Stuck at Your Current Rating?
Signup for free to join thousands of players who improved their game with our personalized tips and analysis
hikaru vs kushbhagat2009
win
Date: 2026-03-28 14:44:17 |
Game Link
Table of Contents
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Game Navigator
Game Snapshot
Nimzo-Larsen Attack
Master Lens
Hikaru used the Nimzo‑Larsen Attack to build a flexible pawn structure and activate his bishops on long diagonals, then turned a quiet opening into a sharp attack that forced Black's king into the open. By coordinating his knights and exploiting Black's premature pawn pushes, he created decisive threats and won after 26.Nxf7. The game ends in a White victory.
What The GM Did Well By Phase
Opening
Hikaru started with 1.b3 and fianchettoed his queen‑side bishop to b2, controlling the long diagonal (a bishop fianchetto) and keeping the centre flexible. He then played 3.c4 and 10.d4 to claim central space, while his knights developed to c3 and e2, ready to jump into d4. This shows how a player can use a hyper‑modern opening to control key squares before committing the central pawns.
Middlegame
When Black placed the bishop on f5, Hikaru answered with 16.Nxf5, removing the active piece and forcing the queen to recapture on f5. He then eliminated Black's knight on e4 with 20.Bxe4, clearing the way for his own pieces to infiltrate. The climax came with 24.Nf5‑25.Nh6+‑26.Nxf7, where the knight marched into Black's camp, delivering a check that forced the king to h7 and then winning material on f7, demonstrating the power of a coordinated piece sacrifice (a tactical infiltration) to create a winning attack.
Game Themes
passed pawns
castling
bishop pair
fianchetto
connected passed pawn