Caruana, F. – Firouzja, Alireza

2796 2024 · Draw

Exchange Slav, 2024: Caruana (2796) against Firouzja (2744), 95% accuracy on both sides. After 4.cxd5 cxd5 the symmetry tightens quickly — Black chases the bishop with 13...h6 and 14...g5, then 15...Ne4 sets off the exchanges that hand Black the c-file. The queens come off on move 24, leaving a rook-and-minor-piece ending where each side collects a pawn. The engine flags no turning point at all: neither player hands the other a chance. It ends in repetition, 37.Nf5+ Kg6 38.Ne7+ Kg7 39.Nf5+, draw. The lesson: in an Exchange Slav, matched precision leads straight to balance — this draw was built, not stumbled into.