Italian Game: Two Knights, 4.d3 h6
Hou–Rapport, Geneva Grand Prix 2017 · Vidit–Nakamura, FIDE Candidates 2024 · 6:34 · ECO C55
Position as text
FEN:
In this video
Game 1: Hou Yifan (2666) vs Richard Rapport (2694)
Geneva Grand Prix 2017, 10 July 2017 · Black won (0-1) · 44 moves
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Key moments
- 5.O-OThe first move after the opening line0:26
- 19...Bxc6The queens come off1:26
- 23.Red1The evaluation moves from +0.40 to −1.201:44
- 31.Ra3Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here2:24
- 32.Rb3The evaluation moves from −3.67 to −7.162:29
- 35...Rgd7The evaluation moves from −4.34 to −5.632:46
- 44...h5Black wins after 44 moves3:32
Evaluation
Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.
Game 2: Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (2727) vs Hikaru Nakamura (2789)
FIDE Candidates 2024, 14 April 2024 · White won (1-0) · 36 moves
Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.
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Key moments
- 5.c3The first move after the opening line3:57
- 31...Nf4The evaluation moves from +1.81 to +2.92, and White stays more than two pawns ahead from here5:58
- 33...Qb2The evaluation moves from +2.87 to +7.916:08
- 36.Rxg6+White wins after 36 moves6:20
Evaluation
Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.
About these games
After 4.d3 White chooses a slow build-up with c3, castling and a later d4, keeping the e4 pawn protected rather than attacking f7 at once. Black's 4...h6 takes the g5-square away from White's knight and bishop, so there is no Ng5 jump and no Bg5 pin, and it prepares either a quiet ...g6 and ...Bg7 fianchetto or the sharper ...g5 and ...Bg7.
Hou Yifan–Rapport followed the quiet plan: 6...g6 and 7...Bg7. White struck with 9.d4 and opened the centre with 13.dxe5. After the queens came off with 19...Bxc6, White took a pawn with 20.Bxa7, and Black answered with 21...f5 and a kingside pawn advance. 23.Red1 moved the evaluation from +0.40 to −1.20, and 24...f4 followed. The piece sacrifice 28...Bxg2+ and 29...f3 left a pawn deep in White's camp, and 31.Ra3 took the score from −1.97 to −3.94. Black won after 44...h5, at −7.29.
Vidit–Nakamura took the sharp route with 6...g5. White regrouped slowly with Nbd2-c4-e3 and broke with 18.d4. After 19...d5 20.e5 the centre opened, and 26.Bxa5 won a pawn. Unlike Game 1, the queens stayed on the board. The score was +2.29 at 29...Nxd5, 31...Nf4 raised it from +1.81 to +2.92, and after 33.Rxh6 the reply 33...Qb2 lifted it from +2.87 to +7.91. White won with 36.Rxg6+.