Positional Chaos and Tactical Magic: Aravindh vs. Niemann

Join us for a deep dive into one of the most spectacular games of the Tata Steel Masters 2026 in Round 4. American Grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann faced off against the incredibly solid Indian Grandmaster Chithambaram Aravindh. What started as a refined Reti Opening quickly transformed into a strategic battlefield on the queenside, leading to an aesthetic queen sacrifice.

The highlight of the game isn't just the sacrifice, but the "king march." Watch as Niemann’s king travels from the safety of h8 all the way into the center of the board at e3 to deliver the final blow. We can see the critical moments that allowed Hans Niemann to dominate the board.

What you will learn from this game:

Passed Pawn Power: How to use a distant passed pawn (the b-pawn) to paralyze the opponent’s pieces.

The Value of Coordination: Why a Rook and Knight can sometimes outperform a Queen if they have total coordination.

Endgame King Activity: A rare example of using the King aggressively in a middle-game/endgame transition while queens are still active.


Chithambaram Aravindh - Hans Moke Niemann
Tata Steel Chess 2026
Wijk aan Zee, 2026.01.20
Reti opening

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.c4 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nc3 Nc7 7.O-O e5 8.a3 Rb8 9.d3 Be7 10.Nd2 Bd7 11.Nc4 f6 12.f4 b5 13.Ne3 O-O 14.f5 Nd4 15.g4 Kh8 16.Bd2 Be8 17.Ne4 Bf7 18.Bc3 b4 19.axb4 cxb4 20.Bd2 Bb3 21.Qe1 Ncb5 22.Rc1 Bg8 23.Rd1 a5 24.Kh1 Nb3 25.Nc4 Nxd2 26.Rxd2 b3 27.Qg3 a4 28.g5 a3 29.e3 fxg5 30.Nxe5 Rb6 31.bxa3 Nxa3 32.Rb2 Qe8 33.d4 Nc4 34.Rbb1 b2 35.Rf2 Qc8 36.Rc2 Nxe5 37.Rxc8 Rxc8 38.Nc5 Bxc5 39.Be4 Nc4 40.dxc5 Rxc5 41.Qf2 Nd6 42.Bc2 Bd5+ 43.Kg1 Ne4 44.Qe2 Nc3 45.Qd3 Nxb1 46.f6 Rxc2 47.Qxd5 gxf6 48.Qd8+ Kg7 49.Qe7+ Kg6 50.Qe8+ Kf5 51.Qd7+ Ke4 52.Qd4+ Kf3 53.Qd1+ Kxe3 54.Qxc2 Nd2 55.Qc5+ Ke2 0-1


#Chess #HansNiemann #TataSteelChess #WijkAanZee #AravindhChithambaram #Grandmaster #ChessAnalysis #QueenSacrifice #KingMarch #ChessStrategy #ChessTactics #ChessTournament #RetiOpening


Photos from: https://commons.wikimedia.org
Chithambaram Aravindh
Hans Moke Niemann


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