Hivechess Lecture: Never let the King rest

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to our first Hivechess lecture of the year. This time, it will be on 'Never Let the King Rest.' You know that effort you put into steady grinding for a better life you dream of and deserve, this time put that effort into the king. Never give space to the opposition's king when playing. Give it all you got when you notice the slightest misplacement of the opponent's king. It could probably be that the king did not castle, or you gave it an early check. Whatever it is, keep pressing.

We will use a game between a lower-rated player of 2100+ rated player and a 2300+ rated player, and how the 2100+ rated player won the game. An underdog wins due to the rating difference. Aadik Theophane Lenin, the 2113 player from India, defeated grandmaster Nguyen Van Huy, a 2360 player from China.

The game is an example of a mismatch due to the difference in ratings, but very early on in the game, the position was already getting sharp, making room for sharp tactics that were employed.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O

The opening played was the Nimzo indian. One of the strongest openings against white's 1.d4. The opening centers on quick development, fast castling, and center control for white. Black played well to castle his king and focused on piece play with both knight and bishop. The game went through precise development of pieces using opening principles.

5. Bd3 c5 6. Ne2 d5 7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Nf4 Bd6 12. Re1 Qf6 13. Nxd5 Qxd4 14. Be3 Qh4 15. g3 Qg4 16. Bf1 Rd8 17. Bg2 Qxd1 18. Rexd1 Bg4 19. Rd2 Rac8 20. h3 Be6 21. Rad1 Bf8 22. a3 Re8 23. Bf4 Red8 24. b4 Kh8 25. Be3 Ne5 26. Nf4 Rxd2 27. Rxd2 Nc4

This point in the game is where I define the turning point of the game. At this point white decided to go for the rook in exchange for the knight and bishop. The popular 2 for 1, but this was 2 black pieces in exchange for a rook when white plays 28. Nxe6.

The 2-for-1 exchange has taken place at this point, and it is an end position where the play will require precise play for the player who wants to win. This is a trial where the game makes use of the let. After the 2-for-1 exchange, the white moved on to bring his remaining pieces, and at no point did white give black's king a break when he finally got the momentum.

Here is what it looks like not give the king any rest. Kept on attacking and got the mating position, which brought about the win. The lesson is keep going on even at the endgame, just like this one. Attacking the king is not only at the beginning of the gam,e even though you need to seize the opportunity if it presents itself.

Here is the game link
Game Link

Here is the PGN game

[Event "16th Chennai Open"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/broadcast/16th-chennai-open-2025/round-7/sRdMsgrw/umLXzbFj"]
[Date "2026.01.06"]
[Round "7.10"]
[White "Aadik Theophane Lenin"]
[Black "Nguyen Van Huy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2113"]
[WhiteTitle "CM"]
[WhiteFideId "33362041"]
[BlackElo "2360"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[BlackFideId "12401064"]
[TimeControl "90+30"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "E47"]
[Opening "Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation"]
[UTCDate "2026.01.06"]
[UTCTime "03:55:44"]
[BroadcastName "16th Chennai Open 2025"]
[BroadcastURL "https://lichess.org/broadcast/16th-chennai-open-2025/round-7/sRdMsgrw"]
[GameURL "https://lichess.org/broadcast/16th-chennai-open-2025/round-7/sRdMsgrw/umLXzbFj"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Ne2 d5
7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Nxd5 exd5
11. Nf4 Bd6 12. Re1 Qf6 13. Nxd5 Qxd4 14. Be3 Qh4
15. g3 Qg4 16. Bf1 Rd8 17. Bg2 Qxd1 18. Rexd1 Bg4
19. Rd2 Rac8 20. h3 Be6 21. Rad1 Bf8 22. a3 Re8
23. Bf4 Red8 24. b4 Kh8 25. Be3 Ne5 26. Nf4 Rxd2
27. Rxd2 Nc4 28. Nxe6 Nxd2 29. Nxf8 Nc4 30. Nd7 Nxe3
31. fxe3 Rc3 32. Bxb7 Rxa3 33. Nc5 Rxe3 34. Kf2 Rc3
35. Ba6 f5 36. Nd7 g5 37. Be2 Kg7 38. b5 Kf7
39. Ne5+ Ke6 40. Nc6 Ra3 41. Nd4+ Kf6 42. Nc6 h6
43. Bf3 Ke6 44. Nd4+ Ke5 45. Nc6+ Kd6 46. Nd4 Ke5
47. Nc6+ Kf6 48. Nd4 Ra4 49. Ke3 Ke5 50. Nc6+ Kd6
51. Be2 a6 52. Nd8 Re4+ 53. Kd2 a5 54. Nb7+ Kc7
55. Nxa5 f4 56. gxf4 Rxf4 57. Nc4 Rh4 58. b6+ Kb8
59. Na5 Ra4 60. Nc4 Kb7 61. Bf3+ Ka6 62. Kc3 h5
63. Bxh5 Ra2 64. Bg4 Rf2 65. Bc8+ 1-0

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_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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Thanks For Reading!