This video analyses Mamedyarov's game against Richard Rapport at the tournament held in memory of Vugar Gashimov, remembered as one of the symbols of Azerbaijani chess.
The Two Knights Defence
Rapport chose a Two Knights Defence line in the Italian Game and played quietly with d3. Mamedyarov chased the bishop with h6 and then made the Be7 manoeuvre (0:56-1:24). When Rapport tried to gain space with a4, Mamedyarov answered with a5 and obtained the half-open f-file, valuable for his rooks (1:56).
Towards the sacrifice
The critical moment of the game is a sacrifice and the transformation that follows. Watch the video for the details.
This article is adapted from a video on the Satranç Okulu YouTube channel.
