SICILIAN - RICHTER RAUZER VARIATION

This game was tagged as the TOP FAVORITE by Chessbase.com on December 2008. Tal, known as the Magician of Riga, became World Champion in 1961.

[Event "Riga"][Date "1957"]
[White "Mikhail Tal"]
[Black "Alexander Koblents"]
[ECO "B63"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5

This constitutes the Richter-Rauzer Variation.

6 ... e6 7.Qd2 Be7

[Event "Russian Team Championship"][Site "Dagomys RUS"][Date "2008.04.09"][Round "7"]
[White "Alexander Lastin"]
[Black "Alexander Motylev"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2621"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6
7. Qd2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. f4 Qa5 11. h4 Rd8
12. Bd3 e5 13. Qf2 Be6 14. Kb1 exf4 15. Qxf4 Kf8 16. Rhf1 Rac8
17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bxg5 19. hxg5 Qxd5 20. b3 Qxg2 21. Bxh7
Qg4 22. Qd2 Rc5 23. Rde1 Ke7 24. Rg1 Qh4 25. Be4 b6 26. g6 Re5
27. gxf7 Bxf7 28. Rxg7 Rf8 29. Rh7 Qg3 30. Rhh1 Rg8 31. Bc6
Rxe1+ 32. Rxe1+ Kd8 33. Re3 Qg1+ 34. Kb2 Qg7+ 35. Ka3 Qf8
36. Bd5 Bxd5 37. Qxd5 Kc7 1-0

8.O-O-O O-O

[Event "Tal Memorial Blitz"][Site "Moscow RUS"][Date "2008.08.29"][Round "9"]
[White "Sergey Karjakin"]
[Black "Vassily Ivanchuk"]
[ECO "B66"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6
7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Be7 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6
12. e5 d5 13. f5 fxe5 14. Qxe5 Bf6 15. Qg3 Bh4 16. Qh3 O-O
17. Bd3 Ra7 18. Kb1 Bf6 19. Rhf1 Kh8 20. g4 Rg8 21. fxe6 fxe6
22. Ne2 Rag7 23. Nf4 Be5 24. Nh5 Rc7 25. Rde1 Qg5 26. Qf3 Bg7
27. h4 Qe7 28. g5 Rf8 29. Qg3 Rxf1 30. Rxf1 e5 31. Nxg7 Kxg7
32. h5 e4 33. Be2 d4 34. h6+ Kg8 35. g6 d3 36. cxd3 Qc5 37. a3
Be6 38. dxe4 Qc2+ 39. Ka1 Qc1+ 0-1

[Event "Casino de Barcelona"][Date "2008.11.02"][Round "4"]
[White "Baadur Jobava"]
[Black "Alexey Dreev"]
[ECO "B66"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6
7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Be7 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6
12. Be2 Rb8 13. Bh5 b4 14. Ne2 Qa5 15. f5 Qxa2 16. fxe6 Bxe6
17. Nf4 O-O 18. Kd2 Qa5 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 f5 21. h4 Qd8
22. Qd3 Bf6 23. Kc1 Bg7 24. Qxf5 Qa5 25. Kd2 Rbe8 0-1

[Event "2008 Olympiad"][Site "Dresden GER"][Date "2008.11.19"][Round "6"]
[White "Vladimir Akopian"]
[Black "Shakhriyar Mamedyarov"]
[ECO "B66"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6
7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O a6 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6
12. e5 d5 13. Kb1 Bb7 14. f5 fxe5 15. Qxe5 Bf6 16. Qg3 Qe7
17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Be2 h5 19. a4 h4 20. Qg6+ Qf7 21. Qg4 Rg8
22. Qh3 Rg5 23. Bg4 Ke7 24. Rhe1 Be5 25. Qe3 Rag8 26. Qa7 1-0

[Event "ASEAN Masters Circuit GMA"][Site "Tarakan INA"][Date "2008.01.16"][Round "8"]
[White "Wesley So"]
[Black "Nasib Ginting"]
[ECO "B65"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6
7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. f4 Qa5 11. h4 Rd8
12. Qe3 h6 13. Be2 Bd7 14. Qg3 Kh8 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Ng8
17. Qf4 Be8 18. Bd3 f6 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. g4 e5
22. Qf1 Bc6 23. g5 Ng8 24. Rg1 e4 25. gxh6 Nxh6 26. Qg2 Nf5
27. Bxe4 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Ne3 29. Qg6 Bxe4 30. Nxe4 Rc8 31. c3
Nxd1 32. Ng5 Rxc3+ 33. Kb1 Rc1+ 34. Kxc1 Qc5+ 35. Kb1 Nc3+
36. bxc3 Qb5+ 37. Ka1 1-0

9.Nb3 Qb6 10.f3 a6 11.g4 Rd8 12.Be3 Qc7 13.h4
b5 14.g5 Nd7 15.g6 hxg6 16.h5 gxh5 17.Rxh5 Nf6 18.Rh1 d5 19.e5
Nxe5 20.Bf4 Bd6 21.Qh2 Kf8 22.Qh8+ Ng8 23.Rh7 f5 24.Bh6 Rd7















25.Bxb5 Rf7 26.Rg1 Ra7 27.Nd4 Ng4 28.fxg4 Be5 29.Nc6 Bxc3
30.Be3 d4 31.Rgh1 Rd7 32.Bg5 axb5 33.R1h6 d3 34.bxc3 d2 35.Kd1
Qxc6 36.Rf6+ Rf7 37.Qxg7+ 1-0