Carlsen, M. – Abdusattorov, Nodirbek

2859 2022 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Carlsen (2859) left theory immediately with 1.b3, a Nimzo-Larsen Attack, against Abdusattorov (2713) in 2022. Black built a solid centre and the evaluation stayed level well past move twenty. The turning point was 21...Bd5, which swung the engine from +0.4 to -1.2 and handed Black the initiative. That edge did not survive: at 34...Bxd3 the assessment slid from -1.5 to -4.9, and the game tipped the other way through 35.Rxg7. Accuracy finished at 80% for White and 71% for Black. The lesson is not in the opening choice but in what happens after you obtain a winning position and have to hold it.