Commentator Said Hans Niemann Has a Great Attack Then Magnus Carlsen Found an INCREDIBLE Counteratta

Paulsen strikes first, despite what was objectively a great start to the match. A good, a good, I guess his advantage wasn't huge for Hans, but Hans was in a good spot as black there. Yeah, and Magnus missed something. He allowed that rook swing to B6 to win a pawn on B3. But you could tell Magnus, he chose violence. He chose to give up an exchange, and he went for a line that was very tricky. And here, on the other hand, we have a very calm start to Game 2. Hans has the white pieces. He's rerouting his pieces to the kingside. This knight often hops up to G3. But Danny, we said, Hans needs to get in the lead early. He's now down by one point, and he has to be objective. He can't start thinking about the results. It's still early, right? He does need to get a lead early, I think, from our perspective, when we think about the match strategy and the psychology of both of these players. But you're right. Obviously, losing one game, you don't want the wheels to come off quickly against the GOAT. For the record, was that the first complete game these guys have played since September 4, 2022? I think we should all take a moment to respectfully acknowledge that. A moment of silence for the fact that we have a complete chess game between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann. In this case, it was the former world champion getting the dub. He did indeed, and now with the black pieces, he's extra solid. No weaknesses, no pawn trades, just a pair of bishops off the board. And Danny, as we look at Magnus taking a drink here, do you feel like he can relax a little bit? That first game is over, as you just said, and now he can just focus on the moves on the board. It makes you wonder, right? I mean, look, it's undeniable. Athletes talk about it all the time. You play mind tricks on yourself. You try to get yourself in the best space before kickoff of the Super Bowl. But you're really happy once that first drive is over. They all talk about it, right? So the fact that the first game is over, I think both players might be feeling a little bit better. Hans is obviously not happy that that game didn't go his way. But yeah, I think Magnus Carlsen, to answer your question, for sure has got to be breathing a little bit of a sigh of relief. They're both locked in, staring at their computers. We saw the bishops stare at one another and then leave the board. So that's all we've seen happen, is both bishops, they're gone. Now the Knights will try to find some good homes in enemy territory. This Knight can hop out to F5. That could actually be very dangerous with a Rook sitting on E3. That Rook can swing on over to hurt the Black King. But that's why Magnus, sensing that there may be an impending attack on the Kingside, you're taught to strike in the center. Strikes in the center to change the structure. You don't want to allow White a chance to just focus with no counterplay. I like the move Rook D1 though from Hans, especially because it was played quickly. I like that that's a sign psychology, I mean mentally, that Hans, confident in this second game, not beating himself up. And I think that that is a very important thing that we should take note of early on, right? He's now up a minute on the clock as Black and in a good position. I think that if you're in Hans' corner, this shows that he's currently not suffering from any hangovers of game one. Yeah, with the White pieces here, the D file opens up. You can double in the right moment. Instead, Magnus is the one challenging for that file. And this night coming to F5, it will be a problem at some point, but not right now because it's a problem on D1. There's already direct threats in the position. So we see the Rook backtrack. Danny, I have to say Hans is playing a nice game too. And as you said, he has a nice lead on the clock. He's playing a nice game too. Very disciplined approach too. He tried to go for the Kingside attack. Magnus opened the center. He correctly switches gears, will be the first one to grab the only open file. And if he does control the D file, okay. Interesting. I was just going to say Magnus chooses not even to fight for the file and instead go for something a little more dynamic, but at the risk of a D6 pawn that is very weak. It sort of has some Sicilian vibes where this pawn is backwards. It can be attacked, but there aren't that many pieces remaining. So look at Magnus. He decides to strike. B5 takes away the C4 square that Knight was trying to venture forward and attack that D6 weakness. So I think that both sides can be happy about some elements of the position here. The D6 pawn weakness, that's for sure. But Black actually has some active play himself. A Knight coming to A5 and into C4, that could be annoying. It's funny. You highlighted Sicilian structure, but there's two bishops missing, right? No dragon bishop on the dark squares, despite the Fianchetto structure, which can sometimes help to guard the D6 pawn. And no light-squared bishop on E6, right? Which happens in these Night Orbs structures for Black. So again, I like the dynamic choice for Magnus. I think it surprised everybody, but I still feel like Hans, especially with the time advantage, in a decent spot here as White, should keep the pressure, look for ideas of Queen a3 as well. Magnus takes a passive approach rather than Knight a5. What are your thoughts on that? He's saving himself by covering the F5 square. There was Rook takes D6 in the air, and if the Queen took back, then Knight f5 would be a check and a fork, picking up that Queen. But that's what the Knight on E7 is doing here. Put that in blue because it's a hero. It's covering that square a second time, and that means there are no funny business on F5. I mean, I would pretend that I saw that tactic and set you up for it, like an assist for a dunk, but I didn't even see that. It's a very nice Rook takes D6 with Knight f5 check. No longer possible. Rook B6 defends both pawns. Just a good move, right? Just trying to bring more pieces into the defense, and it might not be defense. Later in the game, if Magnus strikes with B4, he can open up lines for his remaining pieces. So both sides have difficult decisions here. Seems like White's pieces are pretty optimally placed, but that's frustrating in chess. All your pieces on good squares. Your Knight on E3 wants to hop forward but has nowhere to go, and so he makes a quiet move, King h2. Danny, what are the ideas here? King h2 is a high-class waiting move. I like those kind of moves in these positions. You don't want to make high-class waiting moves with your pawns, everybody, because those things don't go backwards. And okay, f3 is a good move, reinforces E4, but in general, one of the tricky parts of these equal-ish positions is you might make a pawn move that you think is harmless, Robert, and that comes back to bite you in the endgame. We see Magnus take advantage of those types of little weaknesses, squeeze water out of the stone so often. So I love that Hans is playing patiently. That's what I like about King h2. And again, f3 reinforces. I'm going to just go on a limb and say, I don't think a draw is a bad result for Hans in this game. Objectively, he lost game one. He doesn't want it to get away from him. You don't want to lose two in a row ever, but certainly not against the goat. And so I think if Hans stays patient with King h2, these moves, I like how he's playing this because the draw is okay. But Magnus says, no, no, no. I'm not going to let you stay patient. Here we go. Oh, we have fireworks now. If you take this pawn on d5, it is a pawn sacrifice, but E4 check at the right moment, but not yet. If we can analyze, if we can take a step back ever so quickly, if you got too quick, if you got greedy with the check, white can actually block your check with an attack against the queen, a fork, and then black is in huge trouble. So if we go back to the game, he did not rush. He instead blocked that d6 square with his rook, going after d5. And Danny, this is one of those positions where it can get chaotic real fast. c4 is played. If black takes it, then knight takes c4. This queen is overloaded, covering c4 and this rook on d6. C4 tends to be explosive, and Magnus does not want the dynamite to go boom right there. But I want to point out something. This d5 pawn sack was played after Hans played f3. Look at the dark squares on the king side and highlight them for a second, because this is a move you play in blitz and in rapid when you recognize that there's going to be some long-term practical problems here. Regardless of the evaluation, white is going to get in trouble in this game at some point on the king side. Mark our words. And that's why Magnus played d5. He's going for this sort of practical approach to the game to try to get Hans to blunder in the time scramble. And if you gave black a dark square bishop, the game is over. White's king is just being hunted. And we see e4 played, not with check, but discovered check coming next if he didn't clog that diagonal. So f4 played. That's a loose pawn here. So Danny, you can't reinforce it with another, and it seems like we have a mistake. It's a loose pawn, and right as you highlighted it, Hans says, I'm not worried about it. I'm going to let it be, but computer didn't like it. I don't know what the move is. Magnus plays knight f5, a solidifying move. Just show real quick, or highlight, if you take the pawn takes, and then that e pawn is protected. So that's a problem. And the knight is loose on e3. The tactics on the king side are going to come back to haunt Hans here. And another thing, the knight protects the rook. So that knight takes c4 idea we were talking about no longer works. So he gets rid of the knight on f5. The g file is open. Don't be surprised if this knight moves out the way, and a rook slides to g6, and there are problems facing that white king. I think this has turned around in a hurry. The evaluation bar clearly in black's favor. But even if I didn't see that, I just think that white's king is in some trouble, and black's king is safe and sound, and black's not even down in material. Couldn't agree more. I feel bad, a commentator's curse here, because right as I was applauding Hans' patience, king h2 and said, don't push pawns. They're the things you can't go back. He played f3, and now f4. You see what happens in these positions. These pawns wish they could just go back to f2 and put the king on g1. Those are the kind of moves you want to avoid in a seemingly equal position. Magnus is just like a tiger. He just waits to pounce on those moments. And the moment the pawn structure changed on the king's side, Magnus changed the structure in the center. And look at this, queen b6. That queen may land on f2. Knight to h5, rook to g6. This looks like a problem for Hans. None of these moves are going to be easy. And let's not forget there's a passed pawn just sitting here on e4 that you also have to look out for, because if you think you're just going to trade and it's going to be equal because we have the same material, not so fast. That pawn could be dangerous. And this pawn on d5, you need to use all of your resources to defend it. Your knight and rook are tethered to that pawn. Yeah, couldn't agree more. I'm sitting here thinking, where are the tricks for white? How does Hans overwhelm the queen, perhaps? Because you've got to do it while she still has to guard the rook. And you have that d5 passed pawn. Knight a4 is a way to at least attack the queen, whether she's overwhelmed or not. I like that move. But again, objectively, computer says black should be better. The thing I actually dislike the most about Hans right now is that he lost his time advantage. The time scramble is coming. And his king is going to be weak in the end. Yes, his king is the one that's going to be in trouble. We see a repetition of moves. But there's no way Magnus is going to make a draw. Queen b6 played. I think knight a4 will be met by queen to d8, just adding another attacker on this d5 pawn. And also, knight h5 is not out of the question in the near future. So Magnus, he's making Hans believe that there may be a draw on the table. But I do not think he's going to make it. Yeah, and Hans knows better. Whether he repeats or not, because he has no better options, he does. I think Hans knows that Magnus is not going to take a draw. As I said a few moments ago, I think a draw would actually be a fantastic result for Hans in game two. Doesn't go to d8, goes to b8. But similarly, the queen gets out of the way, doesn't repeat. And now she spies the f4 pawn once again, Robert. Also keeps the white queen honest in many positions. The b2 pawn, knight h5 is in the air. That looks quite frustrating to deal with. But I think what Black is struggling with is that this pawn on d5 is such a nuisance. If this rook could jump over to the king side, then that pawn runs free. And that's a very close passer. So Magnus, he's better. But he also has his hands full. No, I could sense the tone in your slide as to he's better. But it's not as big of an advantage as it was. I'm just completing Robert's sandwich there. And you see, now it's close back to equal, right? So can Hans play d6 and get away with it? That's the question. It's a very tempting move here. Both players do not have very much time. And it seems that Magnus, under 20 seconds. And Hans, similarly, in some time trouble himself. But the d6 pawn, is it a strength? Is it a weakness? That's the big question. Knight to e2 is played there to defend both f4 and g3. Queen to c3 check. And queen of two comes in. But f5, it's also a target. Hans is on the attack. He goes knight g3, does Magnus. Look at this, the f5 pawn is protected. e2 is coming. Knight f1 check is in the air. This is way too complicated. It's a three result game though. Hans could easily strike back here. Maybe Magnus bails out with a draw because he doesn't want to let him get his first dub. And indeed, that is what Magnus does.