Chess world championship cycle

Interviews with Kramnik and Anand reveal six months preparation is "enough".

General structure: single elimination tournament, to prevent the Soviets from colluding.

Tunable knobs: how long the cycle is, time in betwen levels of the tournament, where the former champion gets seeded in.

2 year cycle

"former champ" == "last cycle's champion"

8 candidates announced January
  6 months pass
8-player match July
  6 months pass
4-player match January
  6 months pass
2 player match, yielding challenger July
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels for total 2 years
final match December

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15+1 announced, including former champion January
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
16 player match July
8 player match January
4 player match July
2 player match December

---

14 announced January
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
14 player match July
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels for total 1 year
8 player match, 7+1 including former champ January
4 player match July
2 player match December

---

12 announced January
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
12 player match July
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
6 player match January
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels for total 1.5 years
4 player match, 3+1 including former champ July
2 player match December

---
BEST PLAN:

24 announced January
  4 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
24 player match May
  4 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
12 player match September
  4 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels
6 player match January
  6 months pass, former champ enjoying laurels for total 1.33 years
4 player match July
  6 months pass
2 player match December

2 year cycle seems more than enough, though 3 years is OK stretching the time betwen matches to 9 or 6 months, which might be appropriate if the matches themselves are long and recovery time after matches.

Of the (say) 24 spots, reserve 1 for loser of the last championship, 1 for a large knockout world cup winner (allows a wild card-like entry), 1 for reigning women's world champion, 1 for blitz champion, remaining 20 (or more) go to highest rated.

Though really, I think this is all too complicated and have a better idea.