Kovchan, A.. – Galperin, Platon

2568 2020 · White wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Alekhine Defense, 2020: Kovchan (2568) against Galperin (2461). White builds in the center, plays 15.h4, then breaks the position open with 16.d5. The turning point follows immediately: 17...Re8 is a mistake that swings the evaluation from +1.6 to +3.2. The next move makes it worse — 18...Qxc7 misses the better defense and the evaluation jumps from +3.5 to +7.0. After 19.Qxe8+ Kh7 20.Rd8, Black resigned. The accuracy figures tell the story: 95% good-or-better moves for White, 74% for Black. Club takeaway: once the position opens up, defensive moves have to be calculated, not played on instinct.