Carlsen, M.. – Giri, A..

2862 2020 · Draw

In 2020, Carlsen (2862) and Giri (2764) met in an Alekhine Defense that quickly turned into open, tense, symmetrical play. The queens came off early, after 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qxf6 gxf6, leaving a long rook-and-minor-piece struggle in which each side kept answering the other accurately. The engine flags no turning point at all: neither player hands over an advantage, neither misses a chance. Both finished at 89% of moves rated at least "good", with a single mistake recorded for Black that never changed the story. The finish says it all: 41...Rg1+, 42...Rf1+, 43...Rg1+, 44...Rf1+, the white king shuttling back and forth until the draw is agreed. The lesson: a clean game does not owe you a winner.