Salem, AR. – Sindarov, Javokhir

2690 2022 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Salem (2690) faced Sindarov (2609) in 2022 in an Old Benoni where the queens left early: 18.Qxf5 Qxf5 and 19.Rxf5 produced a rook endgame. White collected pawns with 24.Rxd6 and 26.Rxb7, but Black’s runner kept moving: 25...a4, 27...a3, 28...a2. Things were still balanced until the turning point: 31.Ra1 was a missed opportunity, swinging the evaluation from +0.1 to -5.2 from White’s side, and 31...Rb1+ ended matters. Both players scored 90% good-or-better moves, which is exactly the point — one decision decided everything. In rook races like this, the accuracy of a single move outweighs the overall quality of the game.