Rapport beats MVL and moves closer to the FIDE Grand Prix finals
Round 1 of the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 semifinals ended with Rapport winning against MVL and moving closer to the final, while Giri and Andreikin ended a complicated game in a draw agreement.
The Semifinals started with the ceremonial first move, made by the Tournament Director Marijan Stricevic in the game between Richard Rapport and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Their game followed Bluebaum-Baldauf, 2020, until move 14 Bd2 by Rapport who showed a strong opening preparation. After trading the queens a couple of moves later, Rapport was completely winning. Eventually, the Hungarian GM cashed out his advantage with a powerful transition into the endgame and he now has great chances moving to the Grand Prix final.
The Giri-Andreikin game started with a sharp Sicilian. Giri was slightly better in the opening but the game ended to be a very complicated and unbalanced one. The two GMs agreed to a draw in an endgame that had so much more to give. It was a safe result though that gives them equal chances to claim their position in the final.
Meanwhile, the Serbian basketball star of Red Star Belgrade and former player of Fenerbahce, Nikola Kalinic, visited the Belgrade FIDE Grand Prix semifinals. “At the end of the day, your brain is a ‘muscle’ that needs to work” he said in his interview.
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