World Chess Championship Unification Match, Elista 2006
The 2006 World Chess Championship was a unification match between Classical World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov, held in Elista, Kalmykia from 23 September to 13 October 2006. The match was marred by the "Toiletgate" scandal (Game 5), in which Topalov's team accused Kramnik of making excessive bathroom visits, suggesting computer-aided cheating. After the organizing committee locked Kramnik's private bathroom, Kramnik forfeited Game 5 in protest. Despite this controversy, Kramnik showed remarkable resilience and won the classical portion 6–6, then claimed the unified world title by winning the rapid tiebreak 2½–1½. Vladimir Kramnik became the reunified World Chess Champion, ending a decade-long split in the chess world.
- Format
- 12 classical games + rapid tiebreak (4 games at 25 min + 10 sec increment) if tied after classical play
- Prize fund
- €1,000,000 (€600,000 to winner, €400,000 to loser)
- Venue
- Elista
- Dates
- 23 September 2006 — 13 October 2006
Match games
Game 16 of 16Game analysis
Replay the key games in our editor with engine support — the positional ideas behind the Berlin Wall, Kramnik’s wins in games 2 and 10.
Final table
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria · 2813 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 7½ |
Vladimir Kramnik Russia · 2743 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 8½ |