Peter Leko vs Vasyl Ivanchuk (2008)

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Peter Leko vs Vasyl Ivanchuk
Dortmund Sparkassen (2008), Dortmund GER, rd 2, Jun-29
Sicilian Defense: Paulsen Variation (B46) · 1-0

White to move.

ANALYSIS [x]

1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1

FEN COPIED

Given 13 times; par: 82 [what's this?]

explore this opening	find similar games	90 more Leko/Ivanchuk games
	PGN: download \| view \| print	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

TIP: Some people don't like to know the result of the game in advance. This can be done by registering a free account then visiting your preferences page, then checking "Don't show game results".

For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.

PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE. [CLICK HERE]

Jun-29-08		micartouse: Very aggressive opening play by the Hungarian.

Jun-29-08		messachess: I think that Leko has maybe exposed some serious weaknesses with this defense--unless Ivanchuck played it wrong. A big win for Leko towards winning the tournament.

Jun-29-08		OneArmedScissor: Leko held his own very nicely in this game.

Jun-29-08		Ron: It seems that after 25. f3, White threatens to play h4 to trap the Black knight at g5. It seems that attempts to get around this, whether the line played by Ivanchuk or other lines, will lead though to loss of material for Black.

Jun-29-08		Ezzy: P Leko (2741) - V Ivanchuk (2740) [B46] Sparkassen Chess Meeting Dortmund GER (2), 29.06.2008 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.0–0 Nf6 9.Qf3 Be7 10.Qg3 Nh5 11.Qf3 Nf6 12.e5 Nd7 13.Qg3 g6 14.Bh6 c5 <Novelty. 14...Bf8 is the usual move> 15.Na4 c4 16.Be2 Bb7 17.b3 Bc6 18.Nb2 Rb8 <Stops white playing 19 bxc4.> 19.Nd1 Nc5 <[19...Nxe5 20.Bg7 Bf6 21.Bxh8 Bxh8 Doesn't seem to be to Chucky's liking]> 20.Ne3 Ne4 21.Qh3 <With the idea 22 Bg7 with pressure on h7> 21...Ng5 22.Qg4 c3< Ivanchuk plans 23...Rb4 24... Ne4 25... Nd2 So leko has to put a stop to that.> 23.a3 Bb5? <The last chance to get the knight in play was with 23...Ne4. Now it has no square to move to> 24.Bxb5+ axb5 25.f3 Qb6 26.Rae1 d4<Ivanchuk is still fighting for some lasting initiative, but it soon fizzles out and he must be starting to feel dejected as he will be a piece down. >. 27.Nd1 d3+ 28.Kh1 dxc2 29.Nf2 Bc5 30.Nd3 Be3 31.Bxg5 Bd2 32.Re2 0–0 33.Nc1 b4 34.Bxd2 cxd2 35.Rxd2 <Ivanchuk plays on hoping for a miracle, but Leko will win this position 999 times out of a thousand.> 35...bxa3 36.Rxc2 Rfc8 37.Qe4 Rxc2 38.Qxc2 Qd4 39.Na2 Qxe5 40.b4 Rd8 41.h3 h5 42.Rb1 Qe3 43.Rd1 Rd5 44.Qb1 Qe2 45.Re1 Qd2 46.Rc1 Rd8 47.b5 Rb8 48.Rc3 h4 49.b6 Qd6 50.Rb3 Rb7 51.Nc3 Qc6 52.Rxa3 Qxb6 53.Qxb6 Rxb6 54.Ra4 g5 55.f4 Rb3 56.Ne2 Re3 57.Ng1 1–0 Strange game from Chucky. He plays with enterprise on the queenside and then lets his knight get trapped on the kingside. Not the form he has been playing in recently.

Jun-30-08		Ulhumbrus: Both Steinitz and I say that 13...g6 disturbs the King side pawns without necessity. The only difference between us is that Steinitz understands what he says. It is true that the move 13...Bf8 loses two tempi by undeveloping the KB, but White has also consumed two tempi upon the moves e5 and Qg3. Black may be able to develop the KB by ...g6 and ...Bg7, or else to castle on the Queen side and to play for a King side pawn storm which includes the move ...g5. 14...c5 disturbs the Queen side pawns. Having weakened the black squares on the King side, 14...Qc7 prepares to castle on the Queen side. 15...c4 may be the losing mistake if 14...c5 isn't. After 17 b3 Black's KIng will be exposes to attack on either wing. Black may be lost with best play after this. 21...Ng5 will lead to this N getting trapped and the move 30..Be3 lets the Knight go.

Jun-30-08		abstraction: The one point rating difference really showed in this game.

Jun-30-08		PinnedPiece: <abstraction: The one point rating difference really showed in this game.> Maybe now its two points difference?

Jun-30-08		grasser: 23.a3 may have been unnecessary. 23.Rfd1 Rb4 24.Rd4 Ne4 25.Rb4 Bxb4 26.Bd3 Bf8 27.Bxf8 Kxf8 28.Bxe4 dxe4 29.Rd1 Qe7 30.Rd6 is winning 24.Rd4 Rxd4 25.Qxd4 Qa5 26.b4 wins

Jul-01-08		Ezzy: I like this quote from Mig "Most of the mess was caused by Ivanchuk's odd knight tour of death. He moved his knight from d7 to c5 to e4 to g5, where it was duly trapped and lost." The 'Knight tour of death.' - I like that.

Jul-01-08		patzer2: Leko's 25. f3!! creates a surprise winning double attack with the threat of winning the near trapped Knight with a pawn or springing a winning attack on the helpless King position if Black attempts to save the piece with 25...f6 or 25...f5.

Jul-01-08		patzer2: <1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6> This move is currently in fashion among GMs. Also frequently played at Master level are 6. Be2 as in Wang Hao vs M Kobalia, 2008, 6. Be3 as in Radjabov vs Ivanchuk, 2008 and 6. g3 as in Svidler vs Rublevsky, 2007. <6...bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nf6 9. Qf3> With this move, White steers the game into familiar territory -- since he previously played it in Leko vs Mamedyarov, 2007. <9...Be7 10. Qg3 Nh5> Perhaps worth trying is 10...O-O as in Karjakin vs Rublevsky, 2007. <11. Qf3 Nf6 12. e5 Nd7 13. Qg3 g6 14. Bh6 c5> Don't know if it's a novelty, but this is the only game with this move currently in the chessgames.com databse. I suspect we'll not see much of the move in the future as it makes it difficult for Black to equalize. Instead, Black can try 14...Bf8 which transposes to the two draw games M Vachier Lagrave vs V Laznicka, 2008 and I Kurnosov vs Movsesian, 2008. <15. Na4 c4 16. Be2 Bb7 17. b3 Bc6 18. Nb2 Rb8 19. Nd1 Nc5 20. Ne3 Ne4 21. Qh3 Ng5 22. Qg4 c3 23. a3 Bb5?> This not so obvious mistake appears to give White a decisive advantage. Instead, Black can try and hold with 23... Ne4 (also recommended by <ezzy> above), when play might continue 24. Rfd1 Bh4 25. g3 Bg5 26. Bxg5 Nxg5 27. Qd4 Qa5 28. b4 Qb6 29. Qxc3 Bb5 30. Bxb5+ axb5 31. Ng4 Ne4 32. Qf3 O-O with only a small White advantage. <24. Bxb5+ axb5 25. f3!!> This initiates a winning double attack combination, threatening to either win the trapped Knight with a pawn or spring a decisive attack on the King should Black try to create an escape square for his suffocating steed.

Jul-01-08		patzer2: <25...Qb6> Attempting to save the Knight meets with a withering attack on the helpless King: If 25... f6, then White wins after 26. exf6 Bxf6 27. h4 Nf7 28. Qxe6+ Be7 29. Bg7 ; If 25... d4, then White wins after 26. Nd1 d3 27. cxd3 Rb6 28. f4 f5 29. exf6 Nf7 30. Bg7 Bxf6 31. Bxh8 Bxh8 32. Nf2 Kf8 33. Qe2 ; If 25... f5, then White wins after 26. exf6 Bxf6 27.h4 Nf7 28. Qxe6+ Qe7 29. Qc6+ Kd8 30. Rfd1 d4 31. Nd5 Qd6 32. Qxd6+ Nxd6 33. Nxf6 . <26. Rae1> Also winning is 26. Rfe1 d4 27. Nf1 d3+ 28. Kh1 d2 29. Red1 f5 30. exf6 Nf7 31. Bg7 Rg8 32. Qh4 h6 33. fxe7 Rxg7 34. Qf6 Rg8 35. Qxc3 Kxe7 36. Nxd2 . <26... d4 27. Nd1 d3+ 28. Kh1 dxc2 29. Nf2 Bc5 30. Nd3 Be3 31. Bxg5 Bd2 32. Re2 O-O 33. Nc1 b4 34. Bxd2 cxd2 35. Rxd2 bxa3 36. Rxc2 Rfc8 37. Qe4 Rxc2 38. Qxc2 Qd4 39. Na2> Also winning is 39. f4 Qb2 40. Rf2 Rd8 41. Kg1 g5 42. g3 Qxc2 43. Rxc2 . <39... Qxe5 40. b4 Rd8 41. h3 h5 42. Rb1 Qe3 43. Rd1 Rd5> Also losing for Black is 43... Rxd1+ 44. Qxd1 Qf2 45. Qa1 Qb2 46. Qxb2 axb2 47. Nc3 Kf8 48. Kg1 h4 49. Kf1 Ke7 50. Ke2 Kd7 51. Kd2 . <44. Qb1 Qe2 45. Re1 Qd2 46. Rc1 Rd8 47. b5 Rb8 48. Rc3 h4 49. b6 Qd6 50. Rb3 Rb7 51. Nc3 Qc6 52. Rxa3 Qxb6> No help for black is 52... Rxb6 53. Qa1 Qd6 54. Ne4 Rb1+ 55. Qxb1 Qxa3 56. Qb8+ Kg7 57. Qe5+ Kg8 58. Qg5 . <53. Qxb6 Rxb6 54. Ra4 g5 55. f4 Rb3 56. Ne2 Re3 57. Ng1> 1-0 Black resigns in the face of nothing but losing possibilities, such as 57...gxf4 58. Rxf4 e5 59. Rxh4 f6 60. Nf3 Kf7 61. Kg1 Ra3 62. Re4 1-0

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.