Ding, Liren – Nakamura, Hikaru

2791 2020 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Leningrad Dutch, 2020: Ding, Liren (2791) against Nakamura, Hikaru (2736). White builds with 5.c4 and 8.d5, Black answers with a clear central plan, and by 32...Qxf2+ 33.Kxf2 the game has already changed hands. After 35...Bxd7 36.Rxd7 Black steers a rook-and-bishop ending, pushing the a-pawn as far as 42...a3. The turning point comes late: 47...Rd7 shifts the evaluation from −4.3 to −2.8, a slip that costs margin rather than the point. Both sides played 97% at least good moves, and Black won. The lesson: a winning position still demands the most precise move, right to the end.