The 32nd European Chess Club Cup team championships are ongoing in Novi Sad, Serbia. There are 63 teams in the open section and 14 teams in the women’s group. The Serbian team, VSK Sveti Nikolaj Srpski, finds itself in 13th place after four rounds, and here is where we will find Richard Rapport on second board.
Rapport is 20 years old and newly married this past June. Always creative, always inventive, Rapport is fun to watch but his career is like riding a roller coaster — good result followed by bad. He came to the European team tournament fresh from playing badly on first board for Hungary at the Olympiad. Hopefully, this fine win over Levon Aronian, the world’s No. 5, indicates a return to good form.
2016 32nd ECC Novi Sad, Serbia
Levon Aronian (2795) — Richard Rapport (2730)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 The Chigorin Defense (Russian Mikhail Chigorin, 1820–1908). Is a tactically interesting but positionally dubious opening, which should suit Rapport just fine 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3 e5!? A rarity. For his pawn, Black hopes that his lead in development and better structure will serve him well.
6.dxe5 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Ba5 9.e3 0–0 10.Qa4 Bb6 11.Qf4 Qe7 12.h4?! Seems like a waste of time. 12.Bb5 must be better. 12...f6! Black needs open lines. 13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Qc4+ 14.Bc4+ may be playable but after 14…Kh8 15.Qg3 Bf5 16.0–0 Rd8 17.Be2 Rg6 18.Qh2 White’s queen is out of play. 14...Kh8 15.Bd3 15...Bf5 16.Bxf5 Rxf5 17.Ng5 If 17.0–0 then 17…Raf8 18.Ng5 h6 19.Nf3 Rxf3 20.gxf3 Ne5 leads to a strong attack. 17...Ne5 18.Qe4 Qd7 19.0–0 Necessary due to 20…Nd3+ but now h4 looks silly and will soon disappear. 19...Re8 19…h6 first is much better, forcing the knight to the rim: 19...h6 20.Nh3 Raf8 21.Bc1 Nf3+ 22.gxf3 Rxf3 23.Ba3 Bxe3! 24.fxe3 Rg3+ winning 20.Qc2 h6 21.Ne4 The difference is that the knight gets a better square. 21...Rh5 Getting back his pawn as 22.g3 fails to 22… Nf3+ 23.Kg2 Qg4 with the winning threats of Nxh4 or Rxe4 22.Ng3 Rxh4 White’s king should be very uneasy here. 23.Rad1 Rf8 24.Bc1 Qg4 25.Rd5?! 25.Qe2 or 25.Rfe1 are better. White’s overlooking Black’s ideas. 25...Qg5 Missing the amazing 25...Qxg3!! 26.fxg3 Rh1+ 27.Kxh1 Rxf1+ 28.Kh2 Ng4+ 29.Kh3 Nf2+ 30.Qxf2 Rxf2 with the much better, perhaps winning, endgame. 26.Qe2 c6 27.Rd4 Aronian probably noticed at the last minute that 27.Rdd1 losses to 27…Rh1+ 28.Nxh1 (28.Kxh1 Qh4+ 29.Kg1 Ng4 30.Rfe1 Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Qxg3) 28...Nf3+ 29.Qxf3 (forced) Rxf3. So, he needed to ad lib. 27...Rh1+!? Though very flashy and crowd appealing, 27...Ng4 is better when after 28.Rdd1 Rh5 (29…Qh4 is the idea) 29.Nxh5 Qxh5 wins 28.Kxh1 Bxd4 29.f3 Sadly for Black, White doesn’t have to recapture on d4 as 29.exd4 loses to 29…Qh4+ 30.Kg1 Ng4 31.Re1 Qh2+ 32.Kf1 Qxg3 29...Bb6 30.Ne4 Qh5+ 31.Kg1 Bc7!? The surprising rook lift 31…Rf4 wins: 32.Qd1 Rh4 33.Nf2 Qg6 34.Qe2 Qg3 35.Ne4 Qh2+ 36.Kf2 Nxf3!. 32.Kf2?! Running for his life. A natural reaction but better is weathering the storm with 32.Ba3 (basically forcing 32…Rd8) understanding that 32…Ng4 is refuted by 33.g3. 32...Qh2 33.Ke1 Rd8 Now 34…Nd3+ is hard to meet. 34.Bd2 Nd3+ 35.Kd1 Qe5 Where White’s king goes, so does Black’s queen! 36.g4 Qb5 37.Qg2 Nb2+ 38.Kc2 Nc4 39.Bc1 Rd5 40.g5 Na5 41.Bd2 If 41.gxh6 Qd3+ 42.Kb2 Rb5+ 43.Ka3 Bd6+ 44.Nxd6 Qxc3+ 45.Ka4 Qb4# 41...Qd3+ As there’s no good move here, i.e.; 42.Kb2(42.Kd1 Nc4 43.Ke1 Nxd2 44.Qxd2 Bg3+ 45.Rf2 Qb1+) 42...Rb5+ 43.Ka3 Nc4+ 44.Ka4 Qc2#;0–1
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
