Dubov, Daniil – Niemann, Hans Moke

2693 2025 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

A classical Catalan from 2025: Dubov (2693) against Niemann (2736). Black grabs on c4 early, White regains the pawn and pushes the centre with d5 and then e5-e6, until the queens settle into a race for pawns on opposite wings. Everything holds until move 30: after 30.Re3, 30...Qxb2 swings the evaluation from -0.2 to -5.6 — a defensible position lost in a single move. The finish is direct: 31.Ng5, 32.Kg2, then 33.Qf7+ and 34.Qb7, and Black resigns, 1-0. Accuracy: 88% for White, 94% for Black. The club takeaway: in a roughly level position, one more pawn is never worth a tempo when both queens are active.