Peter Leko's Benko Gambit: Genius Strategy or Cunning Bluff?

[@GMJoseGonzalez]

Thanks for watching! 🎥 What do you think about Leko's use of the Benko Gambit in this game? Was it a genius strategy or a cunning bluff? ♟️ Have you ever faced a similar situation in your games? Share your thoughts and any memorable experiences in the comments below. I'd love to hear your insights and discuss them further! Let’s chat! 💬 You can find the PGN for the game analyzed in the video below. Copy and paste it into chess.com, lichess.org, ChessBase, or whichever platform/app you prefer.

[@Brian22-up3eu]

Great game. E5 ke3 was tough to see.

[@GMJoseGonzalez]

Thanks for your kind words! I played e5 to create weaknesses and get e4 for my king, but undermining c5 wasn't my original idea. And to be fair even after Ke3 there were some practical difficulties to overcome before claiming the whole point. Best regards

[@GMJoseGonzalez]

Check out at 18:20 I finished the variation too early. After 42. Kc6 I said it was completely winning for White but there are a couple of moves that need closer examination. 42...e4 and we get an interesting puzzle White to play and win! 42...g5 is a simpler version but still we need to be careful and not stick to what I said, the d-pawn is not queening. I'll give further details on these variations later.

[@Brian22-up3eu]

It took a while but I think I found it. I start with h4 black s only move is h6 I think, now I go kc5,g5 doesn't work.anymore cause take take kd4, I think at the end I win. So kb7 kd4 kc5 ke5 kd7 h5 white wins after the fall of f5.

[@Brian22-up3eu]

Is d6 a quicker win?

[@GMJoseGonzalez]

[Event "HUN-chT2 9798"] [Site "Hungary"] [Date "1997.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Gonzalez Gracia, Jose"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A59"] [WhiteElo "2475"] [BlackElo "2600"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "1997.??.??"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "HUN"] [SourceTitle "EXT 99"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. e4 Bxf1 8. Kxf1 d6 9. Nf3 Nbd7 10. g3 Bg7 11. Kg2 O-O 12. h3 Qa5 13. Re1 Rfb8 14. Re2 Ne8 15. Rc2 Nc7 16. Bg5 Kf8 17. Qc1 Nb5 18. Nxb5 Qxb5 19. Bh6 Qd3 20. Qd2 Qxd2 21. Bxg7+ Kxg7 22. Nxd2 Ne5 23. b3 Ra7 24. Rc3 Rb4 25. Nc4 Nxc4 26. bxc4 Raa4 27. Kf3 Kf8 28. a3 Rxc4 29. Rxc4 Rxc4 30. a4 Ke8 31. a5 Rb4 32. a6 Rb8 33. e5 dxe5 1/2-1/2