Magnus Carlsen isn’t just known for his positional mastery and endgame brilliance—when it’s time to attack, he flips the switch and unleashes ferocious pressure on his opponents. In this lesson, I’ll break down a shocking game where Carlsen opens with the bizarre move 1.Nh3, also known as the Ammonia Opening (yes, like the chemical compound NH₃!)—and turns it into a deadly attacking masterpiece.

In this video, you’ll learn 4 simple attacking rules Carlsen follows to dominate opponents. These principles were apparently inspired by Mikhail Tal, the master of attack. Let’s look at these rules

• To take is a mistake. If you’ve been a member of the Igornation, you’ve probably heard me repeat this over and over again simply because it is such a powerful rule. Unmotivated exchanges only help your opponents develop their pieces.
• An uncastled king is an invitation to attack. Whenever the opponent’s king is still uncastled, there are more opportunities to attack it.
• Grasp the initiative and keep attacking. When you’ve already made a piece sacrifice, letting your opponent have time to develop their pieces would give him the opportunity to convert their material advantage.
• “Take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2 + 2 = 5, and the path back out is wide enough for one.” – Mikhail Tal. What this means is that even unsound sacrifices could still work if it requires your opponents to find precise defensive moves. Often, players cannot do this; hence the sacrifice could work.

Carlsen’s New Ammonia Opening Video Lesson

Carlsen’s play in this game shows that attacking chess isn’t about reckless sacrifices — it’s about pressure and active pieces. Watch the video to learn how to apply these rules. These can help you play more aggressively and win more games, even if you’re not a grandmaster!

This video is perfect for:

• Club players looking to upgrade their attacking skills
• Chess lovers who want to study Carlsen’s lesser-known games
• Anyone who wants to try out attacking chess and wild sacrifices

Below, you can find the complete game shown in the video:

Discover more openings with our Chess Openings Lesson Guide to find lessons organized by opening strategies. Improve your play from the first moves with a clear, topic-based approach.

If you want to learn all the fundamental things about chess, including openings, then you need to check out Level Up Your Chess. This course has six sections covering, not just the opening, middlegame and endgame. It also covers how to avoid blunders and how to study and train effectively.

And my big promise in this course is that studying just one section is enough to boost your chess rating. so, go ahead and check it out.