Peter Leko

The Hungarian prodigy who drew his World Championship match with Kramnik, joining Schlechter and Bronstein in the heartbreaking club of challengers who matched the champion but didn't win the title.

The Preparation Master

Peter Leko was born on September 8, 1979, in Subotica, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), to an ethnic Hungarian family. He became one of the youngest Grandmasters in history at age 14, a record at the time. His playing style was positional and deeply prepared: he was one of the first players to use computer-assisted opening preparation as a primary weapon, researching lines so deeply that he often emerged from the opening with a significant advantage.

The 2004 match against Kramnik in Brissago, Switzerland, was a clash of preparation styles. Leko's computer-assisted research against Kramnik's deep understanding of the Berlin Defense and other positional systems. Leko led the match 7-6 going into the final game, needing only a draw to become World Champion. Kramnik won the 14th game with a powerful positional performance. The match was tied 7-7. Kramnik retained the title.