Leko - Karpov Match

Peter Leko and Anatoly Karpov will play rapid match on August 30th-September 3rd in Miskolc, Hungary. Traditionally, City of Miskolc is organizing matches for Peter Leko every year in the late summer. The event will consist of 8 games.



Wednesday Aug 30 update: First two games were both drawn. As expected, Karpov defended with Caro-Kan and found perpetual chess just as Leko tried to launch an attack. 2nd game saw Nimzo Indian defence with Leko trying majority attack on Queen side. Karpov pushed e4 and a4 on time to break Black's pawn phalanx.


Peter Leko - Anatoly Karpov
1st game
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Qa5 12. Bd2 Bb4 13. c3 Be7 14. c4 Qc7 15. O-O-O Ngf6 16. Rhe1 b5 17. c5 O-O 18. Nf5 exf5 19. Rxe7 Nxc5 20. Qe2 Ncd7 21. Nh4 Qd6 22. Nxf5 Qd5 23. g4 Qxa2 24. g5 hxg5 25. Qe3 Qa1 26. Kc2 Qa4 27. Kc1 Qa1 28. Kc2 draw


Anatoly Karpov - Peter Leko
2nd game
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. Qxc3 c4 10. g3 O-O 11. Bg2 Ne4 12. Bxd8 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Rxd8 14. Nd2 b5 15. e4 Be6 16. O-O dxe4 17. Nxe4 Bd5 18. Nc5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rab8 20. Rab1 a5 21. Rfc1 Ne7 22. a4 bxa4 23. Ra1 Nd5 24. Rxa4 Rb5 25. Rc2 g6 26. h4 Kg7 27. Kf3 Nb6 28. Raa2 Nd5 29. Ra4 Nb6 30. Raa2 draw


Thursday Aug 31 update: In 3rd game Peter Leko changes strategy - first move d4 and Queen's Indian defence on the board. Leko had dangerous pawn on c6 but Karpov defended well by placing his Rook on the 7th rank and Nc5 covering d7 square. Eventually, Karpov made a mistake allowing opponent's Queen to penetrate to g8 and lost the game. 4th game was drawn.


Peter Leko - Anatoly Karpov
3rd game
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O c6 9. Bc3 d5 10. Ne5 Nfd7 11. Nxd7 Nxd7 12. Nd2 Rc8 13. e4 c5 14. exd5 exd5 15. dxc5 dxc4 16. c6 cxb3 17. Re1 b2 18. Bxb2 Nc5 19. Nc4 Bxc4 20. Qg4 Bf6 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Qxc4 Rfd8 23. Rad1 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 g6 25. Bd5 Kg7 26. Kg2 Rc7 27. Rd4 g5 28. h4 h6 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Rg4 Qf5 31. Qd4 f6 32. Bf3 Ne6 33. Qe3 Nc5 34. Rd4 Qe6


35. Qd2 Qe7 36. Kg1 Qe6 37. Rd8 Qe7 38. Qd5 Qf7 39. Qd6 Qe7 40. Qd5 Qe6 41. Qd2 Re7 42. Kg2 Ne4 43. Qb4 Nc5 44. Qd4 Qe5 45. Qd2 Ne4 46. Qc2 Nc5 47. Qc4 Rc7 48. Qg8 Kh6 49. Qh8 Rh7 50. Qf8 Rg7 51. Rd7 1-0


Anatoly Karpov - Peter Leko
4th game
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nf3 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Nxd2 12. Qxd2 Qxc5 13. e3 O-O 14. Be2 Bg4 15. O-O Rfd8 16. Rac1 Qb6 17. h3 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 d4 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. exd4 Rxd4 21. Qc3 Rad8 22. Rc2 R4d6 23. Re1 h6 24. Re7 a5 25. Qe5 Rf6 26. Qe2 Qd4 27. Re4 Qd1+ 28. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 29. Kh2 Rd5 30. Rec4 Rb5 31. f3 g6 32. Rc5 Rd6 33. Rxb5 cxb5 34. Rc5 Rb6 35. b4 a4 36. Kg3 Rd6 37. Rxb5 Rd3 draw



Saturday Sep 2nd update: This match is simply boring. In today's games both players were gladly trading pieces reaching drawish Rook endgames.


Peter Leko - Anatoly Karpov
5th game
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Bb3 Nc6 8. Nc3 Be7 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. Rd1 O-O 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. exd4 Nd5 13. Qf3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Qc7 15. Bf4 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. c4 Rb8 18. Rac1 Bd7 19. c5 Qc7 20. d5 exd5 21. Bxd5 h6 22. g3 a5 23. h4 Qc8 24. Rd4 Be6 25. a3 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Rd8 27. Rxd8 Qxd8 28. Rb1 Qc7 29. Rb5 a4 30. Qe4 Kh8 31. Qxa4 Qc6 32. Ra5 Qd5 33. Ra8 Rxa8 34. Qxa8 Kh7 35. Qa5 Qd1 36. Kg2 Qd5 37. Kf1 Qd3 38. Kg1 Qd1 39. Kh2 Qd4 40. Kg2 Qd5 41. f3 Qa2 42. Kh3 Qe6 43. g4 Qe3
44. Kg3 Qg1 45. Kf4 Qd4 46. Kg3 Qg1 draw


Anatoly Karpov - Peter Leko
6th game
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. Ng5 Bb7 10. Qf3 h6 11. Qh3 Qe7 12. Bd2 O-O 13. Nge4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 c5 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Bxb5 cxd4 17. O-O d3 18. Bc3 Qd5 19. Qg4 Ne5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. Bxd3 Qxb2 22. Rab1 Qc3 23. Rxb7 Qxd3 24. Qa4 Rfb8 25. Rd7 Rb4 26. Qc6 Qe4 27. Qxe4 Rxe4 28. Rc1 Ra4 29. Rc2 g5 30. h3 Rf8 31. g4 Kg7 32. Kg2 Kg6 33. Kg3 a6 34. Ra7 h5 draw



Sunday Sep 3rd update: Peter Leko won the match with 4.5-3.5. Last years encounter against Michael Adams was by far more interesting. In 7th game Karpov sacrificed his Q for R and B to easy hold the draw. Game 8 saw some initiative by Karpov, but Leko used his Bishop well - another draw.


Peter Leko - Anatoly Karpov
7th game
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Bb3 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Qd2 Nd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Rfe1 Qd6 15. Rac1 Bg4 16. Ne5 Bf5 17. Rc3 Rac8 18. Rce3 Ng6 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Re5 Be6 21. h4 Rfe8 22. Bxd5 Rcd8 23. Qe3 Qxd5 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. a3 Red8 26. Rd1 Rb5 27. Rd2 Rbd5 28. f3 Rc8 29. Kf2 Rcd8 30. Qf4 Rc8 31. Qe4 Rcd8 32. g4 a5 33. a4 b5 34. axb5 Rxb5 35. Qc6 Rbd5 36. Ke3 Rb8 37. Qc7 Rc8 38. Qb6 Kh7 39. Rd3 Rc4 40. Qa7 Rb4 41. Ra3 Rxb2 42. Rxa5 Rbb5 43. Ra3 Rd7 44. Qa8 Rdb7 45. Kf4 Rb4 46. Kg3 Rb8 47. Qe4 Rd8 48. h5 Rbxd4 49. hxg6 Kh6 50. Qc2 Rd2 51. Qc6 R2d6 52. Qc2 Rd2 53. Qb1 Rd1 54. Qb6 Kxg6 55. Re3 R8d6
56. Qb8 Kh7 57. Re2 R6d2 58. Rxd2 Rxd2 59. Qe5 Rd5 60. Qe4 g6 61. Qb4 Kg7 62. Kf4 g5 63. Kg3 Kg6 64. Qe4 Kg7 draw


Anatoly Karpov - Peter Leko
8th game
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Rd1 Na6 11. Bf4 Nc5 12. Qc2 Qc8 13. Rac1 Nce4 14. Nd4 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 a6 16. Qb3 Bc5 17. Bg5 Ng4 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qf3 Qxf3 20. exf3 Ne5 21. Kg2 f6 22. Bf4 Kf7 23. Ne2 Ke7 24. a4 Rfc8 25. b3 Ra7 26. Bxe5 fxe5 27. f4 exf4 28. Nxf4 Ba3 29. Ra1 Bd6 30. Nd3 Bc5 31. f4 Bd4 32. Rac1 Bf6 33. Kf3 g5 34. Ke4 gxf4 35. gxf4 Rac7 36. f5 Bg5 37. Ra1 d5 38. cxd5 exd5 39. Kf3 Kf6 40. h4 Bh6 41. Nb4 Rc3 42. Kg4 Rxb3 43. Nxd5 Kf7 44. Kh5 Bf8 45. Rac1 Rxc1 46. Rxc1 Bc5 47. a5 Rd3 48. Nxb6 Be7 49. Rc7 Rd4 50. Rc4 Rxc4 51. Nxc4 Kf6 52. Kg4 h5 53. Kf4 Bb4 54. Ke4 Be1 55. Ne3 Bxh4 56. Nd5 Kf7 draw


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