Editing World Chess Championship (section)

====Anand (2007–2013)====
{{see|World Chess Championship 2007|World Chess Championship 2009|World Chess Championship 2011}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| total_width       = 350
| image1            = Vladimir Kramnik 2, Candidates Tournament 2018.jpg
| caption1          = [[Vladimir Kramnik]] defeated Kasparov in 2000, and became the undisputed world champion by beating Topalov in 2006.
| image2            = Viswanathan Anand (2016) (cropped).jpeg
| caption2          = [[Viswanathan Anand]], who held the FIDE title from 2000 to 2002, won the unified title in 2007 after defeating Kramnik and was the undisputed Champion till 2013.
}}
Kramnik played to defend his title at the [[World Chess Championship 2007]] in Mexico. This was an 8-player double round robin tournament, the same format as was used for the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2005]]. This tournament was won by [[Viswanathan Anand]], thus making him the World Chess Champion. Because Anand's World Chess Champion title was won in a tournament rather than a match, a minority of commentators questioned the validity of his title.<ref>[http://www.jeremysilman.com/book_reviews_js/Topalov_Kramnik.html Topalov Kramnik 2006], book review by [[Jeremy Silman]] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412083551/http://www.jeremysilman.com/book_reviews_js/Topalov_Kramnik.html |date=12 April 2012 }}</ref> Kramnik also made ambiguous comments about the value of Anand's title, but did not claim the title himself then.<ref>[http://www.kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=178 Interview with Kramnik] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903125822/http://www.kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=178 |date=3 September 2008 }}, 10 July 2008</ref> (In a 2015 interview Kramnik dated the loss of his world championship title to his 2008 match against Anand rather than the 2007 tournament,<ref>{{cite news |last=McGourty |first=Colin |date=26 June 2015 |title=Vladimir Kramnik: "It turns out I'm 52, not 40!" |url=https://chess24.com/en/read/news/vladimir-kramnik-it-turns-out-i-m-52-not-40 |work=chess24.com |location= |access-date=21 September 2023 |quote=Most likely I finally felt liberated after losing the World Championship title in 2008. |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007070258/https://chess24.com/en/read/news/vladimir-kramnik-it-turns-out-i-m-52-not-40 |url-status=live }}</ref> and he likewise did not contradict an interviewer who dated it thus in a 2019 interview.)<ref>{{cite news |last=Cox |first=David |date=18 July 2019 |title=Vladimir Kramnik Interview: 'I'm Not Afraid To Lose' |url=https://www.chess.com/article/view/vladimir-kramnik-interview-im-not-afraid-to-lose |work=chess.com |location= |access-date=21 September 2023 |quote=Your reign as champion ended with the 2008 defeat to Vishy Anand. |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007070258/https://www.chess.com/article/view/vladimir-kramnik-interview-im-not-afraid-to-lose |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequent world championship matches returned to the format of a match between the champion and a challenger.

The following two championships had special clauses arising from the 2006 unification. Kramnik was given the right to challenge for the title he lost in a tournament in the [[World Chess Championship 2008]], which Anand won. Then Topalov, who as the loser of the 2006 match was excluded from the 2007 championship, was seeded directly into the Candidates final of the [[World Chess Championship 2010]]. He won the Candidates (against [[Gata Kamsky]]) to set up a match against Anand, who again won the championship match.<ref>[http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=92&view=article Regulations for the 2007 – 2009 World Chess Championship Cycle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210011645/http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?view=article&id=92 |date=10 December 2008 }}, sections 4 and 5, [[FIDE]] online. Undated, but reported in [http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3948 Chessbase on 24 June 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921021714/http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3948 |date=21 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5245 |title=Sofia R7: Topalov beats Kamsky, wins candidates match &#124; Chess News |date=26 February 2009 |publisher=Chessbase.com |access-date=26 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301001836/http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5245 |archive-date=1 March 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> The next championship, the [[World Chess Championship 2012]], had short knock-out matches for the Candidates Tournament. This format was not popular with everyone, and world No. 1 [[Magnus Carlsen]] withdrew in protest. [[Boris Gelfand]] won the Candidates. Anand won the championship match again, in tie breaking rapid games, for his fourth consecutive world championship win.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/4478-fide-world-chess-championship-match.html |title=FIDE World Chess Championship Match – Anand Retains the Title! |publisher=Fide.com |date=20 April 2010 |access-date=26 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308182213/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/4478-fide-world-chess-championship-match.html |archive-date=8 March 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>