Wei Yi – Bu Xiangzhi

2725 2017 · Draw

Philidor Defense, 2017: Wei Yi (2725) against Bu Xiangzhi (2711), short but tightly played. White builds quietly with 3.Bc4 and 4.d3, then sharpens things with 7.a4 and 10.g4. From 15.Nxe5 fxe5 the trades come one after another: 16.Qxe5, 17.Bxd5, 18.Qxe7 Rf3, 19.Qxd8+ Rxd8, and the queens leave the board just as the position simplifies. After 20.Re5 Rxh3 21.Rh5, the draw is agreed. The engine flags no turning point at all: 81% of White’s moves were at least good, 85% of Black’s. The takeaway is plain — in a forcing sequence of exchanges, accuracy on both sides is enough to level everything out.