Carlsen, M. – Le, Quang Liem

2864 2022 · Draw

A 2022 Scotch: Carlsen (2864) against Le Quang Liem (2728), with 3.Bc4 and 4.d4 opening the centre early. White marches the f-pawn all the way to 17.f6, Black replies gxf6 and lives with a slightly airy king, but nothing ever cracks. The engine flags no turning point at all: both sides played 100% moves rated at least "good", and White even produced one move graded brilliant. Once the rooks come off on the e-file, the queens take over and the game ends in perpetual check, 37.Qd8+ sealing the repetition. The takeaway: a clean game from both sides doesn’t have to produce a winner — the draw is simply the honest result.