Karjakin, Sergey – Topalov, Veselin

2782 2013 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Karjakin (2782) against Topalov (2784), 2013: despite the London System label, the game turns sharp immediately with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 and a locked pawn chain after 4.e5. Both sides scored 100% of moves rated at least "good", and the engine flagged no turning point at all — neither player let the evaluation slip. Tension still runs high: the black king sits on e7 while White’s pieces settle on the b- and d-files. Karjakin finishes with 22.Qb4+ and takes the point 1-0. The takeaway: you can win a game without any identifiable opponent blunder, simply by keeping the pressure on move after move.