Rapport beats Caruana and Xiong
Known for his fearless, offbeat style, Richard Rapport is a feared player in the chess world’s elite. Currently ranked 11th in the world, the Hungarian is one of nine ‘regular’ players in this year’s Grand Chess Tour. Rapport tied for fifth at the Paris leg of the tour, and we expect to see him playing the Sinquefield Cup, the last event of this year’s series starting on Tuesday.
On the final day of the rapid section in Saint Louis, Rapport kicked off with a win over former sole leader Fabiano Caruana. Rapport had the black pieces, and survived what seemed to be a devastating attack out of a Sicilian.
The interactive format encourages the viewer to study and find the brilliancy, following the footsteps of some of the greatest players of the game.
Caruana vs. Rapport - Round 7
This certainly looks like a winning position for White, who not only has created a strong bind right next to his opponent’s king but is also up material.
But Rapport is not one to go down easy, as he continued to create practical problems for his famed rival. Caruana slowly started to lose the thread while not finding a way to break through. After agreeing to give up his two rooks for Black’s queen, he found himself in an equal — and sharp — position.
To make matters worse, Caruana blundered with 50.cxb4, allowing 50...Rxb4 51.Qd5 Rxb3 and the rooks are lethal along the a and b-files. Caruana played 52.g6, giving way to 52...Ra3#.
It was a demonstration of how tough it can be to convert an advantage when facing a tough defender like Rapport, even for a player of Caruana’s calibre. (In the diagrammed position, 50.c4 would have kept the balance).
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Bxc4 c5 9.e5 Qd8 10.0-0 cxd4 11.Ne4 0-0 12.Qe2 Be7 13.Rfd1 Qa5 14.a3 14.Rxd4 Nc6 14...Rd8 15.b4 Qb6 16.Ng3 Bd7 17.Rxd4 17...Bc6N 17...Be8= 18.Rxd8 Qxd8 17...Be8 18.Rg4 Nd7 19.Nh5 g6 20.Qe4 a5 21.Nd4 Bg5 22.h4 gxh5 23.hxg5 hxg4 24.gxh6 18.Rg4! Bxf3 19.Qxf3 19.gxf3 Nc6 19...Nc6 20.Nh5! g5 21.Nf6+ Kg7 22.Qf4 22.Re1 Rd4 23.h4 Rxg4 24.Qxg4 22...Rh8? 22...Kf8!= 23.h4 23.b5!+- Na5 24.Be2 23...Rad8! 24.hxg5 h5 25.Rh4 Rd4 26.Qh2 Rxh4 27.Qxh4 Qd4 27...Nxe5 28.Be2 Ng4 28.Qxd4± Nxd4 29.Rd1 Rd8 30.Kf1 30.Nxh5+? Kg6-+ 30...h4 31.f4 a5 32.bxa5 Bxa3 33.Rb1 Rc8 34.Bd3 34.Rxb7? Rxc4 35.Ne8+ Kg6-+ 34...Rc1+ 35.Kf2 35.Rxc1 Bxc1 36.Kf2 Kf8 37.g3 Ke7 38.Be4 35...Rxb1 36.Bxb1= Nc6 37.Kf3 Nxa5 38.Kg4 b5 39.Kxh4 b4 40.Ne8+ Kf8 41.Nd6 b3 42.g6 fxg6 43.Kg5 Bxd6 44.exd6 Nc4 45.d7 Ke7 46.Kxg6 Ne3 47.g3 b2 48.Kh5 Kxd7 49.g4 Ke7 50.Kg5 Kf7 51.f5! exf5 52.gxf5 Nxf5 53.Bxf5 b1Q 54.Bxb1 ½–½ - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Mamedyarov,S | 2782 | So,W | 2772 | ½–½ | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 7.1 |
Caruana,F | 2806 | Rapport,R | 2763 | 0–1 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 7.2 |
Nakamura,H | 2736 | Dominguez Perez,L | 2758 | 1–0 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 7.3 |
Svidler,P | 2714 | Shankland,S | 2709 | ½–½ | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 7.4 |
Le,Q | 2709 | Xiong,J | 2710 | 0–1 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 7.5 |
Please, wait...
All games from round 7

Richard Rapport | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Round 8 saw Rapport getting a second consecutive victory, while Caruana bounced back from his previous defeat by beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in a brilliant showing of positional understanding. Meanwhile, Peter Svidler regained a fifty-percent score by beating Leinier Dominguez with the black pieces.
Out of an Italian, it was Dominguez who got a clear advantage in the middlegame, but Svidler’s tactical alertness allowed him to turn the tables.
The Italian Game is considered a sound but quiet opening without early trades, giving rise to rich positions where plans are more important than forced variations. So shows black's plans on this DVD.
Dominguez vs. Svidler - Round 8
Note that Black cannot capture the rook on f7 due to e8, queening. Svidler found an elegant solution: 45...Be3+ 46.Rxe3 Rc4+ and White cannot block with 47.Re4, since allowing that rook to be exchanged would also lose the rook on f7 (e8 is no longer protected).
Here 47.Kf5 would have kept the game going, while Dominguez’s 47.Bd4 was a blunder — after 47...Rxd4+ 48.Ke5 Rxe3+ 49.Kxd4 Kxf7 50.Kxe3, Black gets a winning pawn endgame.
The immediate 50...Kxe7 would spoil everything for Black, as White saves the draw either with 51.g3 or 51.g4. However, Svidler is not one to miss these endgame nuances — the 8-time Russian champion played 50...h4 and went on to score an important victory.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Qa4+ c6 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qc2 Bb7 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.Nc3 Rc8 10.b3!? Be7 11.Bb2 a6 12.Ne4!?N 12.d3 0-0 13.Rfd1 Qb6 14.e3 Rfd8 15.Rac1 h6 16.a3 c5 17.Qe2 Nd5 18.Ne4 12...c5 13.Nxf6+ Bxf6 14.a4 Bxb2 15.Qxb2 0-0 16.axb5 axb5 17.b4 Qf6 18.Qxf6 Nxf6 19.bxc5 Rxc5 20.Rfb1 h6 20...Be4= 21.d4± Rc7 22.Rxb5 Rfc8 23.h3 Be4 24.Rb2 Rc2 25.Rxc2 Rxc2 26.e3 Rb2 27.Rd1 Nd5 28.Rd2 Rb1+ 29.Kh2 Nc3 30.Ne5 f6 31.Nd3 Bxd3 32.Rxd3 Rc1 33.Rd2 Kf7 34.Bf3 f5 35.Rb2 Kf6 35...Rb1± 36.Rxb1 Nxb1 36.Rb6+- Rc2 37.Kg2 Rd2 38.g4 g6 39.h4 39.gxf5+- gxf5 40.Kg3 39...f4 40.Rc6 Nd1 41.g5+ 41.Bxd1+- Rxd1 42.Ra6 42.exf4 Rxd4 43.Kg3 Rd3+ 44.f3 h5± 41...hxg5 42.hxg5+ Kxg5 43.Bxd1 Rxd1 43...fxe3! 44.Bb3 44.Rxe6 exf2 45.Be2 Rxd4= 44...Kf4 44.Rxe6 Kf5 45.Re5+ 45.Ra6+- 45...Kg4!= 46.Re6 f3+ 47.Kh2 g5! 48.Re4+ Kf5 49.Re5+ Kg4 50.d5 Rf1 50...Rd2!? 51.Re4+ Kf5= 51.Re4+ Kf5 52.Rd4 52...Rxf2+ 53.Kg3 Ra2 54.Kxf3 Ra7 55.Re4 Rd7? 55...Ra1= 56.Re8!+- g4+ 57.Kg3 Rh7 58.e4+ Kg5 59.Re5+ Kf6 60.Rf5+ Ke7 61.Kxg4 Kd6 62.Rf6+ 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Shankland,S | 2709 | Le,Q | 2709 | 1–0 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 8.1 |
Dominguez Perez,L | 2758 | Svidler,P | 2714 | 0–1 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 8.2 |
Rapport,R | 2763 | Xiong,J | 2710 | 1–0 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 8.3 |
So,W | 2772 | Nakamura,H | 2736 | ½–½ | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 8.4 |
Caruana,F | 2806 | Mamedyarov,S | 2782 | 1–0 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 8.5 |
Please, wait...
All games from round 8

Leinier Dominguez resigns his game against Peter Svidler | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Hikaru Nakamura had also beaten Dominguez in the day’s first round, and after drawing Wesley So with black in round 8, he was paired up against Caruana in the most attractive encounter of the rapid section’s final round.
Playing white, Nakamura outplayed the second highest-rated player in the world from a slightly superior endgame.
Smyslov cultivated a clear positional style and even in sharp tactical positions often relied more on his intuition than on concrete calculation of variations. Let our authors introduce you into the world of Vasily Smyslov.
Nakamura vs. Caruana - Round9
Black’s 26...b4 was not the best move in the position. White slowly but surely tightened the screws around his opponent’s uncoordinated position, combining threats along the eighth rank and against the pawn weaknesses. It was a fine technical showing by Nakamura, who secured a crucial 43-move victory to go into the blitz section as the sole leader — and the only player to remain undefeated in Saint Louis.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bc2 d5 8.d4 8.a4 dxe4 9.axb5 Bg4 10.bxc6 exf3 11.gxf3 Be6 12.Ra5 8...dxe4 9.dxe5 Qxd1 10.Rxd1 exf3 11.exf6 gxf6 12.Be4 Bd7 13.Nd2 fxg2 14.Nb3 Bb6 15.Nd4 Bxd4 16.cxd4 16...0-0-0N 16...Rc8 17.Bf4 Ne7 18.Bb7 Rb8 19.Bxg2 Rc8 20.d5 Rg8 21.Bg3 Nf5 22.Rac1 Nxg3 23.fxg3 17.Bf4! Rhe8 18.Bxg2 Ne7 19.Rac1 c6 20.d5 Kb7 21.Rc5 cxd5 21...Be6 22.dxc6+ Kc8 23.Ra1 Rd4 24.Bg3 Nf5 22.Bxd5+ Bc6 23.Bxc6+ Nxc6 24.Rxd8! Nxd8= 25.Rc7+ Kb6 26.Rd7 b4 26...Kc6 27.Rd6+ Kc5 27.Kf1± 27.Bc7+?! Kc6= 27...Kb5 28.Be3 Kc6 29.Ra7 Kd5 30.Ra8! Rf8 31.Bh6! 31.Rxa6?! Nc6= 31...Re8 32.Bd2! 32.Rxa6?! Nc6= 32...Kc5 33.Be3+ 33.Rxa6?! Nc6 33...Kb5? 33...Kd6± 34.Rb8+ 34.Rc8+- 34...Kc6 35.Rxb4 Ne6 36.Rb6+ Kd5 37.Rxa6 f5 38.Ra5+ Ke4 39.Ke2 Nf4+ 40.Bxf4 Kxf4+ 41.Kf1 Rc8 42.Ra4+ Ke5 43.Rb4 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Nakamura,H | 2736 | Caruana,F | 2806 | 1–0 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 9.1 |
Svidler,P | 2714 | So,W | 2772 | ½–½ | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 9.2 |
Le,Q | 2709 | Dominguez Perez,L | 2758 | ½–½ | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 9.3 |
Xiong,J | 2710 | Shankland,S | 2709 | 1–0 | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 9.4 |
Mamedyarov,S | 2782 | Rapport,R | 2763 | ½–½ | 2021 | | GCT St Louis Rapid 2021 | 9.5 |
Please, wait...
All games from round 9

A crucial victory for Hikaru Nakamura | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Final standings - Rapid (Win = 2 points; Draw = 1 point)
Links