Lautier, Joel – Topalov, Veselin

2645 1998 · Black wins (resignation, time or agreement)

Sicilian Alapin, 1998: Lautier (2645) against Topalov (2740), a quiet opening that turns into rook manoeuvring on the c-file. The engine flags no turning point at all — nobody hands the game over in a single move. The accuracy figures tell the story: 85% at-least-good moves for White, 81% for Black, in a game full of trades, from 33...R5xb7 and 34.Bxb7 to 50.Rxa4 Bxa4. The bishop ending drags on, 61.e8=Q Bxe8+ does not save White, and Black wins 0-1. The takeaway: a game can be decided without one clear blunder, through small inaccuracies piling up in a long endgame.