View source for Classical World Chess Championship 2004

{{Short description|Chess match between Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko}}
{{Infobox chess match
|comp1 = Vladimir Kramnik
|comp2 = Peter Leko
|image1 = [[File:Vladimir Kramnik 06 08 2006.jpg|center|Vladimir Kramnik|140px]]
|image2 = [[File:Peter Leko 06 08 2006.jpg|center|Peter Leko|140px]]
|title1 = Defending champion
|title2 = <br />Challenger
|flag1 = RUS
|flag2 = HUN
|dob1 = 25 June 1975
|age1 = 29 years old
|dob2 = 8 September 1979
|age2 = 25 years old
|qual1 = Winner of the [[Classical World Chess Championship 2000|2000 Classical World Chess Championship]]
|qual2 = Winner of the [[#2002 Candidates Tournament|2002 Candidates Tournament]]
|elo1 = 2770 
|elo2 = 2741 
|elo1_ref = <ref name=a>{{cite web |url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=65 |title=Top 100 Players – July 2004 |publisher=Ratings.fide.com }}</ref>
|elo2_ref = <ref name=a />
|rank1 = 3
|rank2 = 5
|prev = 2000
|prev_link = Classical World Chess Championship 2000
|next = 2006
|next_link = World Chess Championship 2006
|score1 = 7
|score2 = 7
}}
The '''Classical World Chess Championship 2004''' was held from September 25, 2004, to October 18, 2004, in [[Brissago]], [[Switzerland]]. [[Vladimir Kramnik]], the defending champion, played [[Peter Leko]], the challenger, in a fourteen-game match.

The match ended 7–7, each player scoring two wins. Kramnik retained his title under the rules of the match.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldchesschampionship.com/com/index.php?PHPSESSID=f6b983235031143d2a3b0741b6ccc07e&&PHPSESSID=f6b983235031143d2a3b0741b6ccc07e |title=Classical World Chess Championship 2004 |access-date=2006-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516055047/http://www.worldchesschampionship.com/com/index.php?PHPSESSID=f6b983235031143d2a3b0741b6ccc07e&&PHPSESSID=f6b983235031143d2a3b0741b6ccc07e |archive-date=2011-05-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Background==
[[Garry Kasparov]]'s split from [[FIDE]] in 1993 resulted in two lines of world chess champions. There was the "Classical" world champion, the title that passes on to a player only when he beats the previous world champion. This was held by Kasparov, until he was defeated by Kramnik in the [[Classical World Chess Championship 2000]]. There was also the "Official" FIDE world champion who, at the time of this match, was [[Rustam Kasimdzhanov]].

The split World Champion title led to calls for a reunification. After negotiations, all parties agreed to the "Prague Agreement", whereby the winner of this match (the "Classical" World Champion) would play the winner of a match between Kasparov and the FIDE World Champion, and the winner would be the World Champion. These other matches never took place, but the titles were later unified at the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2006]].

The Candidates Tournament was held in July 2002, and was won by Peter Leko. However, there were many delays in finding a sponsor for the Kramnik–Leko match,<ref>[https://theweekinchess.com/html/twic482.html THE WEEK IN CHESS 482], [[The Week in Chess]], 2nd February 2004</ref> and it was not played until September and October 2004.

==2002 Candidates Tournament==
The July 2002 [[Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting]] acted as the [[Candidates Tournament]] to determine the challenger to Kramnik's title. However, not all other top-ranked players were present. World number 1 Garry Kasparov declined his invitation, instead insisting that he deserved a rematch with Kramnik based on his tournament results in 2001.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020213084430/http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/owenbrain.html Kasparov turns down Braingames Qualifier], Garry Kasparov Press Release, September 6, 2001</ref> Two other top 10 players — world number 3 and [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2000|2000 FIDE World Champion]] [[Viswanathan Anand]], and world number 8 [[Vasyl Ivanchuk]] — declined their invitations out of loyalty to the rival [[FIDE]] world championship.<ref>[http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic392.html THE WEEK IN CHESS 392 13th May 2002], [[The Week in Chess]]</ref> FIDE World Champion [[Ruslan Ponomariov]] (and world number 7) also did not participate. Apart from these four players and Kramnik, the competitors were the 7 highest rated players in the world,<ref>[http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic387.html THE WEEK IN CHESS 387 8th April 2002], [[The Week in Chess]]</ref><ref>[https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=25 Top 100 Players January 2002 - Archive], [[FIDE]]</ref> plus [[Christopher Lutz]] (44th in the world in the January 2002 list) as a player from the host country.

Leko won the Candidates Tournament:<ref>[http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/a1a2esix.htm 2002 Dortmund Candidates Tournament] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401115554/http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/a1a2esix.htm |date=2017-04-01 }}, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages</ref><ref>[http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic401.html THE WEEK IN CHESS 401 15th July 2002], [[The Week in Chess]]</ref><ref>[http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic402.html THE WEEK IN CHESS 402 22nd July 2002], [[The Week in Chess]]</ref>

:{| class="wikitable"
|+ Group 1
|-
!  !! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
| 1 || align=left|{{flagathlete|'''[[Alexei Shirov]]'''|Spain}} || '''2697''' || - || ½ ½ || 1 ½ || 1 ½ || '''4'''
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
| 2 || align=left|{{flagathlete|'''[[Veselin Topalov]]'''|Bulgaria}} || '''2745''' || ½ ½ || - || ½ 1 || ½ 1 || '''4'''
|-
| 3 || align=left|{{flagathlete|[[Boris Gelfand]]|Israel}} || 2710 || 0 ½ || ½ 0 || - || 1 ½ || 2½
|-
| 4 || align=left|{{flagathlete|[[Christopher Lutz]]|Germany}} || 2655 || 0 ½ || ½ 0 || 0 ½ || - || 1½
|}

Shirov won a two-game playoff 1½-½ to be placed first ahead of Topalov.

:{| class="wikitable"
|+ Group 2
|-
!  !! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Total
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
| 1 || align=left|{{flagathlete|'''[[Evgeny Bareev]]'''|Russia}} || '''2726''' || - || 1 0 || ½ ½ || 1 1 || '''4'''
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
| 2 || align=left|{{flagathlete|'''[[Peter Leko]]'''|Hungary}} || '''2722''' || 0 1 || - || ½ 1 || ½ ½ || '''3½'''
|-
| 3 || align=left|{{flagathlete|[[Michael Adams (chess player)|Michael Adams]]|England}} || 2752 || ½ ½ || ½ 0|| - || ½ ½ || 2½
|-
| 4 || align=left|{{flagathlete|[[Alexander Morozevich]]|Russia}} || 2716 || 0 0 || ½ ½ || ½ ½ || - || 2
|}

The top two from each group advanced to the knock-out stage where mini-matches (best of 4) were played, with a 2-game [[rapid chess]] playoff in the event of a tie.

{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Semifinals
| RD2=Final
| RD1-team1={{flagicon|HUN}} '''[[Peter Leko]]'''
| RD1-score1='''2½'''
| RD1-team2={{flagicon|ESP}} [[Alexei Shirov]]
| RD1-score2=½
| RD1-team3={{flagicon|BUL}} '''[[Veselin Topalov]]'''
| RD1-score3='''3½'''
| RD1-team4={{flagicon|RUS}} [[Evgeny Bareev]]
| RD1-score4=2½
| RD2-team1={{flagicon|HUN}} '''[[Peter Leko]]'''
| RD2-score1='''2½'''
| RD2-team2={{flagicon|BUL}} [[Veselin Topalov]]
| RD2-score2=1½
}}

Topalov–Bareev was tied 2–2; Topalov won the rapid playoff 1½–½.

==2004 Championship Match==
:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Classical World Chess Championship Match 2004
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! Total
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|[[Peter Leko]]|Hungary}} || 2741 (+21)
| 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 7
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''[[Vladimir Kramnik]]'''|Russia}} || '''2770''' (−29)
|style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ 
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 || '''7'''
|}

=== Highlights ===
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1306138 Game 1]&nbsp;– as black, Kramnik sacrifices his queen for rook and bishop, and outplays Leko in the ending to take the lead.<ref>[http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/kramlek04/r1.html Game 1 report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719171200/http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/kramlek04/r1.html |date=2008-07-19 }}, [[The Week in Chess]]</ref>
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1306947 Game 5]&nbsp;– Leko, as white, goes into an ending a pawn up with some winning chances, and outplays Kramnik to win, and level the match.<ref>[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1935 Game five: Peter Leko catches up], [[Chessbase]], October 2, 2004</ref>
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1309482 Game 8]&nbsp;– Leko, as black in the [[Ruy Lopez#Marshall Attack|Marshall Attack]], plays into a line prepared by Kramnik's team, and finds the refutation over the board, to take a one-point lead. [[Chessbase]] wrote, "Many questions were answered by today's eighth match game. Does Leko have what it takes to beat Kramnik in a match? Is Kramnik's preparation simply unbeatable? Why don't many top players allow the Marshall Gambit with white? (That's 'yes', 'no', and 'because no matter how well prepared you are you may get killed'.)"<ref>[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1945 Game 8: Brilliant Leko refutes Kramnik homework], [[Chessbase]], October 7, 2004</ref>
* [https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1309645 Game 9]&nbsp;– Kramnik's second [[Evgeny Bareev]] later explained that, in the night before the game, Kramnik had received some medication from a doctor because of blood pressure and sleep problems. He took the pill during game 9, after which he could not play anymore, offered a quick draw, skipped the press conference and went to a hospital.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bareev |first=Evgeny |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/From_London_to_Elista/sRY3LQAACAAJ?hl=en |title=From London to Elista |last2=Levitov |first2=Ilya |date=2007 |publisher=New In Chess |isbn=978-90-5691-219-2 |language=en}}</ref>
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1311292 Game 12]&nbsp;– Leko switches to the [[Caro–Kann Defence]]. Kramnik has winning chances, but Leko defends well and, with both players short on time, Leko offers a draw on move 34.<ref>[http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/kramlek04/r12.html Game 12 Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111061812/http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/kramlek04/r12.html |date=2007-01-11 }}, [[The Week in Chess]]</ref>
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1311623 Game 13]&nbsp;– Kramnik plays the [[Benoni Defense|Benoni]], in a surprise attempt to win with black, but the game is drawn.<ref>[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1958 Games 13: Leko survives Kramnik attack], [[Chessbase]], October 16, 2004</ref> 
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1311652 Game 14]&nbsp;– Kramnik wins the final game to tie the match and retain his title.<ref>[http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/kramlek04/r14.html Round 14 Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531190927/http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/event/kramlek04/r14.html |date=2008-05-31 }}, [[The Week in Chess]]</ref><ref>[http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1961 Games 14: Kramnik wins to retain his title], [[Chessbase]], October 19, 2004</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Chess}}
{{World Chess Championships|state=expanded}}

[[Category:World Chess Championships|2004]]
[[Category:2004 in chess]]
[[Category:Chess in Switzerland]]
[[Category:2004 in Swiss sport]]