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In November of 2000, Vladimir Kramnik defeated his former tutor Gary Kasparov to become the 14th world chess champion, ending a 15-year Kasparov reign. The 26-year-old Kramnik (who beat his first grandmaster at the age of 10) trained extensively for the match, giving up smoking and devoting himself to a rigorous exercise regimen. As in boxing, there are competing organizations, each vying for ultimate authority. According to the World Chess Federation, or FIDE (Fédération Internationale
des Échecs), the current top-ranked player is India's first grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. However, most people concur that Kramnik is currently the top dog. But Kasparov's not out of it yet -- he recently beat Kramnick in a match in Kzakhstan. The next world championship match is scheduled for October, 2002.
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