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In this game Kramnik with black chose the Queen Indian defence against Leko's 1.d4. The challenger spent a lot of time in the opening, trying to come up with a way to break the defensive wall of the world champion. In the end, at move 16, he decided to attack in the center with thematic advance e2–e4, but having already spent about 70 minutes he accepted a surprise draw offer by Kramnik. This was the shortest game of the championship so far.
Peter Leko and Vladimir Kramnik at the start of game nine
Leko,P (2741) - Kramnik,V (2770) [E15]
WCh Brissago SUI (9), 09.10.2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Nc3 Bb7 8.Bg2 d5 9.cxd5
exd5 10.0-0 0-0 11.Bf4 Na6 12.Qc2 Re8 13.Rfd1 c6 14.Ne5 h6 15.a3 Nc7 16.e4
Ne6 ½-½
On Sunday Vladimir Kramnik for the first time in this match got a clearly better position out of the opening. With challenger Peter Leko in a passive endgame with several pawn weaknesses, Kramnik looked for a forced win. He sacrificed a pawn on move 24 in an attempt to cut off Leko's rook. But the 25-year-old Hungarian defended well, in spite of being in time pressure. The game ended in a draw. “I am trying to keep the lead and just thinking from game to game”, said the 25-year-old challenger from Hungary in the press conference after the game. Now Leko needs two points out of the last four games to clinch the title. The challenger needs 7½ points out of 14 games to become world champion, the reigning champion just needs to tie the match with seven points to retain his title.
Peter Leko at the press conference after the match
Kramnik,V (2770) - Leko,P (2741) [C78]
WCh Brissago SUI (10), 10.10.2004
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bc2 d5 8.exd5 Qxd5
9.a4 b4 10.d4 exd4 11.Bb3 Qd8 12.Re1+ Be7 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Qxd4 15.cxd4
Bb7 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Nd2 Rg8 19.g3 Rd8 20.Rac1 Rd7 21.Nc4 Rg5 22.Ne3
Kf8 23.h4 Ra5 24.d5 Rc5 25.Rcd1 c6 26.Nf5 cxd5 27.Rd4 Rdc7 28.Red1 Rc1 29.Bxd5
Rxd1+ 30.Rxd1 Bc8 31.Be4 Bxf5 32.Bxf5 b3 33.Rd3 Rc4 34.Bd7 Rb4 35.Bc6 ½-½
Match commentators Helmut Pfleger and Artur Jussupow in a live postgame
press conference on Playchess.com
| Vladimir Kramnik | |||||||||||||||
| Peter Leko |
Alexander Alekhine at the world championship in Brissago. Alekhine is the
son of the fourth world champion and turns 83 on November 1st – which
by coincidence is also the birthday of his legendary father.
A marching band in Ascona, the town in which the players are staying
Rolf Behovits
Press Officer World Chess Championship
CENTRO DANNEMANN
Via Ruggero Leoncavallo
CH-6614 Brissago
rbehovits@chessgate.de
