to whether the WC was really the WC or could carlsen have beat him. 

It is right to voice his opinion but i feel that he should rather participate fight and come out as a winner to prove his mettle.Yes the system does require a change but that need and can not be done by a world no 1 simply refusing to play.It must be mooted by all the candidates including the WC, so that at least we have a change for the next WC contender title match.

A sudden change is not feasible and i think it was unwise to withdraw.But lets hope that it serves to change the system in future.

If the rules are so bad, why don't the other contenders join him?

This isn't just an off-the-cuff letter written by Magnus one night when he was up late and irritated.   His lawyers (which is one of his sponsors) and Public Relations folks were, based on the way the letter was written, clearly involved.

Something more is afoot.

Change is clearly needed...but picking up your marbles, and going home is not the answer.

Carlsen's best bet would have been to become the WCC, and then fight for change as the champ. It looks now as though he is not confident in winning the Candidates, and then facing Anand.

It would be interesting to hear the views from the other super GMs.

Carlsen has not yet even addressed the topic in his blog.

Fezzik, The Chess community is being lead by a very unpopular President, who is rumoured to be buying votes to stay in power (that is, when he is not being abducted by UFOs) ... The World Chess Championship format and qualification system changes more often than one can count... The number one player has refused to participate in the Candidates, until change takes place. Top GMs are saying that they are not being consulted on any issues that affect them...

I would think that all is not well in The Chess Kingdom.

Yes, the current President is unpopular, and there are probably reasons for that, but that doesn't have much to do with the system of playing for the world's championship. This seems to be a bit of a red herring.

Atos, you don't believe that the man at the helm of the ship, controls the direction in which the ship is going? Do we feel that all the changes that take place for the Candidates is not impacting negatively on the participants? Do we feel that regardless of who is in charge of FIDE that the current situation would still arise? IMHO leadership quality (or lack of) lies at the heart of many of those chess conflicts that we are currently reading about...and the result is a lost in confidence.