Harikrishna, P. – Xiong, Jeffery

2725 2021 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Réti Opening, 2021: Harikrishna (2725) against Xiong (2700), a closed middlegame with White pushing on the kingside and Black manoeuvring in the centre. Balance held for a long stretch — then move 27 decided everything. With 27.Ne4 White let the equality go: the evaluation swung from 0.0 to −4.4, and 27...Qxd1 collected immediately. Xiong gave nothing back and brought it home, 0-1. The accuracy figures tell the same story: 89% at least good moves for Black, 83% for White, one big lapse enough to overturn a solid position. Club takeaway: in a level position, a single miscalculated piece move costs more than twenty imprecise ones.