Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.

2745 2023 · Draw

A classical Alapin from 2023: Aronian (2745) meets Carlsen (2853) with 3.c3, and the game quickly turns into a trading sequence. Once the queens come off, only minor pieces and rooks remain, with both sides picking up loose pawns on the wings. The engine flags no turning point at all: 92% of moves at least "good" for each side, and the evaluation never slips. The finish settles into repetition, Black’s knight shuttling between c3 and b5 while the white rook rocks from a1 to b1, until 40.Ra1 seals the split point. The takeaway is plain: when neither player errs, a draw isn’t caution, it’s simply what the position was worth.