Welcome to a new Hivechess lecture, where we'll look at a lesson on creating threats your opponent can't ignore. We will be using the game between Grandmaster Anish Giri and Grandmaster Movsesian Sergei at the 41st European Chess Club Cup 2026. The game is an interesting one; I can assure you.
Another thing that is essential in chess is dynamism. You do not always have to go all out with brilliant sacrifices in order to win a game. Some games may require simple threats one move at a time. Then it gets to a point where your opponent runs out of responses, and they blunder. Here is a game that portrays it.
1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4
The opening played is the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted, with a recapture of the c4 pawn after Black took on c4 with d5. It is a simple capture with Qa4+, and then the queen takes c4 when black responds. It is one of the earliest ways of capturing your pawn back in an opening when I was learning chess openings, especially the Queen's Gambit.
Afterward, it was simply development of pieces, with little to no advantage for both sides until moves 23 and 24, when white decided to create an initiative on the kingside with the h4 and h5 pawn push.
6. Qxc4 c5 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. Qd3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Nxd7 10. b3 Be7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. Nc3 Rd8 13. Rc1 Nf6 14. Qb1 Qd7 15. d3 Rac8 16. O-O b6 17. Rfd1 Ne8 18. Ne4 Nd6 19. Qa1 Bf8 20. Nd2 Nf5 21. e3 Nfe7 22. Nf3 Qe8 23. h4
This kind of move is what Nakamura refers to as the h-bomb. You create initiative on the kingside, which I would describe as the first threat. Then, moving over to the next one will be more threats. Although it may look small at the beginning, trust me when I say it is the beginning of more attacks.
f5 24. h5 f6 25. Nh2 Nh6 26. Bf3 e5 27. Qb1 Rd6 28. a3 Kh8 29. Qc2 a5 30. d4 exd4 31. exd4 cxd4 32. Bxd4 Na7 33. Qb1 Nb5 34. Rxc8 Qxc8 35. Rc1 Qd7 36. Bb2 Nd4 37. Bd1 Nf7 38. Qe4 Kg8 39. b4 axb4 40. axb4 Ng5 41. Qa8 Nde6 42. Bg4 Qf7
At this point black has begun defending, trying to hold the knight on e6 as the queen moves to f7, an extra layer of defense. The pressure will keep mounting, and that is the thing about chess. Even when you are on the defensive side of the game, you have to keep an eye out for counterattack at any chance you get.
43. Nf3 Nxf3+44. Qxf3 Nd4 45. Qe3 f5 46. Bd1 Qd7 47. Bxd4 Rxd4 48. Ba4 Qd6 49. Bb3+ Kh8 50. Rc8
At this point, the position is no longer survivable for black. It all started with one attack at a time, by initiating a threat on the kingside with h4 and looking for play on the kingside. A good idea: when the position is balanced, you are looking for what to do next; you can start off by initiating an attack on the kingside, one move at a time, step by step.
Here is the link:
Game Linkhttps://lichess.org/broadcast/41st-european-chess-club-cup-2026-open/round-3/4mEzILI0/V5hAYFig
And here is the game PGN
[Event "Round 3: Giri, Anish - Movsesian, Sergei"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/broadcast/41st-european-chess-club-cup-2026-open/round-3/4mEzILI0/V5hAYFig"]
[Date "2026.10.16"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Movsesian, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[WhiteTeam "Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club"]
[WhiteFideId "24116068"]
[BlackElo "2594"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[BlackTeam "Sigil Fund Pardubice"]
[BlackFideId "310204"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "A13"]
[Opening "English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted"]
[UTCDate "2026.10.16"]
[UTCTime "21:34:46"]
[BroadcastName "41st European Chess Club Cup 2026 | Open"]
[BroadcastURL "https://lichess.org/broadcast/41st-european-chess-club-cup-2026-open/round-3/4mEzILI0"]
[GameURL "https://lichess.org/broadcast/41st-european-chess-club-cup-2026-open/round-3/4mEzILI0/V5hAYFig"]
1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7
6. Qxc4 c5 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. Qd3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Nxd7 10. b3 Be7
11. Bb2 O-O 12. Nc3 Rd8 13. Rc1 Nf6 14. Qb1 Qd7 15. d3 Rac8
16. O-O b6 17. Rfd1 Ne8 18. Ne4 Nd6 19. Qa1 Bf8 20. Nd2 Nf5
21. e3 Nfe7 22. Nf3 Qe8 23. h4 Nf5 24. h5 f6 25. Nh2 Nh6
26. Bf3 e5 27. Qb1 Rd6 28. a3 Kh8 29. Qc2 a5 30. d4 exd4
31. exd4 cxd4 32. Bxd4 Na7 33. Qb1 Nb5 34. Rxc8 Qxc8
35. Rc1 Qd7 36. Bb2 Nd4 37. Bd1 Nf7 38. Qe4 Kg8 39. b4 axb4
40. axb4 Ng5 41. Qa8 Nde6 42. Bg4 Qf7 43. Nf3 Nxf3+
44. Qxf3 Nd4 45. Qe3 f5 46. Bd1 Qd7 47. Bxd4 Rxd4
48. Ba4 Qd6 49. Bb3+ Kh8 50. Rc8 Re4 51. Qd2 Qe7
52. Qd5 Re1+ 53. Kg2 1-0