After Svidler played in the World Cup (a rapid knockout event) and Eurotel Knockout, an open letter was published with Svidler's signature decrying the proposed "Prague Agreement" in which it argued "most of the top chess professionals will have no opportunity to take part in the World Championship until 2005" and called for the establishment of a Grandmasters' Committee as previously agreed. He then competed at the Moscow (rapid) Grand Prix, tied for second at the Ordix Open, won the Chess960 section and won a two-game handicap match against Junior 7 and Eckhard Freise, and tied for third at the Moscow Blitz Championship. In the "Match of the New Century" between Russia and Rest of the World he scored 5/9, losing to Anand and Teimour Radjabov, He took in a tied Moscow-Saint Petersburg match before competing in the Chess Olympiad scoring 6/9 for team gold. He tied for second, half a point behind Igor Khenkin, at Santo Domingo in December with 7/9.