Mamedyarov, S. – Rapport, R.

2726 2024 · Draw

Classical Slav, 2024: Mamedyarov (2726) against Rapport (2715). White leaves book with 4.e3 and 6.Bd3; Black takes on c4, then chases the bishop with b5 and b4, gaining time but loosening the queenside. After 14.a3 and the exchange on b4, White’s rook lands on a7 and Black’s bishop keeps contesting it — a6, b5, a6. No inflection points: the engine flags no evaluation drop at all, with 100% at-least-good moves from both sides. The Rb7-Ra7 repetition ends it. Club takeaway: when both players keep finding the best reply, nobody loses the game — it simply levels out.