Kasparov, Garry – Ivanchuk, Vassily

2825 1998 · Draw

Kasparov (2825) versus Ivanchuk (2740), 1998: labelled a London System, the game quickly becomes an Advance French after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, and both sides handle the complications with unusual steadiness — 94% at least good moves for White, 97% for Black. The promotion 40.e8=Q leads into a long queen-versus-rook-and-knight endgame, where Kasparov probes without breaking through. The decisive moment comes late: 69...Nxg5 swings the evaluation from -1.4 to -3.7, handing White a winning position. Kasparov doesn’t take it — 70.Qg4 drops things back from +3.7 to +0.4, and the draw follows. The lesson: in long endgames, a high average accuracy won’t save you on the two moves that matter.