Hi there,
Welcome to the latest Hivechess Lecture, and in this lecture, we will be looking at the lesson that says When the Queens are off the board, Another True Chess Begins. A typical misconception about the game of chess I have seen a couple of times is that when the most powerful piece on the board, the queen, is traded off, it automatically means the most powerful threat on the chessboard has been removed. That is not true, and that is what we are going to see in this game between Jorden van Foreest and Hans Niemann at the Prague Chess Festival 2026. I have to add that Jorden van Foreest is the new kid on the block, but he is doing pretty well with his chess playing in the ongoing Prague Festival. I sincerely hope he wins it because I have followed his gameplay for a long time.
With that aside, let's get back to the game.
7. e4 exd4
The game was a Queen's Gambit Declined for its opening, which is about to lead to an exchange of queens after black took on d4 with his pawn. After the queens are taken off the board, one would think oh this is a much calmer position, especially if you are scared of the long range attackas the queen can carry out on the board. Well, here is the thing, even though the EVA bar by the side of the board says the position is equal, remember it is only saying this if both players play accurately, like computers. What the EVA bar is not telling is that when the queens are traded off the board, now you have to consider king safety, center control, and most importantly, piece activity.
This point is in the position of 9. Ng5 from white is a vital lesson to note. Once the queen is taken off the board, every minor attack or advantage can become useful, and white did just that by improving the position of his white knight and, at the same time, creating a threat to f7.
As I anticipated, when the queens are off the board, the safety of the king becomes a concern. Just like that black runs into trouble when he blunders a piece just to protect his king at the center with Bd3?? This is a blunder because once the defender of the black bishop on d3, that is the knight on c5, is attacked by the pawn on b2, the bishop will be left behind to the mercy of the white rook on d1.
The defender has been attacked, and the bishop will be captured very soon after the knight has been moved away.
Here is the game link if you would like to see the entire game and how it plays out:
And here PGN game:
[Event "Prague Chess Festival 2026 | Masters"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/broadcast/prague-international-chess-festival-2026--masters/round-5/KoV4BlPM/AJSnE0zk"]
[Date "2026.02.19"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Black "Niemann, Hans Moke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[WhiteFideId "1039784"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[BlackFideId "2093596"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "D41"]
[Opening "Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Endgame Variation"]
[UTCDate "2026.02.19"]
[UTCTime "15:32:16"]
[BroadcastName "Prague International Chess Festival 2026 | Masters"]
[BroadcastURL "https://lichess.org/broadcast/prague-international-chess-festival-2026--masters/round-5/KoV4BlPM"]
[GameURL "https://lichess.org/broadcast/prague-international-chess-festival-2026--masters/round-5/KoV4BlPM/AJSnE0zk"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5
5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. a3 Nbd7
11. g3 Rc8 12. Bg2 Bc4 13. Ngxe4 Nxe4
14. Nxe4 Bc5 15. Bf4 f5 16. Nxc5 Re8+
17. Be3 Nxc5 18. O-O-O+ Bd3 19. b4 Na4+
20. Bc5 Nxc5 21. bxc5 Rxc5+ 22. Kb2 Re2+
23. Kb3 Rb5+ 24. Ka4 Rbb2 25. Rxd3+ Ke7
26. Rhd1 Rxf2 27. Rd7+ Kf6 28. Bxb7 Rxh2
29. R1d6+ Ke5 30. Ra6 Rb6 31. Rxb6 axb6
32. Rxg7 h5 33. Bc6 Kf6 34. Rb7 Rh3
35. Rxb6 Rxg3 36. Be8+ 1-0
I am 
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