Giri, A. – Vachier Lagrave, M.

2779 2019 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Sicilian Najdorf, Poisoned Pawn territory: Giri (2779) and Vachier-Lagrave (2775) went straight into one of the sharpest lines available with 8...Qxb2, back in 2019. The analysis flags no turning point at all — no decisive error, no missed chance — which is unusual in a structure this tense. White kept 89% of moves at least good, Black 95%, and that steadiness gap is what settled the game rather than any single blow. After 28...Qxd4+ the queens came off and Black steered the rook-and-knight ending all the way to 47...Nd3+, 0-1. The takeaway: in positions like this you win by never letting your move quality slip.