With the Black pieces, Wei Yi again relied on his main weapon of the event; the Petroff Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6. Sindarov countered with the lesser-played Modern Attack, 3.d4, soon reaching a fresh position. Judging by their quick pace, both players appeared very well-prepared. The game evolved into a high-level strategic battle where both continued with impressive accuracy. It was the kind of game that is difficult to fully grasp at a glance, but revealing of the depth of understanding that top-level players possess.
When everything appeared balanced, an important moment emerged:
White should simply capture on c5 here, but instead erred with 22.Rb1, giving Black a chance, though not an easy one to convert. The sequence 22…Qxd3 23.Qxd3 Bxd3 24.Rxb2 resulted in the following position:
This is the final critical moment. Black was the one pressing but needed to find 24…Rxf4! After 25.Nxc5 Rxg4 26.Bg3 Bxf1 27.Kxf1 Rf8+, Black has a rook and two pawns for two minor pieces. It is by no means winning, but Black is the stronger side pushing for something.
Instead, Wei Yi chose 24…Bxe4, and the game immediately simplified into a drawn opposite-colored bishops endgame, followed by an expected draw. In the post-game interview, Wei Yi mentioned that he had calculated 24…Rxf4 but evaluated it as better for White, and since he had the Black pieces today, he preferred the more solid continuation, an outcome he said he was satisfied with.
