Yu Yangyi – Ding Liren

2738 2019 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Nimzo-Indian, 2019: Yu Yangyi (2738) against Ding Liren (2805), with 4.Qc2 and the 5.e4 d5 6.e5 space grab. Queens come off early on 16.Qxg6, and the game turns into a technical endgame in which both sides played 100% at least "good" moves. The position was already overwhelming when a pair of slips appeared: 46.f6 shifted the evaluation from -15.0 to -13.0 (White’s point of view), and 46...Kg8 pushed it back from +13.0 to +15.0. Neither changed the outcome: 53.e8=Q+ promoted, and 56.Qxh7 ended matters. The lesson: in a decided endgame, accuracy mainly saves you extra work.