Gelfand, B and Divya, Deshmukh met over the board in this middlegame battle at PNWCC Online Blitz JP 8 in chess.com INT in 2020. It was played in round 3. The game dates from the contemporary engine era.

Play followed Reti Opening (A05) — a flexible, manoeuvring struggle where both sides delay direct contact. Openings in this ECO group reward patient build-up and a good feel for pawn structure.

Lasting 24 moves, the game was settled in the middlegame. This is the phase where piece activity, pawn breaks and king safety all collide, and replaying it slowly is a good way to train your own middlegame judgement.

Gelfand, B is one of the grandmasters featured in the RamaChess archive, where you can browse their complete game collection, favourite openings and notable wins. Studying many games by a single strong player is one of the fastest ways to understand practical chess decisions.

Games such as this one are useful at every level. Beginners can follow the opening principles, club players can study the middlegame plans, and stronger players can examine the finer endgame and decision-making points.

After the contest, Gelfand, B won with the white pieces. Step through the moves on the interactive board above, flip the board to see it from either side, and try the position trainer to sharpen your own play.