[Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [WhiteTeam "Hungary"] [BlackElo "2783"] [BlackTeam "United States"] [Annotator "Aagaard"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C65"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense"] [StudyName "2022 FIDE Candidates - Annotated by GM Jacob Aagaard"] [ChapterName "Rapport, Richard - Caruana, Fabiano"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/fhBzjnqz/LUwjTEeG"] [Orientation "white"] { [%evp 0,81,23,25,25,32,22,20,20,12,20,15,15,15,15,-6,-6,2,9,2,14,17,15,11,11, 7,15,12,10,2,0,-16,-13,-10,-17,-11,5,-10,-7,-9,0,-2,32,38,40,35,35,47,46,33,27, 35,40,29,73,70,42,31,36,0,0,-30,-34,-45,-31,-31,-41,-41,-52,-54,-41,-41,-37, -42,-49,-54,-54,-97,-101,-103,-103,-103,-104,-131] I will not go deeply into this game. Neither player took great risk and neither played badly, so neither got chances to win the game. The evaluation marginally went in Black's favor towards the end of the game, but it was nothing that Rapport could not handle. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 Be6 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 Bxb3 10. axb3 f6 11. Nf3 Nc5 12. Nd2 Ne6 13. Nc4 Qd7 14. h4 a6 15. h5 O-O-O 16. Nxb6+ cxb6 17. Be3 c5 18. Qg4 Kb8 19. g3 g6 20. O-O-O Qf7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4+ (22. gxf4 f5 23. Qg3 $14 { seems more ambitious. But these positions offer nothing against good defense. }) 22... Ka7 23. Rdf1 f5 24. Qh3 Qf6 25. Kb1 Rhf8 26. Rf2 Qe7 27. Bh6 Rf6 28. Qh4 Rg8 29. exf5 g5! 30. Qe4 Qd6 31. fxe6!? Rxf2 32. Bxg5 Rxg5 33. e7 Re5 34. e8=Q Rxe8 35. Qxe8 Qxg3 36. Qe4 h6 37. Qg6 Qe3 38. Qg1 Qe2 39. Qd1! { Rapport has noticed the trend going against him and decides to give up a pawn for an easily holdable endgame. } 39... Qxd1+ 40. Rxd1 Rh2 41. d4 cxd4 { This feels less dangerous for Black. The pawns look awful. } (41... Rxh5 42. dxc5 bxc5 43. Rd6 $15 { would also have been a draw, but it might give a lesser player than Rapport a chance to lose. }) 42. Rxd4 Rxh5 43. Rd6! { Planning to put the rook on the perfect h6-square. } 43... b5 44. b4 Rh4 45. b3 Kb8 46. Kb2 Kc7 47. Rg6 h5 48. Rh6 Kd7 49. Ka3 Rh1 50. c4 bxc4 51. bxc4 h4 52. Rh7+ Kc6 { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } 1/2-1/2