Six of the 25 strongest chess grandmasters of the world are competing for the title in the tournament M-Tel Masters 2007, which started on May 9 in Sofia.

The tournament is becoming a top attraction in several new ways. This is the third consecutive year for the tournament, which takes place in Sofia. This year the tournament offers a clash seen never before: foot chess. Next year M-Tel Masters will become part of the newly formed Grand Slam in checkmate, the director of the tournament and manager of Bulgarian chess master Vesselin Topalov, Silvio Danailov, told a news conference on May 9.

Top ranking Vesselin Topalov, the European Champion for 2005 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu from Romania, the youth World Champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov from Azerbaijan, former World Vice-Champions Gata Kamsky from the US and Michael Adams from England, as well as young Indian talent Krishnan Sasikiran (ELO 2700) are the big names this year.

“Along with the experienced competitors this year we invited the promising talents Mamedyarov and Sasikiran. We hope this will make the competition a spectacular one. The average ELO of the participants is 2727, the competition is FIDE 20th category. M-Tel Masters is one of the top tournaments in the world today along with such tournaments as Dortmund and Wijk aan Zee. Next year it will be part of the new Grand Slam with the tournaments with 70- and 25-year-old traditions in Wijk aan Zee and Linares,” Danailov said.

On May 15 Six grand masters will face six football champions at 12.30 at Georgi Asparuhov stadium in an unprecedented match. The teams of Chess United and PFC Levski will compete in two sports. First they will play a football game 2x10min, then the captains will take their places behind the chessboard. The coach of football club Levski, Stanimir Stoilov is still keeping his starting line-up secret, but for sure he will give the captain’s armband to Levski striker Hristo Yovov.

The CEO of the sponsor M-Tel, Josef Vinatzer, will be the referee of the show. Topalov confessed he is preparing himself to earn penalties. Romanian Nisipeanu is confident: “I predict clear victory for us, because we have referee on our side and the score will be 1:0”.”

Indian Sasikiran was careful: “Chess is completely different to football as a game, so we have to co-ordinate our individual thinking to collective effort.”

The referee assured the players: “I can promise that no one will be allowed to go to toilet during the match”.

This provoked a lot of fun, because minutes earlier the participants answered questions on the hottest issues - The Toilet War during the World Championship match in Elista, last year and alleged computer cheating, and constant changes in the regulations for the World championship title and contenders’ tournaments.

“There was accusations that some players go to the toilet and use mobile phones to receive information, but nothing was proved. But yes, it’s a concern, no doubt, and it has to be solved,” top US grandmaster Gata Kamsky said.

“I know the only one use of the toilet, so I have no other comment,” Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu said. Shakhryar Mamedyarov was clear: “I take this issue as a joke”.