Moscow: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) could disqualify Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria for three years for violating the Code of Ethics by linking Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik to KGB in an interview to a Spanish newspaper.

Kramnik's manager Carsten Hensel has lodged a complaint with FIDE against the Bulgarian chess master, who, in an interview to ABC, said the world champion was aided by those not involved with chess at the recent World championships at Elista near here.

Topalov had also accused the Russian of cheating by taking frequent toilet breaks during the same championship.

`People from outside'

``People from outside, who were Russians and were far from the world of chess, helped Kramnik. These were either amateurs or people from the secret services,'' Topalov said in the interview.

``They were the ones who placed the Internet cable in Kramnik's toilet,'' he added.

Topalov also said he feared for his life while in Elista and would never go to Russia again. Nobody from Kramnik's team was involved in that, that's why they deny the whole thing, he said.

Topalov suspected the FIDE President, Kirsan Ilymzhinov, was also involved in the plot because he was a businessman who was obeying orders because there had to be a Russian champion.

Hensel said he had always respected and liked Topalov and was disappointed by the Bulgarian's claims. There was no possibility in Kramnik's toilet for a cable to be installed because security measures in Elista were very severe and all wireless devices were strictly forbidden, he said.

The controversy, however, could blow over with Henzel learning that the interview with Topalov was only published online and did not appear in the print version of ABC. Besides, there is speculation that the article was not verified with Topalov before publication.

``If this is true, it, of course, changes things but by all means experts should deal with it,'' Hensel said.

`Ploy to avoid rematch'

Topalov's manager Silvio Danailov dismissed the charges as an attempt by Kramnik's camp to avoid a rematch with the Bulgarian. ``Hensel's claim for disqualifying Topalov is yet another attempt to wave off the invitation for rematch,'' Danailov was quoted as saying by The Sofia Weekly on Saturday.

``Let FIDE explain to the whole chess community why the photos proving there was an Internet cable in the Russian's toilet were not published,'' he said. — PTI

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