Abdusattorov, Nodirbek – Xiong, Jeffery

2688 2022 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Advance French, 2022: Abdusattorov (2688) against Xiong (2691), a slow manoeuvring game in which both sides held up well — 81% at least good moves for White, 79% for Black. Black even held the pull until 23...b6 flipped it, from −0.7 to +0.9. Three moves later 26...Qe8 deepened the hole, from +0.8 to +2.5, and then 27.Qd3 handed much of it back, from −2.5 to −1.0. The swings kept coming: 31...Bg5 let the chance go (−0.4 to +2.1), 40...Nc6 pushed the evaluation from +1.1 to +3.6, and White finished on move 48. The lesson: in locked structures one careless pawn move can reverse the sign.