Anybody know if the sports writer is a rated chess player? While I don't particularly agree with the article it is at least interesting. From my perspective, the world championship is somewhat like the superbowl---if I like the opponents, I pay attention; else not. Should it be fixed? I think it better to spend time 'fixing' FIDE first, then returning to the layered approach of some decades back. Most of what many rated players that I talk/play with think the obvious corruption and manipulation need to go, but many point out that the bent politics is a tradition in of itself :)