10/1/2014 – Each year, Victor Laznicka, the Czech Republic's number two, plays a six-game-match against a strong opponent. This year it's young Hungarian GM Richard Rapport, famous for his unconventional style. Nominally Rapport is favorite but in the past he often had problems against Laznicka. But things were different in the first game of the match.
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
Winning starts with what you know The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Instead of focusing on a rigid repertoire, the course presents key games, important strategic ideas, and opening knowledge to equip you with the essential tools to outmanoeuvre your opponents.
€49.90
Rapport-Laznicka match starts off with a bang!
The match between Richard Rapport and Viktor Laznicka in Novy Bor, Czech Republic, is on. It is a six game match and will take place from the 30. September to 5. October 2014. The time control is 90 min/40 moves, plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move.
Laznicka is a positionally sound player, follows theory and believes in the classical concept of occupying the centre in the opening. Rapport on the other hand is a complete maverick on the chess board. He regularly shuns classical principles and likes to open his games with offbeat moves such as 1.b3. He is not interested in theory and he doesn’t need to be asked twice when a tempting sacrifice is in sight. When players of such contrasting styles meet one can expect exciting fighting chess.
Rapport vs Laznicka: a battle of contrasting styles (Foto: Ilja Schneider, Neckar-Open)
The last time these two met over the board was in the eighth round of the Neckar Open in April 2014. This game ended in a resounding win for Laznicka.
Laznicka has not been the easiest of rivals for the Hungarian prodigy. Rapport is trailing big time with three losses and a draw in their four encounters. I think, the reason for this dismal score is the fact that Rapport just did not get the positions he likes. To make my point clear, let me show you some positions from their games.
First encounter: Rapport (2540)-Laznicka (2688), Aix-les-Bains, 2011.
Rapport as white plays 1.d4 and gets absolutely nothing out of the opening against Laznicka's solid Slav Defence. As you can see, the pawn structure is pretty symmetrical and the game ended in a draw.
Second encounter: Laznicka (2701)-Rapport (2547), Rogaska Slatina, 2011
Rapport tries to play an offbeat line of the Slav with black and gets badly burnt. In the diagram above he already has a poor position. A very easy win for Laznicka.
Third encounter: Laznicka (2704) - Rapport (2543), Gibraltar 2012
Rapport got such a passive position in the opening?! A sure recipe for disaster. Laznicka chalks up another win.
Fourth encounter: Rapport (2698)-Laznicka (2673), Neckar Open, 2014
Laznicka plays the super solid Caro-Kann-Defence with black and gets a superb attacking position. He does not miss his chance and converts in 23 moves. A complete rout!
From the examples above we can clearly see that Rapport has been struggling to get the right kind of positions against Laznicka. Rapport is definitely the player on the rise, more talented and also higher-rated. But the fact that Laznicka has such a superior score (+3 =1) from their past meetings makes the match very interesting.
Moving the e-pawn here does not seem right! Rapport chose to move
its neighbour (the d-pawn) in his first move of the match!
The first game of the match began at 16.00 hours local time (GMT+2) on 30. September, and Laznicka had the white pieces. In an offbeat opening things went really well for the Hungarian player after the first few moves, and he got the type of position he simply loves. With pawns on f5, e4 and d5 he had complete control in the centre. Objectively, Laznicka was doing fine, but when he lowered his guard for one single move he suffered a complete nightmare. A double knight sacrifice on f2 and e3 destroyed his position and the game ended after a mere 24 moves.
New ...
New Game
Edit Game
Setup Position
Open...
PGN
FEN
Share...
Share Board (.png)
Share Board (configure)
Share playable board
Share game as GIF
Notation (PGN)
QR Code
Layout...
Use splitters
Swipe notation/lists
Reading mode
Flip Board
Settings
Move
N
Result
Elo
Players
Replay and check the LiveBook here
Please, wait...
This is the first game of the Laznicka-Rapport match which will last for six
games. It is quite an interesting battle because Laznicka is quite a
technically correct player, while Rapport on the other hand is a complete
maverick who thrives on complicated positions.1.d4d62.c4e5!?This is
the first time that Rapport has played this opening.3.Nf3Laznicka goes
for the main line.3.d5I would recommend this move to those who are
looking for a simple way as White to play against this opening.f54.e4!?fxe45.Nc3Nf66.Nge2Bf57.Ng3Bg68.Bg5Be79.Bxf6gxf610.h4Qd711.f3!?The game Mikhalevski-Milos which reached this position is worth
studying in detail.3.dxe5Hardly anyone plays this move.dxe54.Qxd8+Kxd85.Nc3Be66.b3c6= Black king goes to c7 and he has
absolutely no problems.3...e44.Nfd24.Ng5is definitely the main move.
f55.Nc3Be76.Nh3The N will later go to f4 when it will be perfectly
placed.4...f55.Nc3c65...Nf6is the more common way to go and play
continues with6.e3g67.Be2Bg78.0-00-0When according to me Black has
a very superior version of Dutch Defence.6.e3Nf67.Be2Na6The N can be
put to good use on c7 form where it can support d6-d5.7...g6is the
normal way but Rapport always has his own ideas.8.Qa4!?An odd move by
Laznicka. I wonder why he played his queen to a4. Maybe he wanted to expand on
the queenside with b4 but maybe it's not the best plan in the position. The
right plan should definitely be 0-0 followed by breaking the structure with f3.
Nc79.b4a6preventing b5.10.Qb3d5!Things have gone well for Black
in the opening. He has a perfectly satisfactory position.11.a4Be612.Bb212.c5could have been tried by Laznicka. But it reduces the tension in the
center and later Black can prepare the f5-f4 break, taking his time.12...Be713.0-00-014.b5Laznicka gets his play going on the queenside but
Black doesn't really care. He has a strong pawn chain in the center and it is
quite difficult to break it.Kh815.Rfb115.b6?!Nce816.c5This is a
typical computer variation that gives a slight edge to White. I think this is
an incorrect assessment. With the queenside closed, it will be Black who will
play on the kingside and launch a violent pawn storm without much hindrance.15...dxc416.Bxc4Ncd517.bxc6bxc618.Ba3!Laznicka does the right
thing to exchange the Black's best minor piece.Bxa319.Qxa3Ng4!?A
typical Rapport move. The knight jumps into the kingside with some vague
threats. But thanks to his excellent tactical mastery Richard could see what
would happen if his opponent goes wrong and Laznicka lost his sense of danger
I guess.19...f4!?was totally messy but maybe the best move in the
position.20.Ncxe4?!20.Ndxe4?Nxc3-+20...Nxe421.Nxe4Bf520.h3?!20.Bxd5!was very strong.Qh4looks scary but it is important
to see that nothing is happening after21.Bxe6!Qxf2+21...Qxh2+22.Kf1Qh1+23.Ke2Qxg224.Rf1+-22.Kh1Nxe323.Rg1Qxd224.Ra2Qxd425.Ne2Black has three pawns for a piece but White has an upper hand here
because his piece are quite decently co ordinated.20.Rb2!?Keeping
control was also interesting.Qh421.Nf1Ndxe3!?22.Bxe6Nxf123.h3!∞it's a crazy position. A clear cut evaluation is impossible.23.Kxf1?Nxh2+24.Kg1Rf6!playing such positions against Rapport is scary.20...Nxf2!?The sacrifice looks strong but White can still come out of it
unhurt if he chooses the right path.21.Kxf2?The worst move that White
could make. Maybe Laznicka had lost the thread of the game after the 20th move.
21.Bxd5!was the only way to maintain the balance.Nxh3+22.gxh3Qg5+23.Kh2cxd523...Qxe3?24.Bxe6Qxd2+25.Kh1±24.Ne2f425.exf4Qh526.Re1g5!∞Though black is a piece down, the White pieces have
absolutely no co-ordination and it is a crazily complicated position.21...Nxe3‼That was not a difficult shot for Rapport to calculate.21...Qh4+
It could well be that Laznicka had only seen this and that it was not working
due to22.g3Qxh323.Rh1Qg424.Be2+-White has consolidated.22.Qc5?Now the end is swift.22.Kxe3Qg5+23.Ke2Qxg2+24.Kd1Bxc4!25.Nxc4Qf1+!26.Kd2Qxc422.Bxe6Qxd4‼-+This is what Richard is
strong in. Two pieces down but he sees that his attack will succeed.23.Ke2Qd3+24.Kf2Nc2-+22...Qg5Qxg2 followed by f4 mate is threatened.23.Bf1Nd523...Nc2could have been a tad stronger.24.Ke124.Kg1Qxd2
would prolong the game but isn't it too sad?24...Qg3+!The c3 knight
falls and with it the entire house! What a crushing victory for the Hungarian
prodigy.0–1
With a beautiful double knight sacrifice, Rapport takes the lead in the match.
This kind of six game match is staged for the fourth consecutive year. Two things have been constant since the inception. The first is...
...the participation of Viktor Laznicka, Czech Republic's number two
And the second is...
...the playing venue in the restaurant Ajeto. A glass wall separates the players from the spectators.
The two players on the other side of the glass pane
Here the match takes place: in the restaurant Ajeto.
A number of sponsors support the match.
On the day before the match Rapport gave a simul against 16 players.
In the picture you see ECU chairman Viktor Novotny playing with the
black pieces. He managed to hold Richard to a draw.
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.
Sagar ShahSagar is an International Master from India with two GM norms. He loves to cover chess tournaments, as that helps him understand and improve at the game he loves so much. He is the co-founder and CEO of ChessBase India, the biggest chess news portal in the country. His YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, and to date close to a billion views. ChessBase India is the sole distributor of ChessBase products in India and seven adjoining countries, where the software is available at a 60% discount. compared to International prices.
How do you play the Queen's Gambit Accepted? Does White have promising variations or can Black construct a water-tight repertoire? The Powerbook provides the answers based on 300 000 games, most of them played by engines.
The Queen's Gambit Accepted Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 11827 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 240 are annotated.
Rossolimo-Moscow Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 10950 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 612 are annotated.
The greater part of the material on which the Rossolimo/Moscow Powerbook 2025 is based comes from the engine room of playchess.com: 263.000 games. This imposing amount is supplemented by some 50 000 games from Mega and from Correspondence Chess.
€9.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.
