Veselin Topalov is a hero

I do not know why everyone thinks Kramnik was the one in the right regarding this one. Topalov was doing his best to ensure the integrity of the game. And what happened? He got threatened not to reveal pictures of network cables in Kramnik's bathroom! If he had reported it, the match would be over, and Topalov would have his life in danger!

Topalov did the best he could, and he is a hero for standing up for integrity in chess. If Kramnik was innocent, he should have been perfectly happy allowing for any accommodations to be made to demonstrate that he was not cheating. But Kramnik did not do that. Any player who respects the integrity of the game in the computer age should be willing to go the extra mile to reassure everyone that there is no cheating. 

https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-cables-of-elista-1 -

"Why," we asked Silvio Danailov, "did you not present the pictures at the time to the authorities and the press to prove that there was a computer connection in the bathroom?" His reply: "We tried to organize a press conference and to show what we found in the bathroom of Kramnik, but they told us very clearly: if we did that the match would be terminated immediately. In that case we would have had problems. The airport was closed and these people were desperate. Some days earlier they had told us that the local police may enter in our house with an official order to check if we have material which could threaten the security of Russia. Sounds crazy, but if you were there you would feel differently. The pressure was huge, and we decide to shut up. The danger was real. I do not joke about this kind of thing."

In an interview that appeared on November 21 2006 in the Bulgarian newspaper Standart Danailov describes the situation quite vividly: "I was in fear for my life. They came to me and said: 'Be careful! You will have problems!' They also told us: 'The police will search your house and your baggage.' Once they get in they could leave there whatever you can think of – drugs and everything. Our life turned into a nightmare... They offered me money to continue the match when the score was 3-1 for Kramnik. The sum was quite substantial. They wanted to make us give up the victory in game five, however I was not offered money for the cable."

https://en.chessbase.com/post/topalov-kramnik-will-never-admit-that-he-cheated- -

Topalov: When they inspected the bathrooms they found a network cable hidden in the stucco ceiling.

That never came out.

Topalov: We kept it quiet for many reasons.

Was it a mistake to keep it quiet?

Topalov: We couldn't say anything. It was a very tense situation. If we announced it the match would have been cancelled and I wanted to play and to win the money. What's more, there were threats ["Además, había amenazas"].

Made by whom?

Topalov: Anonymous at the start, but they closed the airport. It's easy to talk here, but when you're in Russia you think about how you're going to get out. Walking? And forget about the money of course. So we shut up and continued the match.

Did you feel in physical danger?

Topalov: Yes, and I don't think I'll ever go back there.

There's only grainy one picture on the chessbase site, and let's be honest - that cable could be anything. I'm not saying that Topalov is wrong, but that picture is hardly conclusive evidence.

In my book, Topalov is a zero, not a hero...

I think there are more pictures that you can see

Topalov is a hero.

agreed, except Topalov was just a sore loser.