Peter Leko wins Dortmund
Candidates' chess

Hungarian Peter Leko emerged victorious in the Candidates' tournament in Dortmund, Germany, by drawing against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the fourth game of the final match on Sunday.

The draw gave Leko a 2.5-1.5 victory and the right to play World champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the Einstein Group World chess title match early next year.

Topalov had to win to stay alive and had an opportunity, but missed a chance for a blistering attack after which his advantage soon petered out.

With the white pieces, Topalov switched to 1.d4 and Leko responded with the Nimzo-Indian Defence.

Instead of the current main lines, Topalov played the Saemisch Variation. Leko played a relatively obscure sideline and the players followed an old game, Najdorf-Benes, from the 1950 Olympiad, until Topalov varied on move 12. After the game, Leko told reporters, "I was quite happy with the opening. It was very sharp and I didn't have to think about a draw."

German grandmaster Helmut Pfleger said of the resulting position, "I prefer White; he has more space and threats against h7."

Indeed, on move 14, Topalov missed a chance to launch a fierce attack, which in some lines involved sacrificing a piece against h7. Expert observers were unable to find a satisfactory defence for Leko.

Afterwards, Leko conceded, "I made a mess of the middlegame."