Smirin, Ilia – Rublevsky, Sergei

2671 1999 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Pirc Defense, 1999: Smirin (2671) against Rublevsky (2660), a game in which the engine flags no turning point at all — both sides played 100% moves rated at least "good". Black grabs early queenside play with 6...c5 and the 7...Qa5, 8...Qxc5+ manoeuvre while White pushes f4-f5 and opens the e-file. From there it’s a clash of straight plans: Black’s rooks reach e2 and e6, White’s pawn runs through f6 to g7. The finish features 27.g8=Q, the white queen shuttling from h8 to f6, and the game stopping after 31...Kh4, scored 1-0. The lesson: flawless accuracy on both sides doesn’t mean a balanced result — here the pawn race decided it, not a mistake.