World Chess Championship Candidates 2011 (1)
Final Candidates Pairings now published
Mark Crowther - Monday 7th February 2011
FIDE have released the 1st round pairings of the Candidates Matches in Kazan, 3rd-27th May 2011.
Topalov (BUL) - Kamsky (USA)
Kramnik (RUS) - Radjabov (AZE)
Aronian (ARM) - Grischuk (RUS)
Gelfand (ISR) - Mamedyarov (AZE)
According to a Russian report the winners of the outer two pairings will meet in the semi-finals as will the inner two. Thus the potentially problematic Topalov against Kramnik match (their match in Elista for the world title was one of the very most bitter in chess history) cannot take place until the final. Veselin Topalov and his manager Silvio Danailov said that Topalov would refuse to play a Russian in a match on Russian soil and so a similar problem with Grischuk has also been postponed. That said all three rounds are scheduled to take place in Kazan and FIDE must be hoping that the final between Topalov and one of the Russians doesn't happen as there has been no contingency announced.
TWIC is 30. First issue 17th September 1994.