Mamedyarov, S. – Rapport, R.

2740 2022 · Draw

Modern Benoni, 2022: Mamedyarov (2740) against Rapport (2740), two players on the same ELO, and the game reflects it. Black goes for 9...b5 early, White takes, and the position empties out along the e-file: 14.Rxe8+, then 23.Rxe8+, then the queens come off with 26...Qxg4+. The engine flags no turning point at all — nobody lets the evaluation slip, nobody gets a chance worth taking. Accuracy runs 92% for White, 86% for Black: a genuine gap, but never wide enough to become something tangible on the board. After 36...Bxe4+ 37.Kxe4 there is nothing left to press with, and the draw follows. The lesson: a sharp opening does not guarantee a swing.