Dardha, Daniel – Topalov, V.

2525 2021 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Trompowsky, 2021: Dardha (2525) plays 2.Bg5 against Topalov (2730) and trades on f6 at once, leaving Black with doubled pawns after 3...exf6. Both sides score 100% moves that are at least good, and the engine flags no turning point at all: no blunder, no missed chance. So the plans decide it. White castles long, pushes g4, doubles rooks on the h-file with 15.Rh4 and 16.Rdh1, then breaks in via h6 and h7 while Black works the queenside with a5 and a4. The takeaway: a game can be clean on both sides and still be lost if your opponent gets to the open file first. Black resigns after 26.Rg7+.