hikaru vs gurelediz

Hikaru fianchettoed his queen's bishop with **b3** and **Bb2**, giving the bishop a long diagonal that pressured Black's queenside and helped control the center. He then castled with **O-O**, putting his king safely away while keeping the rook ready for the soon‑to‑open c‑file. This shows the value of developing pieces to active squares and securing the king before launching attacks.

He pushed the pawn chain with **c4**‑**c5**, creating a passed pawn on the c‑file that forced Black to give up space on the queenside. Using rook lifts like **Rc1** and **Re1**, he placed his rooks on the open file and later on the seventh rank with **Rb8+**, increasing pressure on Black's king. The tactical sequence **Bxg6** followed by **Rxg6** and **Nxa5** won material and opened lines, while the queen exchange on **Qxe5** simplified into a favorable rook ending. These moves illustrate how pawn breaks, rook activity, and timely tactics can turn a balanced position into a winning one.

After the queens were off the board, Hikaru used his rook on the seventh rank (**Rb8+**) to chase the black king and restrict its movement. He then doubled his rooks on the c‑file with **Rg8** and **Rc8**, dominating the critical file and supporting the passed pawn while the opponent's bishop was unable to defend. This demonstrates the principle of using rooks aggressively in the endgame to control key files and coordinate with other pieces for a decisive attack.