Caruana, Fabiano – So, Wesley

2835 2020 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Classical Caro-Kann, 2020: Caruana (2835) against So (2770). White builds calmly — 6.h4, queenside castling on move 11, then 12.Kb1 — and the engine flags nothing weak: 100% of White’s moves rated good or better. Black keeps pace for a long stretch but lands at 88%, with two inaccuracies and one blunder in the counts. No single turning point is isolated by the analysis; the gap widens by accumulation rather than one collapse. After the queens come off and the rook sequence 24.Rxb7 Rfb8 25.Rxb8+ Rxb8, 26.Ne5 leaves a position Black resigns. The lesson: a clean game start to finish is enough, no fireworks required.