Wang Yue – Ponomariov, R.

2723 2013 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Grünfeld, 2013: Wang Yue (2723) against Ponomariov (2731), with 4.Bg5 and the exchange 6...Nxc3 giving White the familiar structure. Black holds the c4 pawn and develops with b5, c6 and Bb7, while White works the a-file, plays 15.axb5 and lands 20.Ra7. The engine flagged no turning point at all: no single blunder, no clearly missed chance. Consistency settled it — 100% of White’s moves rated at least good, 80% of Black’s. After 23.Nxd7 Qxa7 24.Nxb8 Qxb8, the rook swings back with 25.Rd8+ and the game ends on 27.Qf8. The takeaway: you can win without a spectacular opponent error, simply by never letting go.