The Hungarian Prince Who Never Became the King
2004 was a year full of drama, excitement and uncertainty. When Garry Kasparov decided to leave FIDE in 1993, an interesting situation arose. There were two world championships running simultaneously, the "FIDE World Championship" and the "Classical World Championship".
And Hungary, as a chess superpower, had always produced some good chess players, but somehow they never came close to becoming world champions. 2004 seemed to be the year that could have changed things, as a young, unknown Hungarian chess player rose to the top of the chess world...
Table of Contents:
- Early Years
- Rising to the Top
- Qualification to the World Championship
- So Close, Yet So Far
- Legacy Beyond the World Championship
Lékó Péter was born into an ethnic Hungarian family in the city of Subotica, Yugoslavia, but he moved to Szeged when he was just one. His father taught him chess shortly before he turned seven and he took part in tournaments from the age of nine. His first coach, Tibor Károlyi, who's also a great author (I've got a book of his about Portisch Lajos, which is well worth a read), started working with him in 1989, ending three months before Leko became a grandmaster.They ended up working together again in 1998 until the end of 2000. Lékó also worked with International Master Gáspár Máthé when he was ten years old.
As a junior player, Lékó competed in several age categories in the World Youth Chess Championship, achieving excellent results. He was awarded the prestigious title of International Master in 1992, and became a Grandmaster at the age of 14 years, 4 months and 22 days in 1994, thus becoming the youngest person to hold this title, thereby breaking the previous record held by his compatriot Judit Polgár. His norms were achieved at a First Saturday tournament in Budapest and León (sharing third place with Anatoly Karpov and Veselin Topalov) in 1993, and at Hoogovens in 1994.
Lékó's breakthrough came at the 1995 Copenhagen tournament, where he achieved 8 points out of 11 games in an exceptionally strong field.Subsequently, Lékó competed at the Dortmund tournament, where he shared third place with 5 points out of 9 games, with Vassily Ivanchuk, thereby solidifying his new world ranking of 55th with 2605 Elo.
Lékó's loss to Ivanchuk in the last round led to his exclusion from the medal contention, finishing in 8th place.However, he demonstrated resilience by attaining fourth place in Vienna (5/9), marking the beginning of a notable comeback.
In 1997, Lékó emerged victorious in two prestigious tournaments in Cienfuegos (5/9) and Yopal (6½/9), and secured fourth place at the renowned Tilburg Chess Tournament (7/11), solidifying his status as a rising star. This achievement led to his ascent to 16th in the world rankings in the January 1998 list.
Lékó kept on getting better and better at chess. In 1998, he came second behind Viswanathan Anand in Tilburg, then came fourth in Dortmund and Linares in early 1999. Then, he did really well at Dortmund in 1999, winning a major tournament. He was half a point ahead of Vladimir Kramnik when he won. In fact, it was at this tournament that he met his future wife, Sofia.
He first entered World Championship tournaments at the 1999 FIDE World Chess Championship in Las Vegas, beating Christian Bauer 1½-½ but losing to eventual quarter-finalist Sergei Movsesian after rapid tiebreaks 2½-1½. In January 2000, Leko faced the winner, FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman in a six-game match in Budapest, which he won 4½-1½.
After his win, Lékó shared second place with Kramnik and Anand at Corus, behind the strong Garry Kasparov, and finished last in Linares and second in Dortmund. At the 2000 FIDE World Chess Championship in New Delhi, Leko lost in the third round to Khalifman, after "sudden death" tiebreaks.
In 2001, Lékó had some good results in Corus, Linares, coming third in Dortmund and winning an eight-game Fischer Random Chess match against Michael Adams at Mainz. The year ended with him losing in the second round of the 2002 FIDE World Chess Championship in Moscow to Ashot Anastasian after rapid tiebreaks. After this Lékó started 2002 well, coming sixth at Corus, sharing third place in the NAO Masters in Cannes and second place at Essen behind Vadim Zvjaginsev.
Qualification to the World Championship
Back in July 2002, the Candidates Tournament was held in Dortmund to decide who would challenge Kramnik for the title, though not all of the top-ranked players were there. The world number 1, Garry Kasparov, said he didn't want to take part, instead saying he deserved a rematch with Kramnik because of how he'd done in the past. Two other top 10 players also said they wouldn't take part.
Viswanathan Anand (the 2000 FIDE World Champion) and Vasyl Ivanchuk (the 2002 world number 8) turned down their invitations to show their loyalty to the rival FIDE World Championship. Ruslan Ponomariov (the 2002 FIDE World Champion and the 2002 world number 7) also didn't take part.
Apart from these four players and Kramnik, the other competitors were the seven highest-rated players in the world, plus Christopher Lutz (44th in the world in the January 2002 list) as a player from the host country.
Lékó had a smooth ride through to the knock-out stage, coming second to Evgeny Bareev, and then went up against Alexei Shirov in a four-game match. This one was over quick, with Lékó winning 2½-½. Then in the final, he met Veselin Topalov, who'd been doing well before the tournament but had a draining match against Bareev in the semi-finals that went to tiebreaks. So Topalov was pretty tired, which gave Lékó the upper hand. Lékó won the match 2½-1½, which meant he would be the one to challenge Vladimir Kramnik for the 2004 Classical World Chess Championship.
And so it was 2004, and Peter Lékó had it in his hands to become the World Chess Champion, something no Hungarian had ever done. Playing Vladimir Kramnik in a 14-game match, he overcame an early disadvantage to lead after game 8, despite losing game 1. He was just a few games away from making history. With good preparation and strategic manoeuvring, he maintained his lead as the match progressed. But in game 13, instead of trying to win with the white pieces, Lékó opted for a draw, which was criticised as being too cautious.
As the final game approached, Lékó was leading 7-6 and a draw would have given him the title. But the rules at the time were a little unfair - if the match ended in a draw, Kramnik would retain the title. I don't think that's a fair system. A world championship has to be won properly and fairly, not by default. But Lékó, a player with a solid, defensive reputation, simply could not withstand Kramnik's relentless attack in Game 14. Kramnik won to level the score at 7-7, which was enough for him to retain his title. Let me show you what happened in the final game:
It was a heartbreaking loss for Lékó, and the biggest "what if" of his career. Some say his ultra-solid approach cost him the title – that he was too content with small advantages instead of going for the kill. But despite the criticism, his performance in that match proved he belonged among the absolute best. One game away from glory, yet denied by a system that didn't reward the challenger fairly. Would history have been different if Lékó had taken more risks? We'll never know for sure, but one thing's certain: he came as close as anyone to becoming the king, only to see the crown slip away at the last moment.
Legacy Beyond the World Championship
Although Lékó was not able to become World Champion, the impact he has had on chess is far-reaching. Over the years, he has taken on a new role in helping to shape the next generation of chess players, with one of his most promising students being Vincent Keymer, Germany's rising star. Under Lékó's guidance, Keymer has developed into a world-class player, known for his meticulous preparation and solid, strategic style—traits that defined Lékó's own career. While Lékó may have fallen just short of the ultimate prize, his influence is now being carried forward by those he mentors.
Aside from coaching, Lékó has become one of the most respected chess commentators. His calm, analytical approach and profound understanding of the game have earned him a reputation as a favourite among serious chess fans. Unlike many commentators, Lékó has personally experienced what it feels like to be in the shoes of the players he analyzes. He has prepared for months for a World Championship match, only to have everything come down to a few critical moves. This experience gives his commentary a depth that few others can match.
But perhaps Lékó's story isn't over yet. Chess careers have a way of taking unexpected turns. Could we one day see Lékó return, whether as a second, a super coach, or even as a player with one last push for glory? Perhaps the prince never became king - but in chess, the game is never really over...
