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It was only a question of time. To the delight of his many supporters and fans, Richard Rapport, the Hungarian prodigy, made it to the 2700 realm of the super GMs. 2701 might look a ‘modest’ number but it is opening the gate to the echelons of the world chess elite. The 2.5/3 earned at the April leg of the Bundesliga, including a draw against Aronian (2812), was enough to cross the 2700 barrier. Richie is now the top U-18 player and among the 50 best players in the world (43rd). According to the April ratings, he has eclipsed most of the Hungarian leading players and is ranked second, only behind Leko. At the Tromso 2014 Chess Olympiad, for the first time he will be a member of the Hungarian National Team. Coupled with his youth, charisma and great popularity, Richard is taking over the promotion of chess in Hungary.
The youngest Hungarian GM was challenged to a match against the oldest active Hungarian grandmaster, Lajos Portisch, holder of the title ‘National Sportsman’, the highest award for outstanding achievement in the sports. Eight times world title candidate and as many times Hungarian Champion, in his heyday in the 1970s, Portisch was third in the world.
The promotional poster of the event
Organised by the Hungarian Foundation for Chess, the match entitled ‘A Clash of Generations’, took place over the last weekend, 2nd -3rd May. Four rapid games were played of 25 min plus 10 seconds per move thinking time for each player. The 59 years of age difference was in favour of the younger player who won the match 3.5-0.5.
GM Lajos Portisch
GM Richard Rapport (photo: Nikolett Penzias)
It was the first MVM Chess Cup in an anticipated series of high class chess events planned to follow in the near future as a result of a cooperation between the Hungarian Foundation for Chess and the main sponsor MVM Group, the largest Hungarian power company responsible for production and distribution of electricity.
Mr Istvan Torocskei, the chairman of the Hungarian Foundation
for Chess, is one of the richest Hungarians, owner of the
Szechenyi Bank and various other business enterprises. He
opened the match by performing the first move.
The match is underway (photo: Nikolett Penzias)
In the first three games the younger player clinched victory.
Rapport lived up to his favoritism (photo: Nikolett Penzias)
It was great to see the legendary Portisch in action (photo: Nikolett Penzias)
The fourth game is started. 1.b3 does not look strange for Rapport (photo: Nikolett Penzias)
In the fourth rapid match, the players proceeded with the opening move 1. b3, performed by Mr Kristof Nemeth, director of the Jatekszin Theater. The game resulted in a draw.
The Jatekszin Theater provided excellent premises as a venue for the match
With 100 years of theatre productions, it is the oldest in Budapest. Its director, Mr Kristof Nemeth, expressed his happiness that the century old playhouse could be a host to both theatre and chess legends.
Kristof Nemeth, the owner and director of Jatekszin Theater
is also an actor currently playing in the adaptation of the
mystery novel by Agatha Christie, ‘And Then There Were None’
Dr Andras Flumbort, a GM, a lawyer, secretary of the Hungarian
Foundation for Chess and a professional manager of Richard
Rapport, addressed the audience at the closing of the
match.
Rapport and Portisch share a friendly handshake after the clash.
Lajos Portisch, known for his classical music background, gave for the delighted
guests a concert of operas and Hungarian operettas. Seated behind is the arbiter,
IA Zsuzsa Veroci, off-duty.
Richard Rapport also gave a simultaneous exhibition, for which all 35 available places were booked a long time ago.
The simultaneous exhibition was held at the Theatre’s Club & Bistro
As the Club could not accommodate all players eager to take part in the simul,
the resourceful theatre staff came up with a genuine idea: the theatre’s cloak
area was quickly adapted to serve as a chess-playing podium, with Richard
flying the distance between the two venues
Among the participants in the simultaneous exhibition were Mr Tamas Nadasi,
CEO of the Aquaprofit, a sponsor of chess players, events and the winning team
in the National League, and Mr Gerguely Boganyi, one of the best Hungarian pianists
The Rapports: parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles and aunts, the girlfriend…
all came to support their famous family member
An additional member of the family is WGM Jovana Vojinovic (SRB, 2307) with whom Richard has set up home in her native Belgrade. A psychology student, Jovana is also the reigning Serbian woman chess champion and will be representing her country’s women team at the forthcoming Chess Olympiad. I learn that when Richard has to prepare for important matches, he returns to Sé, his village in Hungary, where he feels at his best for concentration and study. Otherwise, they live now in Belgrade and travel to tournaments together whenever possible. Jovana says: ‘We play many blitz games together, with one minute for him and five minutes for me. Very rarely I win, but even when I do I think he has given me the game just to make me happy.’
Sweethearts: Jovana and Richie
The commentators of the match: GM Laszlo Gonda (on the left) and GM Imre Hera.
Imre has kindly provided us with the games, which he has reconstructed by memory.
Photos by Diana Mihajlova and Nikolett Penzias
Games of the match with game four commented by GM Hera Imre
