In 2007, the world chess championship was decided by a tournament, not a match.
In short: For the first time in history, the world chess title was determined through an eight-player double round-robin tournament in Mexico City. While the reigning champion Vladimir Kramnik participated, the event marked a rare departure from the traditional head-to-head match format that had defined the sport for generations.
The 2007 World Chess Championship, held from 12 to 30 September in Mexico City, represented a unique moment in the sport's history. Following the reunification of the title in 2006, FIDE opted to host a tournament to crown the new champion, despite the preference of players like Vladimir Kramnik for a traditional match format. This decision was largely driven by the fact that the event's organization was already well underway before the unification match between Kramnik and Veselin Topalov took place.
The tournament featured eight elite players, including the reigning champion Kramnik and the world number one, Viswanathan Anand. The qualification process was rigorous, involving a multi-stage path that included the 2005 World Cup and a separate Candidates tournament held in Elista, Russia, earlier in 2007. The Candidates event itself underwent several format changes before settling on a series of knockout matches to determine the final four qualifiers who would join the top finishers from the previous cycle.
Viswanathan Anand dominated the Mexico City event, finishing undefeated with a score of 9/14. This victory secured his first undisputed world title and established him as the 15th undisputed champion. Following this tournament, FIDE returned to the traditional match format for future championships, beginning with the 2008 cycle. To compensate for his exclusion from the 2007 event, the former FIDE champion Veselin Topalov was granted special privileges in the 2010 championship cycle, highlighting the complex political and structural shifts occurring within the sport at that time.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: World Chess Championship 2007
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