Nakamura, Hikaru – Carlsen, Magnus

2699 2009 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Slav Defense, 2009: Nakamura (2699) against Carlsen (2776), a game that changed hands repeatedly. Black held the edge until 30...Nb6, a mistake that swung the evaluation from −1.7 to +0.2. The balance didn’t last: with 34.Bxh6 White let a chance slip, going from −1.0 to +2.3, then 35...Qe6 handed it back (−2.9 to −0.4), and 36.Qxe6+ missed again, from +0.4 to +3.1. After that exchange of errors, Carlsen steadied the game and converted: 0-1. Accuracy was 75% for White, 81% for Black. The takeaway: in sharp positions like this, an advantage isn’t kept — it has to be re-earned every move.