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Hikaru Nakamura

Five-time US Champion; chess streaming pioneer · United States · 1987–present · active 1998–present

“Speed-chess king and online icon”

Being one of the greatest blitz players in history and the figure who took chess to a mass online audience

2816Peak ratingpeak FIDE rating (2015)

Born1987–present

CountryUnited States

Active era1998–present

TitleFive-time US Champion; chess streaming pioneer

Christopher Hikaru Nakamura was born on December 9, 1987, in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, and moved to the United States as a young child. Raised in New York and Florida, he learned chess from his stepfather, the FIDE master and coach Sunil Weeramantry, and rose through American junior chess at startling speed.

In 2003 Nakamura became the youngest American grandmaster up to that time, breaking a record previously held by Bobby Fischer. Brash, fast, and supremely confident, he quickly developed a reputation as one of the most aggressive and creative attacking players in the world, and as perhaps the finest speed-chess player of his generation.

Over the next decade Nakamura won five US Championships and reached the world's top five in classical chess, peaking at a FIDE rating of 2816. He produced a string of celebrated games — including a famous queen sacrifice against Michal Krasenkow in Barcelona in 2007 that he has named his best ever — and was a regular contender at the strongest tournaments, though the very top of the classical world eluded him.

Nakamura's second act may prove even more influential. As online chess and streaming exploded in popularity, he became its most prominent personality, building an enormous audience and helping to drive an unprecedented boom in the game's popularity. He combined this with a competitive resurgence, qualifying for the Candidates Tournament and returning to the classical elite while dominating online blitz and bullet events.

A polarising but undeniably significant figure, Nakamura bridged two eras of chess: the traditional grandmaster circuit and the new world of streaming and online competition. He remains one of the strongest and most recognisable players on the planet.

Playing style

Nakamura is one of the most dangerous attacking and tactical players in modern chess, famous above all for his peerless speed: in blitz and bullet he has few equals in history. He thrives in sharp, double-edged positions where calculation and nerve decide, and he is willing to take risks and unbalance the game to create winning chances. His intuition in fast play is extraordinary, and even in classical chess his combinational eye and fighting spirit produce spectacular wins.