Li, Ruifeng – Petrosian, TL.

2548 2017 · Draw

Pirc Defense, 2017: Li, Ruifeng (2548) against Petrosian, TL. (2615), a game played at a high level throughout — 84% accuracy for White, 90% for Black. After 21.f5 White pries the position open and goes hunting with 27.Rxf7. The turning point is 29.Qg4: a missed opportunity that shifts the evaluation from 0.0 to +2.3 for White. What follows is a long run of checks, from 31.Rxh7+ onward, with the black king walked from h7 all the way to e4 — but the position repeats and the game ends drawn. The lesson: in these attacking races, move order decides everything; one choice converts, or lets it slip.