Karpov, Anatoly – Short, Nigel D

2725 1992 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

In 1992, Karpov (2725) faced Short (2685) in the Budapest Gambit, where Black hands back the e5-pawn early for activity. Karpov collected the c7-pawn, while Short got open files and a kingside pawn push with g5 and g4. Everything stayed level until move 39: after 39.Rd6 the engine reads 0.0, and 39...Re4 swings it to +5.2. Karpov converted without hesitation — 40.Rd8+, 41.Rf7+, the exchange on g7 and 43.Qb2+, and Short resigned. Accuracy: 81% for White, 74% for Black. The takeaway for club players: in a tense but balanced position, one misplaced rook move can hand over the whole game.