Radjabov, T.. – Ding Liren

2765 2020 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Sicilian Najdorf, Poisoned Pawn territory: in 2020 Radjabov (2765) let Ding Liren (2791) grab b2 with 8...Qxb2, then a2 as well, and the game turned into a long technical grind. No inflection point shows up here — the engine flags neither a decisive blunder nor a missed chance. Black’s play is flawless, 100% of moves at least good; White sits at 86%, with two inaccuracies that quietly erode the position. After the queens come off and the wing pawns disappear, Black’s king marches up via h5, h4 and g3, and 46...Nh3+ seals 0-1. The takeaway: against faultless defence, two lapses cost more than a pawn deficit.