[Event "Round 7: Richard Rapport - Ian Nepomniac"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [White "Richard Rapport"] [Black "Ian Nepomniachtchi"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Abasov"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C42"] [Opening "Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation"] [StudyName "Candidates Tournament 2022: GM Nijat Abasov annotations"] [ChapterName "Richard Rapport - Ian Nepomniachtchi"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/450dtcgH/X7e1oAVw"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { Ian's all time favorite - Petroff Defence } 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 (5. Nc3!? { has so far never been tried in the tournament. }) 5... d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 (6... Bf5 7. O-O Be7 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nbd2 Nd6 { is the line the other participant of the event likes playing (Duda). }) 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Qb3!? { Out of 6000+ games in my database 9.Qb3 has been tried only in 28 games. } (9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 13. bxc3 b6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qb5 Qd7 { happened in the 4th game of the Carlsen - Nepomniachtchi match. Black managed to equalize with ease. }) (9. Nc3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 { is another principled line where Black has the dilemma of going for either ...-Bg4 or ...-Bf5. }) (9. Qc2 { happened recently in a game of mine and after } 9... h6 10. Re1 Be6 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Bd5 14. Qg4 Qd7 15. Qxd7 Nxd7 16. Nc3 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rfd8 { I had sufficient compensation for a pawn. ...1/2, Aryan,C - Abasov,N (Sharjah, 2021) }) 9... Bg4 (9... dxc4 { looks to be the most natural reaction by Black. } 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Bd3 Nf6 (11... Be6? 12. Qc2 Nf6 13. Ng5 $16) 12. Re1 Na6! (12... Be6?! 13. Rxe6 fxe6 14. Qxe6+ Kh8 15. Qh3 { and White has strong initiative }) 13. a3 { happened in a rapid game between Dominguez Perez,L - Mamedyarov,S where Black could have gone for } 13... c5!? $132 { with an interesting position }) 10. Bxe4 (10. Nbd2 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 Qc7 12. h3 (12. cxd5 Bxh2+ 13. Kh1 Bd6 $132) 12... dxc4 13. Nxc4 Be6 14. Qc2 Bxc4 15. Bxc4 Nd7 { looks completely okay for Black. }) 10... dxe4 11. Ng5 { now Black has difficulties to defend the e4-pawn. } 11... Be7! { The best defense is a good offense! Black attacks the g5-Knight and the d4-pawn. } (11... Re8?? 12. c5 $18 { and there's a discover attack on f7-pawn. }) (11... Bf5 12. Nc3 Qc7 13. g3 Re8 14. Ngxe4! Bxe4 15. Re1 $18 { is bad for Black too. }) 12. Nxe4 (12. Qxb7 { is a bit risky for White } 12... Bxg5 13. Qxa8 Bxc1 14. Rxc1 Qxd4 (14... Bf3!? 15. Nd2 Qd7 $132 { and the Queen on a8 will eventually get trapped. }) 15. Qb7 e3 16. Rf1 Be2 17. Nc3 Bxf1 18. Rxf1 exf2+ 19. Rxf2) 12... Qxd4 13. Qxb7 (13. Re1 Nd7) (13. Nbc3 Qb6 { Black is doing fine in all cases }) 13... Qxe4 14. Qxa8 Bh3! (14... Bd6 { as after the game Rapport said, he was sure of ...-Bd6 to be the move for Black and only after } 15. Qxa7 { Black goes for } 15... Bh3 { and manages to draw in complicated lines. The text move (14...-Bh3) came as a surprise for Rapport. He thought Ian mixed up the move orders and White has the absolute right to punish it. This idea got him astray since Nepo's move was the top engine's move and the best White could have done after it was accepting a draw. Yet, let's try to investigate this position and see what Rapport was aiming for: } 16. gxh3 Qe5 17. Kg2 (17. Rd1 Qxh2+ 18. Kf1 Qxh3+ 19. Ke2 Qh5+ 20. Ke1 Bc5 21. Qc7 Qh1+ 22. Kd2 Qf3 23. Re1! Na6 24. Qd7 Qxf2+ 25. Re2 Be3+ 26. Kd1 Qf1+ 27. Re1 Qf3+ 28. Re2 { and the game ends in a draw }) 17... Qxh2+ 18. Kf3 Re8 (18... Qxh3+ 19. Ke2 Re8+ 20. Be3 { leads to the same position as after 18...-Re8 }) 19. Be3 Qxh3+ 20. Ke2 Nd7! { preparing ...-Bc5 } 21. Kd2 Bc5! 22. Rh1 (22. Bxc5?? Nxc5 23. Qxc5 Rd8+ 24. Ke1 Qd3 25. f4 Qc2 $19 { and White's lost }) 22... Bxe3+ 23. Qxe3 Rxe3 24. Rxh3 Rxh3 $132 { I believe the resulting endgame was what Rapport was aiming for. White's a-pawn potentially can be more dangerous, since it's being supported by the a1-Rook. Yet, objectively Black pieces are too active - and the a2-pawn should not cause much trouble for them. }) 15. gxh3 (15. f3?? Qe2 16. gxh3 Bc5+ 17. Kh1 Qxf1#) 15... Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qe4+ 17. Kg1 Qg6+ 18. Kh1 Qe4+ 19. f3 Qd3 20. Kg2 Qg6+ 21. Kh1 (21. Bg5? Bxg5 22. Kh1 Qd3 23. Nc3 Qd7 24. Rad1 Qc7 $15) 21... Qd3 22. Nd2? { Rapport overall spent nearly an hour deciding to go on and play this move instead of taking the draw. White's immediately worse after it. } (22. Kg2 { and the draw should have been accepted. }) 22... Qd7! { With the next move Black goes for ...-Na6 and gets 2R vs Q where Black's chances are better in a view of the White King's weak positioning. } 23. Ne4 Na6 24. Qxf8+ Bxf8 { was the first moment where Nepo spent some time. } (24... Kxf8!? { could have also been played }) 25. Bf4 Qxh3 26. Rad1 h6 (26... h5!?) 27. Bg3? (27. a3!? { would be the best practical chance for White. The main problem of Black at the moment is that they cannot get minor pieces back to the game easily. a6-Knight would stand much better on -e6, whilst the Bishop would be great on g1-a7 diagonal, for instance. a3 would have been some kind of prophylaxis against ...-Nc5 } 27... Nc5 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. b4! { kicking the Bishop out of g1-a7 diagonal } 29... Be7 30. c5 $132 { Objectively, Black is still much better, but it's nowhere near to be a decisive advantage. }) 27... Nc5 { Now Black's totally dominating! } 28. Rfe1 (28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. a3 { is slow } 29... a5 $19) 28... Ne6 { The worst placed piece (the Knight on -a6) a couple of moves ago turned into a very powerful force on -e6 now. } 29. a3 h5 (29... Nf4!? 30. Rg1 { doesn't win on the spot yet }) 30. Rd3 Qf5 (30... h4?! 31. Nf2 Qf5 32. Bxh4 { White gets hopes }) 31. b4 h4 32. Bb8 (32. Bxh4 Nf4 33. Rd4 Ng6 (33... Qh3?? { looks to be good but after } 34. Nf6+! gxf6 35. Rxf4 Bd6 36. Rg4+ Kf8 37. Bg3 { White's in total control }) 34. Nd2 Nxh4 35. Rxh4 Qd3 { and White's position is collapsing. }) 32... Ng5 33. Rde3 Nxe4 34. fxe4 Qf2 35. h3 { otherwise Black would have played ...-h3 } 35... Be7! { And the elephant (how the Bishop is called in basically all languages except English) goes on hunting after hibernation. } 36. Bh2 Bg5 37. Bg1 Qd2 38. R3e2 Qd3 39. Be3 Bf6 40. Bxa7 Qxh3+ 41. Kg1 Qg3+ 42. Kf1 h3 43. Bg1 Bh4 { White resigned. Absolute domination by Ian. } 0-1