Final Round 1 18th July 2002

THE WURST CASE SCENARIO

AND then there were two…which in true Agatha Christie style means one of them is soon going to be bumped off - is it going to be Topalov, the carnivore, or Leko, the vegetarian? And if you haven’t already done so, you can place your bets now at: http://www.bettson.com – a much wiser investment these days than losing you shirt on the continually sliding Markets, where these days the Dow Jones is sinking deeper than Davey Jones’ Locker.

However, before you do decide to make an investment on the outcome of the match (remember: your favourite players can lose as well as win!), it may serve you well to look at other factors that could well influence the overall result: stress and fatigue. Unlike the old Candidates’ system of the past, where after winning a match the players would have a few months to recuperate and prepare for a new opponent, here in Dortmund it’s the survival of the fittest – or alternatively the one that’s had the more rest days to better prepare himself for the duel.

Finalists Leko and Topalov had contrasting routes to the final

Just look at both Leko and Topalov’s route to the final here in Dortmund – that alone could be the deciding issue that determines Kramnik’s challenger. From it, you can see that Topalov is the player that has played for 13 days without a rest – including that energy-sapping epic against Bareev - while Leko has managed to dispose of the opposition more clinically to allow himself three days of R&R. Unlike Topalov who had to go through the charade of a playoff with Shirov to decide who would win the group, Leko qualified without any playoff. And, unlike that gruelling contest Topalov had with Bareev, Leko managed to dispose of Shirov with such efficiency there was no need even for a fourth game.

Believe me, the most difficult decision Leko has had to make in Dortmund during this campaign has been where to find a decent restaurant in the city that caters for the demands of a life-long vegetarian! The Germans have an old saying: ‘One cannot live from bread alone, there must be sausage and ham as well.’ You go into just about any of the local restaurants in Dortmund and ask for vegetable soup, and invariably your vegetable soup will also come with an additional extra of some chopped up sausage just to let the vegetarians know what they are missing out on.

Eating in Germany is easy, because there is basically one kind of food, called the “wurst.” This is a delicious item made by compressing random pig parts until they have reached the density of bowling balls, then serving them in long brown units that in no way resembles a bowel movement. To the untrained eye all wursts seem the same, but in fact each region of the country has its own “special recipe,” thus producing a wide variety for your eating adventure. I had the misfortune of asking our local hosts here to treat me to a traditional German meal, which believe me went from wurst to wurst. After eating my way through a knockwurst, a blutwurst and a mettwurst all spiced up with caraway and coriander, I couldn’t quite manage the weisswurst, a Munich speciality; but when they told me it was made of calves’ brains and spleen, I wasn’t too unhappy about missing out.

But all this meat can be too much for you – even if like me you do come from Scotland where we top the league on bad diets. The next night on the eve of the Candidates’ Final, I decided to search out a restaurant that at least would offer me some nutritional variety. I should of course have just asked Peter Leko where to go – I ended up sitting next to him at the Baan-Pai Thai Restaurant; a delectable wurst-free establishment on Alter Burgwall. For someone about to play in the biggest match of his career, he seemed relaxed – and no wonder he had had two days off to unwind with a couple of relaxing massages and to prepare for Topalov, who by this time was probably getting his heart-beat back to normal after his encounter with Bareev.

Start of game one with top German athlete Sina Schielke making the ceremonial first move.

With little or no time left to prepare – or recuperate – for Leko, Topalov faced the worst possible scenario for a Candidates Final – and I don’t suppose the marathon seven hour pounding in the first game has helped his cause.

Leko,P (2722) - Topalov,V (2745) [B45]

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Nxc6 [The variation with no name - the idea is to prevent the Sveshnikov that generally comes around after 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bf4 e5 8 Bg5 a6.] 6 ..bxc6 7 e5 Nd5 8 Ne4 Bb7 9 Be2 c5 10 0–0 Qc7 11 Nd6+ Bxd6 12 exd6 Qc6 13 f3 c4 14 Qd4 0–0 15 Bxc4 [Leko's had plenty of practical experience with this system recently - and from both sides!] 15 ..Rfc8 [ 15 ..Qxd6 16 Rf2 Qb6 17 Qh4 Rac8 18 b3 Ne3 19 Bd3 Nf5 20 Qf4 Qd4 21 Qxd4 Nxd4 22 Be3 Nc6 23 Bc5 Rfe8 24 Bd6 Ne7 25 Rd2 Nf5 26 Bxf5 exf5 27 c4 a6 28 Kf2 g5 29 h4 f6 30 Bb4 Bc6 31 Rd6 Re6 32 Rxe6 dxe6 33 hxg5 fxg5 34 Be7 h6 35 Rd1 Kf7 36 Bd8 Ke8 37 Ba5 Ke7 38 Rh1 Rh8 39 Bb4+ Kf6 40 Rd1 Rc8 41 Ba5 f4 42 Bc3+ Kf7 43 Rh1 Kg6 44 Re1 Bd7 45 Re5 h5 46 Ra5 Rc6 47 Bb4 Kf6 48 Bc3+ Kg6 49 Be5 Bc8 50 c5 Kf5 51 Bd6 Bb7 52 b4 e5 53 a4 Rc8 54 Bxe5 Bd5 55 Bd6 g4 56 c6 Ke6 57 Bxf4 gxf3 58 c7 fxg2 59 Rxa6+ Kf5 60 Bh2 Kg4 61 Rf6 Kh3 62 Bd6 Rg8 63 Rg6 Re8 64 Rg3+ 1–0 Topalov,V-Leko,P/Dubai UAE 2002/TWIC 387.] 16 b3 Qxd6 17 Rf2N

[ The Leko novelty soon becomes clear - unlike his game against Grischuk, Black will find it much more difficult to get in freeing ideas like e5 and Nf4: 17 Bb2 e5 18 Qf2 Nf4 19 Rad1 Qg6 20 Kh1 d6 21 Rd2 Qf6 22 Rfd1 d5 23 Bf1 d4 24 Rc1 h5 25 c3 dxc3 26 Bxc3 h4 27 h3 Nd5 28 Bb2 Rxc1 29 Bxc1 Rc8 30 Bb2 Qf4 31 Re2 f6 32 Re4 Qg5 33 Bc4 Qg3 34 Qxa7 Rxc4 35 Rxc4 Nf4 36 Rxf4 exf4 37 Qd4 Qe1+ 38 Qg1 Qe2 39 Bc1 Qxa2 40 b4 Qc4 41 Bd2 Bc6 42 Qe1 g5 43 Kh2 Kf7 44 Bc3 Qe6 45 Qd2 Qd5 46 Bd4 Bb5 47 Qc3 Qc6 48 Bc5 Qd5 49 Qa1 Kg6 50 Qb1+ Qf5 51 Qd1 Qd3 52 Qe1 Qd7 53 Qe4+ Qf5 54 Qb7 Qd7 55 Qb8 Qe8 56 Qa7 Qd7 57 Qa1 Qc6 58 Qb1+ Kg7 59 Qf5 Qd7 60 Qc2 Qc6 61 Qd2 Qd7 62 Bd4 Kg6 63 Qc3 Qf5 64 Qc7 Qd5 65 Bc5 1–0 Leko,P-Grischuk,A/Dubai UAE 2002/TWIC 387.] 17 ..Qb6 18 Bb2 Qxd4 19 Bxd4 Nb4 20 c3 d5 21 Bf1 [Now compare the difference in the position with Leko's game against Grischuk - while White's set-up is basically the same, he's managed to deny Black an ideal outpost for the knight.] 21 ..Nc6 22 Be3 Ne7 23 Rc1 a5 24 Rfc2! [All the White forces are ideally placed to take advantage of queenside pawn majority - it's all really silky play from Leko.] 24 ..e5 25 c4 f6 26 cxd5 Rxc2 27 Rxc2 Nxd5 28 Bd2 a4 [This was Black's only hope. Leaving the pawn on a5 would have left it very vulnerable to attack.] 29 bxa4 Rxa4 30 Bb5 Ra8 31 a4 Kf8 32 a5 Ba6

33 Ba4 [ Also possible - and perhaps more accurate was the view from the press room - was 33 Rc5! Bxb5 ( 33 ..Nf4 34 Bxa6 Rxa6 35 Rc7 Ne6 36 Bb4+ Ke8 37 Re7+ Kd8 38 g3 and Black's in a bit of fix; 33 ..Ne7 34 Bb4 Bxb5 35 Rxb5 Ke8 36 Rb7 Nc6 37 Rxg7! winning.) 34 Rxb5 Nf4 ( 34 ..Nc7 35 Rb7 Na6 36 Kf2 Rb8 ( 36 ..Nc5 37 Bb4!) 37 Ra7 Nc5 38 Be3 Nd3+ 39 Kg3 Rb2 40 a6 Ra2 41 Ra8+ Kf7 42 a7 f5 43 Bd2! and White is going to win material as Black can't stop the pawn passing: 43 ..Rxd2 ( 43 ..f4+ 44 Kh4 Nf2 45 Bb4!) 44 Rd8 Ra2 45 a8Q Rxa8 46 Rxa8 winning.) 35 Rb7! Ne2+ ( 35 ..Nd5 36 Rd7 and the knight has run out of squares.) 36 Kf2 Nd4 37 Bb4+ Kg8 ( 37 ..Ke8? 38 Re7+ Kd8 39 Rxg7 is total endgame carnage.) 38 Rb6 and White has a big advantage as 38 ..Nc2 39 Bc3! and the ending is lost for Black.] 33 ..Rb8 34 Kf2 Rb1 35 Rc1 [Exchanging rooks is a no-brainer - the two bishops easily win such positions.] 35 ..Rb2 36 Rc2 Rb1 37 Kg3 Ne7 38 Bd7! Kf7 39 Rc7 Rb2 40 Bc3 Ra2 41 Bh3! [Cutting out any chances of counterplay for Black with ideas of Bf1 - the rest is total torture for Topalov.] 41 ..Ra4 42 Ra7 Bb5 43 Bf5 h5 [ 43 ..g6 44 Bc2 Rf4 45 a6 Ke8 46 Bb3 Nc6 47 Rc7 Kd8 48 a7!] 44 h4 Kf8 45 Ra8+ Kf7 46 Bc2 Rf4 47 a6 Bc6 48 Rd8 Nf5+ 49 Bxf5 Rxf5 [The rook is so out of play the a-pawn passes with ease.] 50 Rc8 Bd5 51 a7 Rf4 52 a8Q Bxa8 53 Rxa8 Rc4

[The rest is simply a matter of technique as Leko hones in on the weak point of g7.] 54 Bd2 Kg6 55 Ra7 Rd4 56 Be3 Rc4 57 Rb7 Rc3 58 Bd2 Rc2 59 Ba5 Ra2 60 Bd8 Ra8 61 Bb6 Rc8 62 Rc7 Rb8 63 Bc5 Ra8 64 Kf2 Rh8 65 Ke3 Ra8 66 Kd3 Ra4 67 g3 Ra8 68 Ke4 Rh8 69 Kd5 Rd8+ 70 Ke6 Ra8 71 Bd6 Re8+ 72 Be7 Ra8 73 Rb7 Ra6+ 74 Bd6 Ra8 75 f4 exf4 76 gxf4 Ra6 77 Rd7 Ra8 78 f5+ Kh7 79 Kf7 Ra4 80 Bf8 [Zugzwang - Black's best now is entering into a lost King and pawn ending.] 80 ..Rg4 81 Bxg7! [ 81 Bxg7 Rxg7+ 82 Ke8 and White easily wins the King and pawn ending. 82 ..Rxd7 83 Kxd7 Kg7 84 Ke7 Kg8 85 Kxf6 Kf8 86 Kg6] 1–0

You can contact John Henderson at: jbhthescots@blueyonder.co.uk

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of TWIC, Chess & Bridge Ltd or the London Chess Center.