Last Tango in Paris

Wesley So – Richárd Rapport

6th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Paris Rapid; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Paris, June 18, 2021

Nimzo-Indian Defence E41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Ne2 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. 0-0 Nf6 10. Bc2 0-0 11. a3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 e5!?TN (12. ... Qa5 13. c4 Rd8 14. Bb2 Qh5 15. Qe1 b6 16. d5 exd5 17. Nf4 Qh4 18. Nxd5 Be6 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. Qe4 Qxe4 21. Bxe4 Rd6 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Bxf6 Nd4 24. Rfd1 Ne2+ 25. Kf1 Ng3+ 26. hxg3 Bxc4+ 27. Kg1 Rxf6 28. Rd7 a6 29. Bd5 b5 30. Rc3 Rb8 31. Bxc4 bxc4 32. Rxc4 Rb1+ 33. Kh2 Rxf2 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35. Rg4+ Kf6 36. Rf4+ Rxf4 37. gxf4 Kf5 ½ : ½ del Rio de Angelis – Salgado López, 7th Ibero-American Chess Championship, Linares 2019) 13. Bg5 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 h6 16. Bh4 Re8 17. Qd3 Bd7 18. d5 Rc8 19. d6 (Δ Bh4xf6) 19. ... g5 20. Bg3

20. ... Ne4? This seems to be the losing move, leaving White in command of the central files. Probably better was 20. ... Qa5 so as to reply to 21. Rac1 with 21. ... Qd5 forcing the exchange of Queens and remaining with a tenable game. 21. Rae1 Rc3 22. Qd1 Nxg3 23. hxg3 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Be6. Yet Black cannot take on a3 because of the penetration of White’s Rook to e7. 25. Qd2 Rxa3. Now finally, he does it. 26. Rd1. But the d-file is also enough for the White Rook. 26. ... Bd7 27. Qb4 Ra2 28. Qb3 Ra5 29. Qxb7 Kg7 30. Re1 Rc5 31. Qe4 Qf6 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Re7 Be8. After all, one must be grateful to Rapport for allowing his opponent to finish in style rather than to provide a prosaic display of technique (as would have happened in case of 33. ... Rxc2 34. Qxc2 Qxd6 35. Re1).

34. Bg6! 1 : 0. A devilish interference: if 34. ... fxg6 then 35. Qxh6+ followed by mate in two, while in case of 34. ... Qxg6 35. Qh8+ Qg8 36. Qxh6+ (or 36. Rxe8+) 36. ... Qg7 37. Rxe8+ White takes it all.