Tkachiev, Vladislav – Izoria, Zviad

2643 2003 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Benko Gambit, 2003: Tkachiev (2643) against Izoria (2569), a long game where White holds the centre while Black presses on the queenside. The rooks come off early and a queen-and-bishop endgame drags on. The turning point comes late: at move 50, 50...f6 shifts the evaluation from +1.0 to +3.3, and three moves later 53...Be8 lets the position go, from +3.5 to +15.0. White gives nothing essential back despite 54.d6 and 55.Qc8, and closes it out 1-0. Accuracy: 93% for White, 85% for Black. The lesson: in an endgame already going wrong, it’s the consolidating moves, not the active ones, that decide.