Kramnik, Vladimir – Grischuk, A.

2760 2014 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Kramnik–Grischuk, 2014: a Benko that leaves the book almost immediately, with 5.e4 and a scrap over the central pawns by move ten. Black wins the exchange with 15...Qxh1, but White’s pieces stay busy long after the queens come off. The turning point is 26...Rd7, a mistake that shifts the evaluation from +0.5 to +2.1. Two moves later 28...Rxb2 throws away the chance to hold on: +2.6 to +5.5. Kramnik converted cleanly from there, and although 34.Ne4+ was not the sharpest try, it never endangered the result. Accuracy: 86% White, 79% Black. The lesson: once the position is bad, active rooks are no substitute for defending.