Ivanchuk, V. – Vachier Lagrave, M.

2738 2017 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

A Caro-Kann label over a game that quickly becomes a central pawn structure: Ivanchuk (2738) against Vachier-Lagrave (2796), 2017. The queens come out early and vanish at 16...Qxb5, leaving a rook-and-bishop endgame where both sides must calculate without a safety net. The engine flags no turning point at all: 100% at least "good" moves for each player, with neither side handing over anything in a single move. White still converts, pushing 30.d5, then taking on the e-file with 37.Rxe6+, and Black resigns after 38.Re2. The takeaway is unusual: you can lose without a clear mistake, when the opponent stacks small technical gains in an accurate endgame.