[Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C02"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,122,20,12,43,40,36,1,-1,10,4,1,-2,29,39,36,57,48,43,42,57,30,25,21,24, 35,24,32,51,48,38,31,38,38,26,-15,0,0,-23,0,20,10,-4,3,-5,-9,0,0,0,0,-22,-45, -24,-101,-43,-108,-112,-121,-125,-106,-70,-122,-108,-121,-100,-117,-137,-140, -137,-188,-197,-222,-131,-175,-137,-213,-227,-226,-237,-238,-241,-248,-274, -253,-244,-253,-338,-387,-355,-439,-451,-461,-251,-255,-292,-295,-337,-344, -272,-284,-317,-325,-316,-343,-313,-327,-299,-329,-336,-350,-363,-364,-409, -417,-421,-448,-456,-478,-488,-527,-547,-547,-557,-557,-557]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {The Advanced French visits the top-GM level tournaments nowadays mainly thanks to the efforts of Grischuk.} c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 {Rapport tries a sound positional idea that, however, requires perfect timing as Black will be seriously lagging in development.} 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bb5 8. Bxb5+ ({White may also allow a chance to the opponent to capture with:} 8. O-O Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Nc6 10. Nc3 Nge7 11. Qd3 Rc8 12. Rd1 h6 13. Bd2 Ng6 14. h4 Bb4 {as in the recent game Grandelius,$146 (2663)-Harikrishna,P (2732) Wijk aan Zee 2021}) 8... Qxb5 9. Nc3 Qa6 {As a result of his operation, Black managed to get rid of his \"poor\" bishop but at the expense of his pieces being stuck on the back rank. The nature of the position is indeed closed, but this does not mean that Vidit will not try to make use of the time factor.} 10. a4 {Nc3-b5 is a concrete threat; therefore} Bb4 11. Bd2 Bxc3 12. Bxc3 Ne7 13. b4 $1 {Black should be tortured; otherwise, he will catch up with the development, and his position would be sound.} (13. Qe2 {to offer an endgame would be a concession, as White will part with his hopes for an edge.}) 13... Qc4 $146 {A novelty, and a very risky move. The queen is moving bravely closer to the opponent's pieces, provoking weaknesses.} ({The predecessor ended peacefully after:} 13... O-O 14. b5 Qb6 15. Qd3 h6 16. Bb4 Re8 17. h4 a6 18. Qa3 Ng6 19. Bc5 Qa5+ 20. Bb4 Qb6 21. Bc5 Qa5+ 22. Bb4 {1/2-1/2 (22) Tkac,P-Hagara,V (1967) Tatranske Matliare 2008}) (13... Qc6 {is best, according to the engine, but looks way too passive to be good.}) 14. Rc1 Nbc6 {This, on the other hand, might have ended badly for the Hungarian GM} ({Safer is} 14... Nd7 15. Nd2 ({Or} 15. Bd2 Qd3) 15... Qd3 16. h4 O-O 17. Rh3 Qf5 {when the queen has enough room on the kingside.}) 15. Bd2 {The most natural move does not pose that many problems $1} ({Strong is the other attack} 15. Nd2 $1 Qd3 16. b5 $1 {A key difference. Now after} Nd8 17. h4 $1 {the rook is again entering the battle but has strong support from the other side and} O-O 18. Rh3 Qf5 (18... Qg6 19. Kf1 {followed by the same maneuver.}) 19. Bb4 $1 {adds more fuel to White's initiative, and he is much better.}) 15... Qd3 16. Qe2 Qa3 $1 {The right decision is to continue playing cat-and-mouse with the enemy pieces.} ({Black is correctly rejecting} 16... Qxe2+ 17. Kxe2 Nf5 18. Kd3 {when White has the better endgame. }) 17. O-O {Now Black finally consolidates, and everything starts to make perfect sense for him.} ({Stronger is the active} 17. b5 Na5 18. Rc7 $1 { Then after} ({Or even} 18. O-O $1 Qxa4 19. Rc7) 18... Nc4 19. O-O Kd8 20. Rxb7 Kc8 {Black would trap the enemy rook, but White should have enough compensation for it with} 21. Rxe7 Qxe7 22. Rb1) 17... Nf5 18. Bc3 Rc8 $1 { Now the opening experiment works more than well for Rapport. He starts creating threats on his own, and in the long run the white bishop might become a liability.} 19. g4 {One more weakening, but what else $2} (19. Rfd1 {does not save anything} Ncxd4) 19... Nfe7 $1 {Same policy, play for a win $1} ({ The alternative} 19... Ncxd4 20. Bxd4 Rxc1 21. gxf5 Rxf1+ 22. Kxf1 Qxb4 { would lead to a messy situation.}) 20. Bd2 ({Perhaps the solid} 20. Rc2 { is somewhat better, to which Black needs to continue as in the game with} Qb3 ( {since the pawn capture} 20... Qxa4 21. Ra1 Qb3 22. Rcc1 Qc4 23. Qxc4 dxc4 24. b5 {is comfortable for Black.}) 21. Rfc1 h5) 20... h5 $1 {Black destroys the enemy defenses.} ({Not yet} 20... Qxa4 21. Ra1) 21. gxh5 ({After} 21. h3 Qxa4 22. Ra1 Qc2 23. Rfc1 Qg6 {the queen retreats with a crucial tempo.}) 21... Qxa4 22. Ra1 Qc2 23. b5 {Vidit knows that things have gone wrong for him and looks for active counterplay.} Nd8 24. Rfc1 Qf5 25. Rxc8 ({A somewhat better alternative is} 25. Nh4 Qxh5 26. Qxh5 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Rxh5 28. Nf3 {which only speaks how bad White's position actually is.}) 25... Nxc8 26. Rc1 Ne7 {A slip in the approaching time scramble.} ({Safer is} 26... Nb6 27. Rc7 Rxh5) 27. Rc7 ({For now Vidit missed a golden chance to at least get rid of the powerful black knight with} 27. Bb4 $1 Rxh5 28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29. Qe3) 27... Rxh5 28. Bb4 Ng6 {Phew, just in time $1 Black is dominating, although some accuracy is still required.} 29. b6 $1 {A practical shot.} Qb1+ {But Black is careful.} ({ But not} 29... axb6 30. Qb5+ Nc6 31. Rxc6 $1 {and it is White who is mating.}) 30. Qe1 ({A better chance is} 30. Qf1 $5 Qxf1+ 31. Kxf1 axb6 32. h4) 30... Qxe1+ 31. Nxe1 axb6 32. Nc2 {Vidit hopes to transfer his knight all the way to the d6-square, but that would not happen.} Rh3 $1 33. Bd6 ({If} 33. Na3 Nc6 34. Bd6 Nxd4 {wins for Black.}) 33... Nc6 34. Rxb7 {The next moves were played in severe mutual time trouble. Vidit did not want to repeat moves and let his opponent reach move 40 easily.} ({However} 34. Rc8+ $1 {is mandatory when} Nd8 35. Rc7 {forces Black to try something different, like} Rh4 ({Or} 35... Rd3 { with excellent winning chances in either line.})) 34... Rc3 35. Ne3 Nh4 { Good enough for the win.} ({Although} 35... Rc1+ $1 36. Kg2 Nf4+ 37. Kg3 Rg1+ $1 38. Kxf4 g5+ 39. Kf3 Nxd4# {would be even faster.}) 36. Kf1 Rb3 37. Nc2 Rb2 38. Na3 Nf5 {Rapport consolidates and wins the key game in the group.} 39. Bc5 Nfxd4 40. h4 ({Nothing changes} 40. Rxb6 Rxb6 41. Bxb6 Nf3) 40... Nf5 41. Bd6 Rb3 42. Nc2 d4 43. Ke1 Nxh4 44. f4 Nf3+ 45. Kf2 Nfxe5 {Many roads lead to Rome, but the Hungarian GM chooses the most practical one, the one that deprives his opponent even the slightest chance.} (45... d3 {is a win as well.}) 46. fxe5 Rb2 47. Kf3 Rxc2 48. Rxb6 Rc3+ 49. Kf4 f6 50. exf6 gxf6 51. Rb7 Rc4 52. Ba3 Ra4 53. Bc1 Ra7 54. Rb6 Kd7 55. Ke4 f5+ 56. Kd3 e5 57. Kc4 Kd6 58. Bd2 Ra2 59. Bb4+ Kc7 60. Bc5 Rc2+ 61. Kd5 Ne7+ {PLAY CHESS, NOT WAR.} 0-1