Socko, Bartosz – Bacrot, Etienne

2637 2009 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Italian Game, 2009: Socko (2637) against Bacrot (2709), and the game leaves theory early with 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5. Black takes over, keeps the king in the centre for a long stretch before 32...O-O+, and the evaluation swings clearly his way. The turning point comes on move 37: 37...Rf6 is a mistake that shifts the evaluation from -2.1 to -3.9 from White’s point of view. Accuracy was nearly level — 80% for White, 81% for Black — yet Socko converted and won 1-0. The takeaway: a winning position forgives nothing, especially with both sides' rooks fully active.