Grandmaster Peter Leko of Hungary won the first ACP World Rapid Cup tournament, defeating top-seeded Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in the final.
Leko, who had displayed top form right through the event, bagged the first prize of US $40,000 while overshadowing a galaxy of stars.
The Hungarian won the match in the second blitz game after first two rapid games ended in draws and the first blitz game also fizzled out similarly.
It was a tactical skirmish that saw Leko prevail over Ivanchuk in the final game.
Playing the white side of an Alekhine defence, Leko concentrated on the basics to get a slight advantage with his white pieces and squeezed out Ivanchuk's resources in the middle game.
The Ukrainian got a temporary sigh of relief after sacrificing an exchange, but was subdued after Leko turned down an unconditional queen trade and soon all white pieces marched into black territory.
The final blow came when Ivanchuk failed to foresee the eminent result of an exchange sequence. The game lasted just 32 moves.
In the first blitz game, Ivanchuk's positional play yielded little as Leko proved solid as ever in the Queen's Indian defence as black.
Ivanchuk could claim to have a miniscule advantage after the opening but it remained just that till the game ended.
Leko resourcefully exchanged one piece after another to reach a bishop's and pawn's endgame that was just a draw.
