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hikaru vs Ykow2
win
Date: 2026-03-12 00:12:57 |
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Game Snapshot
French Defense: Advance Variation
Master Lens
Hikaru used the French Advance to build a strong pawn chain and then launched a kingside pawn storm, opening lines against Black's king. By coordinating his rooks on the b‑file and creating a passed pawn on the queenside, he turned the pressure into a winning material advantage, ending the game with a decisive passed pawn promotion. The game ended in a win for White.
What The GM Did Well By Phase
Opening
Hikaru established a solid pawn chain with **1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.d4 d5 5.e5**, gaining space in the center (central control). He played **6.a3** to stop Black's knight from jumping to b4, securing his queenside pawn structure. After Black's **10...exf5**, Hikaru exchanged the bishop on f5 (**10.Bxf5**) to open the g‑file, a useful avenue for a future attack.
Middlegame
White pushed the kingside pawn storm with **13.h4** and **17.h5**, forcing Black to weaken his king side after **24.hxg6 fxg6** opened the g‑file. He then lifted the rook to the b‑file (**30.Rb6**) and doubled rooks on the b‑file (**31.Rfb1**), pressuring Black's queenside pawns. The decisive breakthrough came with **35.Nxd5**, winning a pawn and creating a connected passed pawn that marched forward with **38.d5** and **39.c6**, forcing Black's resignation. This demonstrates the principle of creating a passed pawn (passed pawn) and using open files (rook activity) to convert an attack into material gain.
Game Themes
passed pawns
castling
bishop pair
connected passed pawn
en passant