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Hikaru Nakamura
Name: Hikaru Nakamura
Federation: United States United States
Sex: Male Male
Born: 1987
Fide FIDE ID: 2016192 FIDE Profile
Title: Grand Master
ELO Classic: 2807
ELO Rapid: 2738
ELO Blitz: 2838
Years: 1997 - 2025
Total Games: 3559
Wins: 1409 (39.59 %)
Draws: 1523 (42.79 %)
Losses: 627 (17.62 %)
Score: 60.99 %

Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura was born in Osaka (on December 9, 1987), in the city of Hirakata. When he was two years old, he moved with his parents to the United States. He started playing chess at the age of five and was trained by his stepfather, FIDE master Sunil Weeramantry. At age 10 he achieved the title of chess master from the United States Chess Federation, the youngest American to achieve the title. In 2003, at the age of 15, he obtained the title of Grandmaster, 3 months before Bobby Fischer's record.

He won his first U.S. Chess Championship in 2005, among the outstanding players of the tournament were Gata Kamsky and Alexander Stripunsky. He won this tournament four more times: 2009, 2012, 2015, and the last in 2019. He brilliantly won the Tata Steel tournament in 2011, with 9 of 13 points against top players like Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand. The same year he was trained by former world champion Garry Kasparov who had already trained Magnus Carlsen. He was the winner of the London Chess Classic in 2013 and the Zurich Chess Challenge in 2015 beating Viswanathan Anand. As the second board, he participated in the 42nd Olympiad in 2016, winning the gold medal for his country. He won the Gibraltar Chess Festival in 2016 beating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in tie-breaks, and in 2017 by beating David Anton Guijarro in tie-breaks. In 2018, he won the London Chess Classic super tournament beating Fabiano Caruana with a score of 18-10, and in the final beating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with a score of 15-13. This win contributed to obtain the Grand Chess Tour 2018.

In 2020, with the surge of online chess's popularity, Hikaru Nakamura rose to prominence as the top blitz chess player globally. He showcased his skills in various prestigious tournaments, such as the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, where he secured a second place in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. Additionally, Nakamura won the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship.

His transition to over-the-board tournaments in August 2021 further solidified his prowess, as he won the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz competition without a single loss, marking a triumphant return since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2021 witnessed Nakamura's continued success, culminating in his fourth consecutive triumph in Chess.com's Speed Chess Championship, where he defeated GM Wesley So convincingly in the final match.

Nakamura's momentum persisted into 2022 when he earned a spot in the Candidates Tournament after a remarkable performance. In March 2023, he secured his first over-the-board victory of the year at the American Cup, defeating GM Wesley So once again in the final. His winning streak continued in April, as he clinched victory in the Chessable Masters during the Champions Chess Tour.

In June 2023 he won the Norway Chess by defeating Fabiano Caruana in the final round. This victory not only secured his title but also propelled him to the No. 2 spot in FIDE's July rankings, a position he hadn't held since 2015. In July, Nakamura showed his versatility by claiming his fourth Bullet Chess Championship title, triumphing over Magnus Carlsen in a closely contested Grand Final match.

Despite a setback at the Chess World Cup 2023 in August, where he faced a defeat to Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, Nakamura's consistent performance and impressive track record ensured his qualification for the Candidates Tournament 2024.

Nakamura's achievements extend beyond his recent successes, as he holds several notable chess records, including being the youngest to defeat an International Master and the youngest International Master at the time of his achievement.

Last tournaments played

Tournament Date Elo Avg. Country
13th Norway Chess 2025 05/26/2025 2791  Norway
13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 05/26/2025 2727  Norway
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout 04/09/2025 2763  France
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin 04/07/2025 2763  France

Hikaru Nakamura Opening Repertoire with White pieces

ECO Opening Games
A05 Reti opening 66 games
A45 Queen's pawn game 60 games
A06 Reti opening 57 games
C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin defence 54 games

Hikaru Nakamura Opening Repertoire with Black pieces

ECO Opening Games
D37 Queen's Gambit Declined, 4.Nf3 118 games
C67 Ruy Lopez, Berlin defence, open variation 100 games
C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin defence 57 games
C50 King's pawn game 47 games

Games played by Hikaru Nakamura

Download games
White ELO W Black ELO B Result Moves ECO Date Tournament View
Wei, Y 2758 Nakamura, H 2804 ½-½ View Game 38 C55 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Wei, Y 2758 Nakamura, H 2804 1-0 View Game 34 C24 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 1-0 View Game 48 C64 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 ½-½ View Game 23 B40 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Gukesh D, 2787 1-0 View Game 50 C45 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Carlsen, M 2837 Nakamura, H 2804 1-0 View Game 40 D15 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Carlsen, M 2837 Nakamura, H 2804 ½-½ View Game 21 C49 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Caruana, F 2776 ½-½ View Game 64 A05 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Caruana, F 2776 ½-½ View Game 31 B30 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 Nakamura, H 2804 ½-½ View Game 76 D17 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 Nakamura, H 2804 1-0 View Game 48 D37 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Wei, Y 2758 ½-½ View Game 57 E06 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Wei, Y 2758 ½-½ View Game 52 A01 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Gukesh D, 2787 Nakamura, H 2804 1-0 View Game 42 C55 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Carlsen, M 2837 1-0 View Game 44 D78 2025 13th Norway Chess Armageddon 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Carlsen, M 2837 ½-½ View Game 34 C77 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Caruana, F 2776 Nakamura, H 2804 0-1 View Game 78 D10 2025 13th Norway Chess 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Carlsen, M 2837 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout View Game
Carlsen, M 2837 Nakamura, H 2804 1-0 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout View Game
Keymer, V 2718 Nakamura, H 2804 0-1 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Keymer, V 2718 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 1-0 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout View Game
Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 Nakamura, H 2804 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Knockout View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Abdusattorov, N 2773 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Caruana, F 2776 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Rapport, R 2722 Nakamura, H 2804 0-1 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Praggnanandhaa R, 2758 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Keymer, V 2718 Nakamura, H 2804 1-0 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Gukesh D, 2787 Nakamura, H 2804 0-1 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Erigaisi Arjun, 2782 Nakamura, H 2804 0-1 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Nepomniachtchi, I 2757 0-1 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Vachier Lagrave, M 2722 Nakamura, H 2804 ½-½ View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Vidit, S 2720 1-0 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Nakamura, H 2804 Carlsen, M 2837 0-1 View Game 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris Round Robin View Game
Caruana, F 2783 Nakamura, H 2802 0-1 View Game 40 C55 2025 The American Cup 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2802 Caruana, F 2783 ½-½ View Game 79 B90 2025 The American Cup 2025 View Game
Caruana, F 2783 Nakamura, H 2802 ½-½ View Game 50 C55 2025 The American Cup 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2802 Caruana, F 2783 ½-½ View Game 18 E04 2025 The American Cup 2025 View Game
Dominguez Perez, L 2741 Nakamura, H 2802 0-1 View Game 72 C55 2025 The American Cup 2025 View Game
Nakamura, H 2802 Dominguez Perez, L 2741 ½-½ View Game 53 E06 2025 The American Cup 2025 View Game