GM Anish Giri - GM Richard Rapport

Tata Steel Masters, (13)

Sicilian Richter-Rauzer

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 The Richter-Rauzer was named in honour of two leading masters from the early part of the 20th century: Vsevolod Rauzer, a recognised Soviet opening theory expert, and the German master Kurt Richter. 6...g6 More usual is the main-line with 6...e6 7.Qd2 Bd7 8.0-0-0 - but with this game likely to play an important role for the outcome of the tournament, and Rapport having a tendency to surprise with risky openings, he ups the ante for his opponent with an off-beat sideline rather than walking into a well-prepared line from the Dutchman. 7.Bxf6 Usually in the Richter-Rauzer proper, we would see ...e6 and ...Be7, Bxf6 gxf6, and, despite the crippled pawn structure, Black has the bishop-pair and a solid mini-centre that is difficult for White to bludgeon a way through to the opponent's king. 7...exf6 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.Bc4 Also interesting was the strategical retreat now with 9.Nf3!? making it difficult for Black to fianchetto the dark-squared bishop - but I guess after 9...Be6 White may well have nothing better than 10.Nd4 Bd7 anyway. 9...Bg7 10.Nxc6 Bxc6 Rapport may well have the bishop-pair, but here Black's pawn structure is nothing short of a wreck - a wreck where White has an easy target of the vulnerable and weak backward d6-pawn. 11.0-0 0-0 12.Qd3 Giri is looking to consolidate his position by defending c4 and e4 while bringing a rook to the d-file to heap more pressure on the d6-pawn - but Black does have moves in this scenario! 12...Rc8 13.Nd5 Re8 The immediate 13...f5!? looked a strong option here as 14.exf5 Bxb2 15.Rab1 Bg7 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.f4 b5! 18.Bxb5 Bxd5 19.Qxd5 Rxc2 20.a4 Rc5 21.Qd3 Qh4 and Black does at least have active play for his weak d-pawn. 14.c3 Bd7 15.Bb5 Looking to trade the light-squared bishops under favourable circumstances with the strong Nd5 dominating - for now, at least - the bad bishop on g7. 15...Bc6 16.Bc4 Bd7 Putting the question to Giri: Do you want to repeat again with Bb5 Bc6, or find a different plan to keep the game going. With no dangers in his position, Giri rightly opts to fight on with the latter. 17.Rfe1 f5 18.Bb3 fxe4 19.Rxe4 Bf5 20.Rxe8+ Qxe8 Rapport has at least opened the board for his bishop-pair and traded a set of rooks, but there still remains the big question over the backward d-pawn. 21.Qd2 Be6 Rapport has weathered the storm, and all expectations now was that he had more than enough compensation for the weak d-pawn to steer the game towards a draw. 22.Rd1 Qd7 23.h3 b5 24.Qf4 Rc5 25.Ne3 Be5 26.Qe4 Kg7 27.f4 Also an option wanted by the engines was 27.Bxe6 fxe6 28.Ng4 Qc7 29.Nxe5 Rxe5 30.Qd4 g5 31.f3 Kf6 32.Qxd6 Qxd6 33.Rxd6 Re2 but I guess, even sans a pawn, the human instinct can see that the R+P endgame after 34.Ra6 Rxb2 35.Rxa7 h5 looks not to be enough to win with the Black rook ideally placed on the seventh rank. 27...Bf6 28.g4 The only sensible move after playing f4 - the only little snafu is that it does leave some big holes in White's kingside. 28...h6 29.Bd5 Bxd5 30.Nxd5 Rc4 31.Qf3 Qe6 32.f5 Again, the only try now is to continue to 'mix it' up a little and hope for a miracle. 32...gxf5 33.Nf4 Qe5 34.Nh5+ Kg6?? Miracles can, and do, happen! Heaven knows what exactly was going through Rapport's mind here, as this is just a brain freeze on an epic level as, somehow or other, he's missed a major cheapo/swindle by voluntarily walking his king into a mating net. There was two relatively easy-to-find moves for the king, either 34...Kg8 (or even 34...Kh7) 35.Rf1 Bd8! 36.Qxf5 Qxf5 37.Rxf5 b4 and the game is just heading for an easy draw. 35.Rxd6! [see diagram] And with it, Giri probably couldn't believe his luck here, as all his birthdays and Christmases have come at once with a very unexpected and crucial win for the biggest tournament victory of his career - and at home in front of the enthusiastic and very patriotic Dutch fans. 35...Kg5 Of course, Rapport missed the rook sac swindle, the unexpected (full!) point being that 35...Qxd6 36.Qxf5#. 36.Rd5 It never rains but it pours for poor Rapport, as his king goes on a suicide walk. 36...Qe1+ 37.Kg2 Be7 38.Rxf5+ Kh4 39.Qg3+ 1-0 After the sudden game-changer with Rapport's epic blunder, Understandably, Giri - probably still pinching himself in total disbelief - opts to take the safe route to victory that comes with Rapport's instant resignation, but the crowd-pleasing forced mate was 39.Ng3 Rc5 (There's no defence. If 39...Bg5 40.Rd5! Rf4 41.Nf5+ Rxf5 42.gxf5 and there's no stopping the dual mate with Qg4+ or Rd4+.) 40.Qf4! Bg5 41.Rxc5!! Qg1+ 42.Kxg1 Bxf4 43.Kg2! Bg5 At least stopping Rh5#, but leaving the door open for 44.Nf5#. At the end, Rapport resigned as 39...Qxg3+ 40.Nxg3 Rc5 [If 40...Bg5 41.Rxb5 and we're back to the theme of Nf5#.] 41.b4 easily wins.