This middlegame battle sees Giri, A take on Esipenko, Andrey at FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 in Douglas IOM in 2023. The game dates from the contemporary engine era.

The game opened with Queen's Gambit Declined (D31), a fight over the centre with long-term structural themes. Here the struggle frequently turns on the central pawns and the resulting minor-piece play.

Lasting 33 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.

Giri, A 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.

Replaying a complete grandmaster game is more valuable than it first appears. You see not just the moves, but the order in which plans are introduced, how both sides react to threats, and where the balance finally tips.

After the contest, Giri, A 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.