RAPPORT vs SARIN - ABU DHABI MASTER 2018 ROUND 9

In spite of the loss, fourteen year old Sarin secured his third GM norm, the final hurdle to his GM title.

Today’s game features a Closed Sicilian that includes some Q&A style annotations.

While playing through the game, scroll slowly so that when you get to the questions you can put some time on the clock (ten to fifteen minutes) and try and find the solution.

Rapport,Richard (2719) - Nihal Sarin (2556)

25th Abu Dhabi Master 2018 Abu Dhabi (9), 15.08.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nf3 Nxb5 5.Nxb5 d6 6.d4 Nf6 B23: Closed Sicilian: Lines without g3 [6...a6 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Qxd8+ Rxd8 10.Ne5 Nf6 11.Be3 e6 12.f3 Bh5 13.Na4 Nd7 14.Nxd7 Rxd7 15.Nxc5 Bxc5 16.Bxc5 1–0 (94) Predojevic,B (2614)-Martinovic, S (2565) Mali Losinj 2017] 
7.Qd3 a6 8.Nc3 cxd4 The position is equal.
9.Nxd4 

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9...e5N [9...g6 10.Bg5 Bg7 11.0–0–0 Ng4 12.Nd5 Nxf2 13.Qf3 f6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nxf6+ exf6 16.Qxf2 0–1 (29) Hale,A (2001)-Dyshkant, F (2010) ICCF email 2016] 
10.Nf5 Bxf5 11.exf5 h6 12.Bd2 Be7 13.0–0–0 0–0 

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[13...b5= keeps the balance.] 
14.g4!± d5 15.g5 d4 16.gxf6 dxc3 17.Qxc3 Bxf6 

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18.Bxh6! Qc8
What is the immediate threat that Black has posed with this move?

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Threatens to win with ...Qxc3. [18...gxh6 19.Rxd8] 
19.Qxc8 Rfxc8 20.Rhg1 Hoping for Bxg7! 
20...Kf8 21.Be3 Ke7 22.Rg4 Rd8 [¹22...Rc7] 
23.Rb4 Rxd1+ 24.Kxd1 Endgame KRB-KRB 
24...Rd8+ 25.Ke2 Rd7 26.a4 Kd6 27.b3 Kc7 28.Rc4+ Kb8 [¹28...Kd6 29.Kf3 Rd8] 
29.Bb6+- Bg5 30.Rg4 

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30...f6?
What better option did Black have in this position, and how would you have replied as White?

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[30...Bf6 was worth a try. 31.Rg3 Rd6] 
31.Rc4 Bh6 32.Kf3 Re7 33.Kg4 Bf4 34.h3 White is clearly winning. 
34...Bh6 35.Kh5 Rd7 36.Kg6 Rd1 37.Rc3 Rg1+ 38.Kf7  1–0