Miskolc Day 4: Anand wins Rapid match 5:3

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 four

Before the fist game of day four Peter Leko paces the area behind the stage

A senior notary official of the city executes the first move

Anand,Viswanathan (2783) - Leko,Peter (2751) [D43]
Miskolc Rapid (7), 07.06.2009 [Meszaros/Berkes]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6. Peter could have chose the extremly sharp Botvinnik Variation with 5....dxc4, but it is not his style. 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 Nd7 8.Bd3

8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 g6. This is the newest tendency – previously 9....Bd6 was the most accepted continuation. 10.0-0 Bg7 11.e4 e5 12.d5 Nb6 13.Bb3 Bg4 14.Rc1 h5. Some weeks ago Karjakin tried [14...0-0 against Carlsen, but after 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Qxf3 17.gxf3 Rfd8 18.Rfd1 Bf6 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.Rxd8+ Rxd8 21.Nd1! Rd6 22.Rc5 Kf8 23.Kf1 h5 24.Ne3 Ke7 25.Ke2 Bg7 26.Nc2 Bh6 27.Ra5! Rd7 28.Rxe5+ Kd6 29.Ra5 Bg7 30.f4! Bxb2 31.e5+ Ke7 32.Nb4+/- he could not equalize the position and lost the game.]

15.h3 Bh6 16.Rc2 Bxf3 17.Qxf3 Qxf3 18.gxf3 Rc8 19.Rd1 Ke7

The point of Leko's plan: instead of castling his king participates in the fight. 20.dxc6 Rxc6 21.Nd5+ Nxd5 22.Rxc6 bxc6 23.exd5 23...Rd8! Fine move: Peter sacrifices a pawn for exchanging the rooks. [After 23...cxd5 24.Rxd5 f6 25.Ra5+/= Black has difficulties because of his weaknesses (a7 pawn, g6 pawn, e6 square).] 24.dxc6 Rxd1+ 25.Bxd1 Kd6 26.Ba4 Bc1 27.b4 a6 28.b5 axb5 29.Bxb5 Ba3

White's extra pawn does not mean any advantage. With this draw the World Champion has won the match. Draw. [Click to replay]

Commentators GM Ferenz Berkes and IM Gyula Meszaros commenting during the game

Gyula tells us that he has been Ferenz's trainer for thirteen years now

"Feri" Berkes, who together with Gyula, has been supplying us with analysis of the Miskolc games

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Final game: Aladár Döme, general manager of the Degenfeld Castle Hotel, makes the first move

Leko,Peter (2751) - Anand,Viswanathan (2783) [B12]
Miskolc Rapid (8), 07.06.2009 [Meszaros/Berkes]

1.e4. Looks like Leko does not want to play against the Grunfeld defence again. 1...c6. A new guest in the match. The Caro-Kann defence is a prefered one for both sides. 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7

8.c4 Nbc6 9.Qa4

9...dxc4 10.Nc3. Peter sacrifices a pawn for the initiative. He has advantage of development and after some moves he will have pair of bishops. The question is these pluses will be enough to force the win? 10...a6

11.0-0-0 Qa5 12.Qxa5 Nxa5 13.Nxf5 Nxf5 14.Bb6 Nc6 15.f4 Rc8 16.Bf3 Be7 17.Rd2 g5 18.g3 gxf4 19.gxf4

19...Nh4! A very important novelty. Thought White has some compensation for the pawn, for the advantage White has to find a new way. [19...Nb4 20.Kb1 Rg8 21.Rhd1 Nd3 22.Bxb7 Rb8 23.Bc6+ Kf8 24.Ba7 Rc8 25.Be4 Nxf4 26.Na4!+/= Leko-Cheparinov, Elista 2008.12.; 19...Rg8 20.Rhd1 Nh4 21.Bxc6+! bxc6 (21...Rxc6 22.Rd8+ Bxd8 23.Rxd8+ Ke7 24.Rxg8 Rxb6 25.Ne4+/- /\ Nf6) 22.Ne4|^] 20.Be4 Rg8 21.Kb1 [21.Rhd1 Rg4 22.Rd7 Rxf4 23.Rxb7 Nxe5 24.Bc7!] 21...Rg4 22.Rf1 Ng6

23.f5! Ngxe5 24.fxe6 fxe6 25.Bxh7 Nd7 26.Be3

26...b5 [26...Rd8! was better. After 27.Be4 (27.Bc2 Nc5) 27...Nc5 28.Bxc6+ bxc6 29.Rxd8+ Kxd8 30.Rg1 Rxg1+ 31.Bxg1 Nd3=/+ Black has an extra pawn.] 27.Bc2 Nce5 28.Ne4 Nd3! 29.Bxd3 cxd3 30.Nf2 Rg2 31.Nxd3 Rxd2 32.Bxd2 Nf6 33.Bc1! Rd8 34.Ne5 Rd5 35.Nc6 Rh5

36.Re1 [36.Nxe7 Kxe7 37.h4 Ne4 with attack.] 36...Kf7

37.Bf4?! Inaccuracy. Peter would have reached some advantage with good play. After 37.Ne5+ Ke8 38.Ng6 Kd7 39.Nf4 Rxh2 40.Rxe6+/= White is better, though the a6 pawn is weak, and Black can keep the draw. 37...Nd5 38.Bg3 Bf6 39.a3 Rf5 40.Ne5+ Bxe5 41.Bxe5 a5 42.Bg3 a4 43.Kc2 Draw. [Click to replay]

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

The two players discuss the game and match for themselves and the spectators

A final reception given by the Mayor (right) in the Town Hall

Final standings

	Nat.	Rtng.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Tot.	Perf
Peter Leko	HUN	2751	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	3.0	2696
Viswanathan Anand	IND	2783	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	5.0	2846

... who has produced these video reports for Europe Echecs

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The glass engravings of Pál Mata

On the day after the event we went to visit the workshop of Pál Mata, the artist who
provided the trophies. Pál runs an entire operation of glass engraving all by himself.

Pál engraved a glass on a diamond wheel for us to demonstrate the process

The finished product, and exquisitely hand-engraved glass

A piece made for the Southern Africa Sunshine Explorer

The exquisite detail of the engraving

Pál Mata demonstrated for us his free-hand engraving of two stallions

A work in progress: the stallions after an hour of engraving

A finished product: the beautifully detailled lion's head at the bottom of a glass bowl

Pál Mata has his manufacture in the town of Parád, about 100 km from Miskolc. He has a shop where you can buy his produces (at very reasonable prices). You can try ordering from his web site, but he prefers people to come to Parád and pick things out there. Any time: the number is +36-36-544034.