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The Hungarian city of Miskolc entered the chess stage in 2005 to glowing reviews when the burg’s boosters decided to organize a rapid chess tournament every year in order to promote tourism.

In the tourney’s brief history, the Hungarian national chess hero Peter Leko has emerged as its annual contender. Last year, his rival was the English GM Michael Adams and the eight-game match ended in a 4–4 draw.

This year the other finalist was none other than the former world champion Anatoly Karpov from Russia. Leko took the tournament prize this year, but squeaked by with a score of 4.5-3.5.

The reason for the tight finish was Karpov’s enigmatic style. As has historically been his wont, Karpov has an incredible ability to play from desperate positions thereby salvaging important points and half-points in match play. Karpov grants us a very good example of this proclivity in the game we present today.

The opening of game seven flowed in a very orthodox manner, but during the middle game Karpov let several good chances to capitalize pass through his fingers. Then Leko took the initiative. On the 23rd move, Karpov’s position grew desperate, but then he began to play only as Karpov can until arriving at a draw.

Take a close look at this game. To reach a draw was more difficult than getting blood out of a stone.

Leko, Peter (ELO: 2738) -
Karpov, Anatoli (2668) [B19- Caro-Kann]
Miskolc, Hungaria, August 30, 2006
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 15.0–0–0 Ngf6 Both players give us a free opening lesson. If you want to know how to play the Caro-Kann, this game flows better than any book. 16.Rhe1 b5 17.c5 0––0 18.Nf5? This is a bad idea. The crux of the position is the d-column and the pin on d4 [18.Ne4 Rfd8 19.g4 Nxc5 (19...Nxg4!? would be as interesting as it would be risky. 20.Rg1 f5 21.Qb3) 20.Nxc5 Bxc5 21.g5 The position is now unclear and very tense. Anything can happen.] 18...exf5 19.Rxe7 Nxc5 20.Qe2 Ncd7 21.Nh4 Qd6 Very conservative. Black should have exchanged the knight for the rook and kept on attacking from a clearly superior position. [21...Nd5! 22.Nxf5 Nxe7 23.Qxe7] 22.Nxf5! Qd5 23.g4? This variation would have almost assured a white victory. [23.Qf3 Nb6 (23...Qxa2?? 24.Rxd7 Nxd7 25.Qg4 and black is lost; but this variation may have led to a draw; 23...Qxf3!? 24.gxf3 Rae8) 24.Nxh6+ gxh6 25.Qxf6] 23...Qxa2! Call it instinct, call it luck, call it whim, but the truth is that after this move there is only one possibility for white in order to win the game. In the diagram 24.g5? and it is a draw. The solution was [24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.Nxh6+ Kh7 26.Qd3+] 24...hxg5 25.Qe3 Qa1+ 26.Kc2 Qa4+ 27.Kc1 [27.Qb3 Qxb3+ 28.Kxb3 black stays better; 27.b3 Qa2+ 28.Kc1 (28.Kd3? Nxh5 29.Rxd7 Nf4+ 30.Kc3 b4+ 31.Kc4 and black soon wins.) 28...Qa1+ also leads to a draw.] 27...Qa1+ 28.Kc2 ½–½

Accredited by the Chess Federation of Madrid in Spain, Carlos García Hernández teaches chess at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. His weekly chess column appears in the German newspaper Neues Deutschland.

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