FIDE World Chess Championship 2002

At the time of this championship, the World title was split. The Classical World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, did not participate, as well as the previous Classical Champion and world's highest-rated player, Garry Kasparov. However, all other strongest players of the world took part, including the top seed and winner of the previous FIDE World Championship Viswanathan Anand.

The championship was a knockout tournament similar to other FIDE World Chess Championships between 1998 and 2004: the players were paired for short matches, with losers eliminated. The field of 128 participants was reduced to one winner over seven rounds.

Rounds 1–5 consisted of a two-game match, followed by tie breaks at faster time controls if required. The time control for regular games was 75 minutes for the first 40 moves and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added after each move. Tie breaks consisted of two rapid chess games (20 minutes each + 10 seconds per move); followed by two blitz games if required (5 minutes + 10 seconds per move); followed by a single Armageddon chess game if required (white has 6 minutes and must win, black has 5 minutes and only needs to draw). The semifinals (round 6) were best of four games, and the final was best of eight games, with the same conditions for the tie-breaks.

In addition to previous criticisms of the knockout format (see FIDE World Chess Championship 1998#Controversies), this tournament was criticised by Garry Kasparov for using a faster time control, which Kasparov claimed was lowering the standard of the games.[1]

All players are Grandmasters unless indicated otherwise.

Players qualified for the championship according to the following criteria:

1. four semi-finalists of the previous championship (Viswanathan Anand, Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams, Alexander Grischuk);
2. the World Junior Champion 2000 (Lazaro Bruzon);
3. 20 best rated players (the average of July 2000 and January 2001 rating lists was used);
4. 90 qualifiers from the continental championships;
5. eight qualifiers from the Internet championship;
6. five nominees of the FIDE President.

There was one rest day during round 4 and two rest days during round 6. The tie-breaks of rounds 1–5 were played in the evening following the second game. The final took place one month after rounds 1–6.

• Round 1: 27 November 2001, 28 November 2001 (tiebreaks on 28 November 2001)
• Round 2: 29 November 2001, 30 November 2001 (tiebreaks on 30 November 2001)
• Round 3: 1 December 2001, 2 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 2 December 2001)
• Round 4: 3 December 2001, 5 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 5 December 2001)
• Round 5: 6 December 2001, 7 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 7 December 2001)
• Round 6: 8 December 2001, 10 December 2001, 11 December 2001, 13 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 7 December 2001)
• Round 7: 16 January 2002 – 24 January 2002, with a rest day on 20 January 2002 (tiebreaks on 25 January 2002)

World Chess Championship Final 2002

	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Points
Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine)	2684	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	4½
Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine)	2731	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	2½

• World Chess Championship, 2001-02 FIDE Knockout Matches