Time & Perspective Quote by Vladimir Kramnik

Kramnik is doing two things at once: staking a claim and rehearsing humility for the cameras. The first sentence is pure competitive arithmetic dressed up as casual chat - “our ratings… will be very close” turns the match into a measurable transfer of legitimacy. In chess, Elo isn’t just a number; it’s the sport’s ongoing election. By invoking it immediately, he frames the result not as a one-off win or loss, but as a shift in the hierarchy.

Then comes the soft punch: “I can also become the world number one.” The “also” matters. It signals that he’s not merely chasing the title in theory; he’s entering a club that has a bouncer, and his name is Garry. The phrase “not too distant future” is strategic vagueness - confident enough to sound inevitable, noncommittal enough to avoid tempting fate in a game where overconfidence gets punished.

The final line is the real craft. “I’m sure that Garry will also have something to say about this!” reads like good sportsmanship, but it’s a calculated nod to the Kasparov era: dominance as a force of nature, not just an opponent across the board. It flatters Kasparov while subtly challenging him, turning rivalry into narrative. Kramnik’s intent is cultural as much as competitive: to announce succession without sounding like a usurper, to market a new chess storyline where the throne is no longer sacred - just contested.