Tag: Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura (pictured) and Richard Rapport snagged the two Candidates Tournament berths available through the FIDE Grand Prix series. (Image: World Chess)

Hikaru Nakamura, Richard Rapport Book Positions in 2022 Candidates Tournament

One of the world’s most popular chess streamers and one of the game’s brightest young stars will each have a chance to play for the World Chess Championship later this year as Hikaru Nakamura and Richard Rapport have qualified for the 2022 Candidates Tournament. The winner of the 2022 Candidates […]

Wesley So (left) seeks a second straight Champions Chess Tour title at the Airthings Open, though he’ll have to contend with Magnus Carlsen (right) and others. (Image: Nick Barton/Manila Bulletin)

Airthings Masters Delivers Christmas Cheer for Champions Chess Tour Fans

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, Speed Chess Championship winner Hikaru Nakamura, and Skilling Open winner Wesley So lead the field of 12 grandmasters who will compete in the Airthings Masters beginning on Dec. 26. The Airthings Masters is the second event and the first major of the Champions Chess Tour, […]

Hikaru Nakamura (left) will face Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (right) in the final of the 2020 Speed Chess Championship on Saturday. (Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com)

MVL Upsets Carlsen, Faces Hikaru Nakamura in Speed Chess Championship Final

French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave pulled off a major upset in the Speed Chess Championship on Friday, defeating World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen 13-11 to reach the finals of the online blitz and bullet tournament. Vachier-Lagrave outscored Carlsen in both the five-minute and three-minute portions of the match, then held on […]

Magnus Carlsen (left) and Hikaru Nakamura (right) will enter their respective Speed Chess Championship quarterfinals as heavy favorites. (Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com)

Carlsen, Nakamura Heavy Favorites in Speed Chess Championship Matches

Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen came into the Speed Chess Championship as the top two seeds and the prohibitive favorites to reach the final. On Thursday, both will get the chance to prove their dominance and move into the semifinals, though they’ll face dangerous Russian opponents gunning for upsets. Carlsen […]

Magnus Carlsen moved into the Skilling Open semfinals after turning back a strong challenge by Anish Giri. (Image: Maria Emelianova/FIDE)

Skilling Open Semifinals: Carlsen Battles Nepomniachtchi, Nakamura Faces So

Hikaru Nakamura came back from down a set, and then again down a game in blitz tiebreakers to get past Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and advance to the semifinals of the Skilling Open online chess tournament. Nakamura moved on to face fellow American Wesley So, while World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen will […]

Top-seeded Hikaru Nakamura comes in as an overwhelming favorite to win his first-round match in the Speed Chess Championship. (Image: Getty)

Speed Chess Championship Odds: Aronian, Caruana, Giri First-Round Underdogs

Many of the world’s top chess players are competing in the 2020 Speed Chess Championship on Chess.com, a $100,000 online knockout competition that pits grandmasters against each other in a series of blitz and bullet games. While Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are heavy favorites to get through the early […]