Gukesh the overwhelming favourite in World title match: Nakamura Premium

Hikaru Nakamura, World No. 2 chess player, connects with fans, promotes chess globally, and enjoys innovative tournaments.

At Friends House in London earlier this month, Hikaru Nakamura was requested to play a game of chess by someone who admitted he wasn’t very good. The World No. 2 from the United States graciously sat down, braving the cold on the balcony, played in all seriousness, and won the game within a matter of a few moves.

Nakamura has this connection with people. In the virtual world too, he connects with them easily. He is a hugely popular streamer, with more than 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube.

“You have all these people coming to the game and it is really important that instead of trying to push them away from chess, you really try to encourage them to keep playing,” Nakamura told The Hindu in London. “So, you know, when I play some of these games, like the one I have just played, it is more about hopefully being able to provide something that the person can learn.”

He adds chess is about connecting the dots, in a way. “You think ahead, you strategise all these things,” he said. “Well, I do think those are very beneficial talents or abilities that you can learn from chess. I think a lot of top chess players spend so long memorising variations, and they kind of forget these things.”

Nakamura recalls taking tennis lessons as a kid. “When I was probably seven, I actually took tennis lessons and, you know, obviously I was a complete beginner,” he said. “I was kind of decent by the end of all these lessons, but the thing is even the person I was, the coach could still beat me with his eyes closed basically. So I don’t really mind these random games of chess with people.”

Nakamura was in London for the Global Chess League, the franchise-based league that is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and world chess governing body FIDE. It was Season 2, but it was his time in the league that uses some innovative ideas to make chess more appealing to the casual player and a global television audience.

His team, American Gambits, may not have had a great tournament, but he enjoyed the experience. He believes chess needs to be more entertaining to attract new audiences and that the Global Chess League is a right move in that direction.