Giri, Anish – Yu, Yangyi

2763 2020 · Draw

English Opening, 2020: Giri (2763) against Yu Yangyi (2709). White sets up the fianchetto with 3.g3 and 4.Bg2, Black answers classically with 4...Bc5, castles, and develops the bishop to g4 and then h5. The structure stays closed while both sides simply consolidate (9.d3, 10.b3, 11.Bb2), with no line ever prised open. After 14...Bxc3 and 15...d5, the exchange on d5 brings the white queen to c4 and the black knight shuttles between d5 and b6, and the repetition settles the draw. The engine found no turning point: 100% at least good moves for White, 80% for Black. The lesson: in locked, symmetrical positions, a split point is often the honest verdict of clean play.