Carlsen, M. – Topalov, V.

2855 2016 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Nimzo-Indian, 2016: Carlsen (2855) against Topalov (2761), a game with no single collapse. Queens come off early with 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Qxf6 gxf6, and everything is decided in a patiently handled rook endgame. The engine flags no turning point at all — no one move flips the evaluation. What separates the players is consistency: 91% at least good moves for White, 77% for Black. Carlsen pushes methodically on the queenside with 31.b5 and 32.a4, then collects material with 37.Rxb6 and 38.Rdxd6. The takeaway for club players: you don’t need your opponent to blunder, only to be slightly less exact, move after move. 1-0.