Nakamura, Hikaru – Korobov, Anton

2772 2013 · Draw

Sicilian Najdorf, 2013: Nakamura (2772) against Korobov (2720), in the quiet 6.Be2 treatment rather than the sharp main lines. White manoeuvres behind the structure — a4, a5, f3, Nc1, Bf1 — while Black develops without a flaw: Nbd7, Rc8, Qc7, then Rfe8 and Bf8. The engine finds no turning point at all: Black plays 100 % at least good moves, White 88 %, with a single inaccuracy. Once Qd2-e1-d2 meets Qc7-c6-c7, the repetition settles the draw. The takeaway for club players: in a closed Najdorf, a coherent manoeuvring plan is enough to neutralise a strong opponent — nobody is obliged to force matters.