Vachier Lagrave, M. – Wei Yi

2780 2019 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Petroff Defense, 2019: Vachier Lagrave (2780) against Wei Yi (2736). White leaves theory with 5.Nc3, castles queenside, and lets Black restore material into an unbalanced structure after 12...Bxf3 13.gxf3. The engine flags no turning point at all: 100% at-least-good moves for White, 90% for Black. So the game is decided by slow accumulation — the triple trade on the e-file (22...Rxe1, 23.Rxe1, 24.Rxe8+) empties the board, then the white king walks from c2 all the way to a6. The bishops and the f-pawn, pushed to f7, finish the job: 1-0. The takeaway: with no clear blunder, steady accuracy is what wins.