On Apr 29, 12:12*pm, samsloan wrote:

The prize fund being offered Shirov was generous in spite of these
problems. I believe that the amount offered was $250,000. This is more
than the amount initially offered for the Kamsky Tapolov Match more
than ten years later. Shirov was a fool not to take the $250,000.

Sam, what is your source for this claim of $250,000? I have not been
able to find any report of a prize fund, whatever the amount,
definitely being offered to Shirov after Rentero reneged on the $2M
Seville deal. To hear Shirov himself tell it, he never turned down
anything:

http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic283.html

THE WEEK IN CHESS 283 10th April 2000 by Mark Crowther

Open Letter from Alexei Shirov

This is just a short note to remind the chess World that Kasparov's
statement that I turned down the offer from California untrue. I never
got any serious offer on paper and while I was negotiating the offer
disappeared by itself. This was back in October 1998. It was already
in 1999 that I was informed by reliable sources that the California
offer was in fact turned down by Kasparov himself since he found the
prize fund too low and tried to negotiate a better deal with the
California organizers. This still may be the wrong information but
it's completely clear to me that Kasparov just made me a scapegoat in
order to avoid the match.

**** And once again: I did not have any serious offer at all, so there
was nothing to turn down. ***** [emphasis added -- TK]

I do believe that the Kasparov-Kramnik match can not have anything to
do with any kind of World Championship, be it official, historical,
brain or whatsoever. I am legitimate candidate for it since 1998 and
the speculations about the California offer can not change it.

Sincerely Alexei Shirov