Braun, A.. – Martinovic, Sa

2609 2021 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Old Benoni, 2021: Braun (2609) against Martinovic (2548). Black plays 2...d6 and 3...g6, lets White take the space, then opens the centre with 16...e6 and 18...d5, pushes 19...d4 and picks up the pawn on b5. The central exchanges leave Black clearly on top, and with the position already very bad, 32.Qxf2 drops the evaluation from -3.5 to -5.4: that recapture was not the toughest defence. Martinovic never slips, 91% of moves at least good against 76%, and wins 0-1. The lesson: even in a lost position, how you recapture still decides how long you last.