When Nakamura Beat Carlsen in Classical

For years, American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura struggled to "crack the code" against former world champion Magnus Carlsen in classical chess. After 12 losses and 18 draws, that breakthrough finally came at the Bilbao Masters 2016.

Magnus is famous for his incredible piece coordination, but in this game, his pieces found themselves on awkward squares. This unusual thing, plus Magnus over pressing (maybe underestimating Hikaru, given his dominance) allowed Nakamura to seize the initiative and eventually win convincingly.

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Lessons from This Game

In this breakdown, we’ll cover:
✅ Key ideas to challenge stronger players
✅ How to maintain your advantage without slipping
✅ The importance of piece activity and harmony

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