Serendipity

My two previous articles dwelt on Richard Réti’s introduction of the so-called hypermodern systems. Characterised by the double fianchetto of White’s bishops, Réti swept to victory with his invention against both Bogolyubov and Capablanca, as detailed in my columns. A fortuitous coincidence with the publication of Réti: Move by Move by Thomas Engqvist (Everyman Chess) was the victory by the young Hungarian Richard Rapport against world champion Magnus Carlsen at the recent Tata Steel tournament at Wijk aan Zee in Holland.
 
The tournament was won by the resurgent former Philippine, now USA grandmaster, Wesley So, who appears to have become invincible in his latest competitions. With his victories in the St Louis Sinquefield Cup, the London leg of the Grand Tour, a gold medal in the Olympiad and now Wijk aan Zee, So seems to be positioning himself as the natural challenger for Carlsen’s crown.
 
Rapport-Carlsen: Wijk aan Zee 2017; Réti Opening
 
1 Nf3 d5 2 b3 Bf5 3 Bb2 e6 4 d3 h6 5 Nbd2 Nf6 6 c4 c6 7 g3 Be7 8 Bg2 0-0 9 0-0 Nbd7 10 a3 a5 11 Qb1 Bh7 This is a classic position from the Réti Opening.