Where is the contradiction?

Linares, Wijk Aan Zee, Dortmund, Mtel Sofia are very strong and prestigious tournaments but they are not world championships.

Would you call Aronian world champion because he have won Wijk Aan Zee wich was much more prestigious and much more strong than Tripoli 2004?

In my humble opinion, Kasimdzhanov didn't deserve the title of "world champion" because the k.o. system didn't meet the standart of a world championship.

Not to mention that the tournament that Rustam won was the most controversial (the best players are not there, the israeli players weren't allowed to play in this tournament etc)of the four.

After 1990, Kasparov decided that he wanted to stage his own World Championship matches. Although Kasparov was the best chessplayer in the world from 1985 till the day he quit, I think the matches he won hold no more weight than the FIDE events held. Why? Except for the 1995 match with Anand, he picked his challengers by hand, even though as a rule they were the top players other than himself. They had to beat only one player to become "champion!"

Heck, much as I love him, Kramnik didn't deserve to play against Kasparov in 2000! He got manhandled by Shirov!

The best player doesn't always win.

I and many other people can make a very strong argument that Botvinnik was NOT the strongest player in the world during much of the time he held his titles. Was Petrosian the strongest during his reign? I don't think so. But he won the events that counted for the Championship.

Anand said so. Anand found the move and then sent it to Rustam to hear his opinion but Rustam sent back his own analysis instantly. It turned out that he had had that idea 1 year ago already. His analysis was much deeper (Anand says 10 times as much as his own).

Source is an interview Anand gave to Martin Breutigam (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 2008.11.04).

That's the original text:

<SZ: Wie kam es zum Schlüsselzug Läufer b7 in der Meraner Variante, mit dem Sie die Partien drei und fünf gewannen?

Anand: Ich hatte ihn selber entdeckt. Dann erzählte ich Rustam davon . . .

SZ: . . . Großmeister Rustam Kasimdschanow, einem Ihrer Sekundanten . . .

Anand: Ich sagte ihm, ich habe da etwas Interessantes gefunden. Okay, zeig" her, sagte er. Also schickte ich ihm meine Analysen, und erstaunlicherweise schickte er mir seine gleich zurück. Denn zufällig hatte er dieselbe Idee schon vor einem Jahr vorbereitet. Ich sah, dass seine Analysen ungefähr zehnmal so umfangreich waren wie meine. Also, prinzipiell war es Rustams Idee, er hat sie entwickelt.>

And the google-translation:

<SZ: How did the Schlüsselzug runners b7 in the Meran variation, which allows you to the games three and five won?

Anand: I had discovered it himself. Then I told them Rustam. . .

SZ:. . . Grandmaster Rustam Kasimdschanow, one of your seconds. . .

Anand: I told him, because I've found something interesting. Okay, show "that he said. So I sent him my analysis, and surprisingly, he sent me his right back. Because he coincidentally had the same idea a year ago prepared. I saw that his analysis about ten times as extensive as were my . So, basically, it was Rustam idea, he has developed.>

Rustam Kasimdzhanov: A defeat is the most upsetting, I would even say, the ugliest thing for a player, at least for a professional chess-player. I even think that grandmasters are happy not to face frequent life stresses comparable to a defeat in a significant and important game. After the upsetting loss one needs time to recover not only morally and psychologically but physically as well. It happens this way to me actually. I cannot offer any ready recipe for feeling better after a loss.>

<Resignation Trap: This is how the young Kasimdzhanov has played. Out of nowhere, or so it seems, comes a long combination starting with 23...Re4!! After the combination, we reach a winning endgame. Heissler could have delayed his defeat with 40. Rc3, instead of 40. Rc7?>

<znprdx: Certainly one of the most profound illustrations of inspired combinational play...I can't recall seeing this beauty and depth from our top players.... but I guess this gem is flawed by the fact his opponent is a full class lower Even seeing the moves as played - I didn't immediately grasp the point - which I more often than not do. This is amazing magic ...26.Nxg5 WOW>

Yes, anyone who has watched Kasimdzhanov play blitz on ICC or playchess knows that he has *incredible* tactical skill.

Playing as <R-Kasimdzhanov> on ICC he achieved an astronomical peak rating of 3590(!).

Still not getting my point! Why isn't he playing at Linares, Sofia, or at least the A tournament at Corus?