Erigaisi has voluntarily given himself an isolated pawn in the middle of the board. While this pawn could cause issues for Hikaru for now due to its control over the light squares, this pawn can also become a weakness in an endgame.
Hikaru moves his knight to the side of the board in order to either win Erigaisi's bishop pair or gaining control over a very important square in front of Erigaisi's weak pawn. No matter how Erigaisi decides to deal with this move, Hikaru will now have a comfortable advantage!
This has been a very successful opening for Hikaru, who manages to both get the bishop pair and maintain pressure against Erigaisi's weak pawn.
Erigaisi successfully manages to trade away Hikaru's bishop pair and maintains control over his pawn in the center for now. If he can get rid of this weakness, Hikaru's advantage will quickly evaporate.
Hikaru kicks away Erigaisi's knight, but the last couple of moves have not improved his position. After Erigaisi retreats his queen, Hikaru's pieces are awkwardly placed, and Erigaisi is now gaining control over the light squares!
Hikaru's knight moves back into position, looking to reroute itself to the dark squares in the center.
Erigaisi decides to take aggressive measures, now looking to blow open Hikaru's kingside to create threats against his king.
Hikaru's comfortable advantage has now completely evaporated, and it's Hikaru who needs to be careful to now end up in massive danger.
The position slows down as Erigaisi allows the trades to get rid of his weak pawn. When the dust settles, we have a completely symmetrical position where Hikaru has a very small advantage due to his active rook and Erigaisi's misplaced knight.
Hikaru's rook activity materializes, resulting in him winning a pawn on the queenside! While the position should still be objectively drawn, only Hikaru has winning chances now.
Erigaisi manages to get rid of Hikaru's extra material! While his knight is still a bit offside, Erigaisi should be able to hold on in this position without much trouble.
Erigaisi still needs to be careful, and the clock is ticking. This may turn into a time scramble, and Hikaru is the one testing Erigaisi!
Hikaru gains practical chances, and time is ticking for Erigaisi! Will Hikaru be able to flag Erigaisi here?!
Hikaru squeezes water out of stone and once again uses the clock as a weapon to put pressure on Erigaisi! Despite Erigaisi holding on in a difficult position and ending up in an objective draw, Hikaru kept pushing by using his superior piece activity. Hikaru's constant pressure eventually paid dividends, as Hikaru managed to win a pawn and make Erigaisi's defense much more difficult.
With little time and a worse position, Erigaisi eventually blundered a piece in the time scramble, allowing Hikaru to gain a winning position. Hikaru's continuous aggression gains him the final game needed to win the match, showcasing why he's known as a speed monster!