Grand Prix loses Karlovy Vary as well

After all the turmoil in November and December, it's been a bit quiet around the Grand Prix Series, but today there's more bad news for FIDE: in an official statement, Bessel Kok and Pavel Matocha are announcing the withdrawal of Karlovy Vary, where the 6th and last GP was to take place in December this year.

Statement Bessel Kok & Pavel Matocha:

We have been informed that the NWR coal corporation which intended to support the Grand Prix in Karlovy Vary in December 2009 will not enter into sponsorship. This information and the reasons behind this decision were already communicated to Geoffrey Borg and FIDE and also to grandmaster David Navara, who was nominated by the Czech organisers to Grand Prix tournaments.

There are multiple reasons for this decision:

1. the withdrawal of top players from the GrandPrix tournaments (mainly withdrawal of Magnus Carlsen, the number one player of the GP and the most media atractive player is problem)

2. the confusion on the role of the winner of the Grand Prix (will be there the match between the winner of GP and the winner of World Cup for the right to play the worldchampionship match? or there will be a candidates tournament?), it is unacceptable to change the rules during the game

3. the current financial crisis, which wiped out 80% of market value of NWR and sponsoring has been their first cut in operating expenditure. In Prague on the 19th of January 2009