Miskolc Day 3: Anand strikes again, leads 4:2

Peter Leko vs Anand in Miskolc, Hungary This Rapid Chess event is taking place in Miskolc from June 2-7, 2009. The year’s most prestigious clash in Hungary is being organized at the National Theater, 1 Déryné str, Miskolc. The number one Hungarian grandmaster, Peter Leko takes up a duel of eight games against the Indian World Champion Viswanathan Anand. The games will be played at a rate of 25 minutes for all moves with a bonus of ten seconds per moves. Colours change at half-time. In case of a 4-4 draw blitz games will decide the winner. The arbiter of the Match is WGM Zsuzsa Veroci, Head of Communication of the Hungarian Chess Federation. At the end of each day of play there will be a press conference of 10-15 minutes with both players. On the final day the press conference will last 30 minutes.

Miskolc 2009 – Day three

4:15 p.m.: Aruna and Anand emerge from the lovely City Hotel to travel ten minutes to the venue

...by car, not by tram, the most popular mode of transport in the city

A stone's throw from the venue: a typical Miskolc church and a war memorial

On this day young Lila Kassay, three times Hungarian Champion in her age group, makes the ceremonial first move. Lila has given Peter Leko some tough fights in simultaneous exhibitions.

The start of game five on day three, with Anand playing the black side of a Grunfeld

Tensions run high, Peter Leko is in a clear must-win situation

Anand is more relaxed and feels comfortable in the Grundfeld that has blossomed on the board

Leko,Peter (2751) - Anand,Viswanathan (2783) [D97]
Miskolc Rapid (5), 06.06.2009 [Meszaros/Berkes]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5. It is not surprise for us: Anand keeps on playing Grunfeld with black. 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 a6 8.Be2 b5 9.Qb3 c5 10.dxc5 Bb7 11.0-0 Nxe4. The main line of the "Hungarian variarion". It looks like the World Champion is unsatisfied what happened in the fourth game after [11...Nbd7 12.e5 Nd5 13.Nxd5 Nxc5 14.Nxe7+ Qxe7 15.Qa3+/=] 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Bf4 [13.Bg5 was played by Kasparov against Leko, but Peter showed the right defensive plan and kept the balance.] 13...Bd5 14.Qe3 Bxb2 15.Rad1 e6 16.Ne5 Nd7 17.Nd3 Bg7 18.Nb4 Nf6 19.Bf3N. Reasonable continuations are still [19.Bd6; or 19.Be5 ] 19...Rc8 Anand does not hurry to escape from the pin with his queen, he is waiting for Leko's committment. 20.c6 Qa5!

21.Qc5? Too agressive, which can be explained by the standing in the match and not by the objective quality of the position! This move destroys the pawn structure on the kingside and the white queen will feel uncomfortable after the next movies of Black. Better was [21.Nxd5 Nxd5 22.Rxd5 exd5 23.Bxd5©; 21.a3 unclear] 21...Bxf3 22.gxf3 Rfe8 23.Bd6 Bf8 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 25.Rd6 Qa3! The c6 passed pawn does not mean serious danger for Black, therefore Anand starts a counterattack with his queen. 26.Rd3 Qb2! 27.Rb3 Qe2 28.Nxa6! The best chance to save the game! [After 28.Re3 Qc4 29.Qxc4 bxc4 30.Ra3 Nd5! 31.Nxd5 exd5 32.Rxa6 Rfd8 the connected passed pawns give good winning chances for Black.] 28...Qxa2 29.Ra3 Qb2 30.Qc3! At this moment Peter understood he has to fight for draw, because his pieces are uncoordinated and Anand's knight on d5 can be very powerful. Peter's idea is to exchange all pieces and queenside pawns except one pair of rooks. If Peter can do it the rook endgame only with the pawns on the kingside is a famous drawish position. 30...Qxc3 31.Rxc3 Nd5 32.Rc5 Ra8 33.c7 33...Rfc8 [For example 33...Rxa6?! 34.c8Q Rxc8 35.Rxc8+ Kg7 36.Rb1 b4 37.Rb8 Ra3 38.Kg2 Kf6 39.R1xb4 Nxb4 40.Rxb4 h5 41.h3 and this is the dream position.] 34.Rc6 Ra7 35.Rd6 Kg7 36.Rc1 b4 37.Rd8 [37.Rb1?! Rxa6 38.Rxa6 Rxc7 39.Ra8 Rc4 40.Rb8 Kf6=/+ this was Anand's plan, as he told the audience after the game.] 37...Raa8 38.Rxc8 Rxc8 39.Rb1 Kf6 40.Rb3?? Because of the time trouble (under one minute) Peter starts an incredible series of mistakes. [40.Nxb4 Nxc7 41.Rc1 Ke7 42.Na6 Kd7 43.Nxc7 Rxc7 44.Ra1=] 40...Ke7 41.Nxb4 Nxc7? A fatal mistake without punishment. [41...Rxc7 42.Nd3 (42.Nxd5+? exd5-+) 42...Kf6-/+] 42.Rc3 Kd6 [42...Kd7 43.Rd3+! Ke7 44.Rc3=]

43.Rd3+?? Peter told us after the game, he was waiting for Kd7, but Anand played Kd6 and in his big time trouble he mixed up the two saving moves. [43.Na6=] 43...Nd5 44.Kg2 Rc4 45.Nxd5 exd5 The rest is simple. 46.Ra3 d4 47.Ra8 Rc7 48.Kf1 Ke5 49.Rd8 f5 50.h4 Rc1+ 51.Kg2 Rc6 52.Re8+ Re6 53.Rd8 Rd6 54.f4+ Kd5 55.Re8 Re6 56.Ra8 d3 57.Kf3 Kc4 58.Rc8+ Kb3 0-1. [Click to replay]

Peter Leko stuggling

Anand plays forcefully, the game approaches its conclusion...

...and finally ends when a grim-faced Leko stretches out his hand in resignation

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Game six – the second on day three – has started

Arbiter Zsuzsa Veroci does her thing – here making sure the players have enough aerated water, in bottles that have been pre-opened (to avoid anyone struggling with the cap during the game)

Anand,Viswanathan (2783) - Leko,Peter (2751) [D46]
Miskolc Rapid (6), 06.06.2009 [Meszaros/Berkes]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2. Anand follows a new line. 6...Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 a6 10.a4 c5 11.Rd1. Anand fights against his favourite weapon. 11...cxd4 12.exd4 Qc7 13.Qe2 Re8 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 b6

16.Rac1N [16.Bd3 Bb7 17.Rac1 Bxf3 18.Qxf3 Bxh2+ 19.Kh1 Qf4 20.Qh3 g5 21.Qxh2 Qxh4 22.Qxh4 gxh4 23.Kh2= Jussupow-Sebag, Moscow 2008 ] 16...Bb7 17.Bg3!? Typical plan in these structures. Black can not move with his Ra8 from the corner and prepares the e5 square for his f3 knight. 17...Bxg3 [17...Bxf3?! 18.gxf3 Bxg3 19.hxg3+/=] 18.hxg3 Qd6 19.Ne5 Red8 20.Ba2 Rac8 21.Nc4! Very good choice which suits for the result of the match. Anand trying to win without any risk. 21...Qb4 22.Ne3 22...Re8 [22...Nf8 23.d5 exd5 24.Bxd5! Nxd5 25.Ncxd5 Qe4 26.Rxc8 Rxc8 27.Nxb6+/=; 22...Qa5 23.d5! exd5 24.Rd4 unclear] 23.d5! Anand can not improve the position of his pieces, so here is the time to break the centre. 23...Nf8?! [23...exd5 24.Ncxd5 Nxd5 25.Rxc8 Bxc8 (25...Rxc8? 26.Bxd5+/-) 26.Bxd5 Qxa4 27.b3! Qb4 (27...Qb5 28.Qxb5 axb5 29.Bc6 Re7 30.Nf5 Re5 31.g4+/-) 28.Bc6|^] 24.dxe6 Nxe6 25.Bd5! The World Champion exploits brilliantly the power of d5 square. 25...Nxd5 26.Ncxd5 Qb3 27.Rxc8 Bxc8 28.Qc4! Nc5 [28...Qxb2? 29.Qc6 Kf8 30.Nxb6+-] 29.Qxb3 After the game both side was agree that after [29.a5! Qxb2 30.axb6 White wins.] 29...Nxb3 30.Nxb6 Be6 31.Rd6 a5 32.Nbd5 Nc5 33.Nc7 Rb8 34.Nxe6 fxe6! Very clever decision what gives good chances for draw. 35.Nc4 Nxa4 36.Rxe6 Nxb2 37.Nxa5 Nd3! 38.f3

38...Kf7. Peter told us after he had touched his king he saw the following variation [38...Rb1+ 39.Kh2 h5! 40.Re2 Rf1! with the idea Nf2 with an easy draw.] 39.Re2 h5 40.Nc4. White has still serious advantage, but after mutual inaccuracies in the time trouble the game ends draw. 40...Kf6 41.Nd6 Rb1+ 42.Kh2 Nc5 43.Ne8+ Kf7 44.Re5 Nb7 45.Nc7 g6 46.Nd5 Rb5 47.Re7+ Kf8 48.Rd7 Nc5 49.Rd8+ Kf7 50.Nf4 Ne6 51.Rd7+ Ke8! 52.Rh7 Nxf4 53.gxf4 draw. [Click to replay]

The game approaches its conclusion, Anand is close to a second win today...

and in the end a clearly disappointed Anand has to settle for a draw

"I missed a5, didn't I?" Leko and Anand analyse before the public press conference

• Click to replay the unannotated games of day three
• Click to download the unannotated games of day three

At last. At last! How long have we been waiting for this to happen. A world chess
champion being mobbed by adoring young female fans on the street.

Video impressions

Video report by Vijay Kumar for Europe Echecs

Standings

	Nat.	Rtng.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Tot.	Perf
Peter Leko	HUN	2751	½	0	½	½	0	½			2.0	2658
Viswanathan Anand	IND	2783	½	1	½	½	1	½			4.0	2876

Remaining schedule of the Rapid Chess event

Friday	05 June	16.00h	Public event, ITC International Trade Center, 1. Mindszent Square, Miskolc
Saturday	06 June	16.30h	Fifth game of the match
		18.00h	Sixth game of the match
Sunday	07 June	16.30h	Seventh game of the match
		18.00h	Eighth game of the match
		19.30h	Closing ceremony