Wang Hao – Ponkratov, P.

2709 2017 · Draw

Modern Benoni, 2017: Wang Hao (2709) against Ponkratov (2613), a game where the engine flags no turning point at all. Black regains the central pawn early with 11...Nxd5, White answers 13.Nbxd6, and the balance holds through the tension. Once the minor pieces come off around c4, the struggle narrows to queens, rooks and knights, with White’s passed a-pawn marching to a7 without ever generating more than mutual compensation. Black collects it with 39...Rxa7, and the queen ending repeats until 56.Qxe7+. Accuracy: 93% for White, 95% for Black. The takeaway is plain: in an opening this sharp, a draw is earned by steady play, not by one miracle move.