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Nakamura, Hikaru

Hikaru Nakamura

GM🇺🇸

FIDEFIDE 2016192· Male· United States of America· Born in 1987

Hikaru Nakamura, a 39-year-old American Grandmaster, is rated 2792 — just 24 short of his peak of 2816 (Oct 2015, age 28) and ranked 1st among American players, and 2nd worldwide. He has held steady between 2775 and 2800 for 6 months. 25 rated games in the past year (≈64/year long-term). Recent standard appearances include the Candidates Tournament, 1st Annual Washington Dulles Open, and 2025 Maritime Chess Festival Open Championship. Also played 3 rapid (including 2025 Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown) and 3 blitz events (including 2026 Naroditsky Memorial - Blitz Masters) recently. He took a 26-month break between Dec 2019 and Mar 2022 (COVID-19 included). He reached World #2 in Oct 2015 and has been in the world top 3 for 35 months and counting (43 months in total). In the 1990–2000 FIDE lists (source: OlimpBase), he was already rated 2182 in Jan 1999.

Awarded GM in 2003 (age 16), IM in 2001 (age 14), and FM in 2001 (age 14). At junior level, he reached World #2 in U20, World #2 in U18, World #3 in U16 and World #4 in U14.

Current rating

2792

Standard

Rpd2738·Blz2800

All-time high

2816

−24 pts below
Oct 2015 · age 28

Activity

37

games / yr avg. · ≈3/mo

25 past 12 mo · ≈2/mo
classical only
Active

Signature stat

#1

#1 · American players · of 5,210
World top 3 since Dec 2023

Profile · last 5 years

  1. Stronger in blitz: 69% (116.5 / 168) against 66% in classical (103.5 / 158) and 56% in rapid (94.5 / 169).
  2. Against higher-rated players (+50): 6.5 / 13. Against lower-rated (−50): 213.5 / 308.
  3. Over the last 12 months: +1 in rapid rating and 15.5 / 31 in rated rapid games.

From 495 games in FIDE-rated events since Oct 2021 (158 classical, 169 rapid, 168 blitz). Fixed rules: every figure comes from these results.

Your openings

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Scouting

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See his openings

Career timeline

26 entries
2026
43 months in world top 3 (ongoing)
current run 35 months since Dec 2023 · first Jan 2014
Oct 2026
2024
Re-crossed 2800
at age 37
Jun 2024
2022
Re-crossed 2750
at age 35
Mar 2022
2019
Inactive for 26 months
paused at 2736 → returned at 2750
Dec 2019
Re-crossed 2750
at age 32
May 2019
2015
Peak World rank: #2
at age 28 · rated 2816
Oct 2015

Standard rating history

Peak
FIDE title
Threshold
First rated
Inactive period
COVID-19
Rating history: OlimpBase (opens in a new tab) until 2000, FIDE since 2001

His openings · over the board

What Hikaru Nakamura plays, by color

2,761 games with moves in our base · over the board · last in Jul 2026

Prepare against him

As White

332 games215 of 332

181 more games in other lines

As Black

317 games175 of 317

177 more games in other lines

Over-the-board games from our public base only.Find his online games ›

Activity & highlights

Evolution
-21
2813 → 2792
Tournaments
2
19 games
Score
11/ 1957.9%
5W12D2L
Top 3 wins
1.[W]vsFabiano CaruanaGM2,795·FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026·R8·+5.0
2.[W]vsL M S T De SilvaIM2,400·1st Annual Washington Dulles Open·R4·+0.9
3.[W]vsMatthew Guo DiaoFM2,310·1st Annual Washington Dulles Open·R3·+0.5
Top 2 losses
1.[L]vsJavokhir SindarovGM2,745·FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026·R5·-5.7
2.[L]vsFabiano CaruanaGM2,795·FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026·R1·-5.0

Last 12 months — tournaments

2 events
EventDateScoreRankPerfΔ Elo
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026
Round-Robin
Mar 20266.5/14#52716-18.4
1st Annual Washington Dulles Open
Swiss
Nov 20254.5/5#12588-2.5
Worst Elo result: FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 (-18.4 Elo, finished #5).

By color · classical · 5 years

158 games

As White

73%

57.5 / 79avg opp. 2628

As Black

58%

46 / 79avg opp. 2650

Best win

vsFabiano CaruanaGM2837

Norway Chess 2023 · May 2023 · White

Worst loss

vsVidit GujrathiGM2727

FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024 · Apr 2024 · Black

Games 2,761 · 2002–2026

Time control
  • DvsJavokhir SindarovGM
    2026 Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz | Blitz Final · R9.5 · 2026-07-05
    Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation · 13 moves · blitz · 2838
  • LvsEthan Sheehan
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R3.2 · 2026-07-05
    Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line · 29 moves · blitz · 2838
  • WvsSemen KhaninGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R8.2 · 2026-07-05
    Queen's Gambit Declined · 44 moves · blitz · 2838
  • WvsAndy WoodwardGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R7.4 · 2026-07-05
    Bogo-Indian Defense: Vitolins Variation · 46 moves · blitz · 2838
  • LvsWesley SoGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R6.3 · 2026-07-05
    Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line · 63 moves · blitz · 2838
  • WvsSam SevianGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R5.3 · 2026-07-05
    Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening · 45 moves · blitz · 2838
  • WvsVasif DurarbayliGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R4.4 · 2026-07-05
    Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation · 47 moves · blitz · 2838
  • LvsMukhiddin MadaminovGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R2.5 · 2026-07-05
    Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation · 50 moves · blitz · 2838
  • DvsBoris GelfandGM
    Naroditsky Mem Blitz RR · R1.1 · 2026-07-05
    Four Knights Game: Scotch Variation Accepted, Main Line · 36 moves · blitz · 2838
  • DvsWesley SoGM
    2026 Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz | Blitz · R11.1 · 2026-07-04
    Ruy Lopez: Open Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation · 14 moves · blitz · 2838

Over-the-board games only, matched to this player through official FIDE pairings and tournament records. Opponents marked “?” could not be identified with certainty. Source: Lichess broadcasts (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Most-Played Opponents

vsFabiano CaruanaGM
🇺🇸USA·2784
+46 −21 =56
123 games·last met Apr 2026
View head-to-head →
vsWesley SoGM
🇺🇸USA·2770
+19 −16 =55
90 games·last met Jul 2026
View head-to-head →
vsLevon AronianGM
🇺🇸USA·2725
+24 −20 =43
87 games·last met Mar 2025
View head-to-head →
vsMagnus CarlsenGM
🇳🇴NOR·2823
+4 −23 =58
85 games·last met Oct 2025
View head-to-head →
vsMaxime Vachier-LagraveGM
🇫🇷FRA·2717
+21 −13 =47
81 games·last met Dec 2025
View head-to-head →

Rankings

/
United States of America
#1
out of 5,207 players
Americas
#1
out of 26,120 players
World
#2
out of 221,391 players

National ranking

Europe & World

Europe
World
United States of America
1
🇺🇸Nakamura, Hikaru
2,792
2
🇺🇸Caruana, Fabiano
2,784
3
🇺🇸So, Wesley
2,770
4
🇺🇸Dominguez Perez, Leinier
2,732
5
🇺🇸Aronian, Levon
2,725
6
🇺🇸Niemann, Hans Moke
2,717
7
🇺🇸Sevian, Samuel
2,708
8
🇺🇸Liang, Awonder
2,685
9
🇺🇸Robson, Ray
2,659
10
🇺🇸Xiong, Jeffery
2,656
Americas
1
🇺🇸Nakamura, Hikaru
2,792
2
🇺🇸Caruana, Fabiano
2,784
3
🇺🇸So, Wesley
2,770
4
🇺🇸Dominguez Perez, Leinier
2,732
5
🇺🇸Aronian, Levon
2,725
6
🇺🇸Niemann, Hans Moke
2,717
7
🇺🇸Sevian, Samuel
2,708
8
🇺🇸Liang, Awonder
2,685
9
🇺🇸Robson, Ray
2,659
10
🇲🇽Martinez Alcantara, Jose Eduardo
2,657
World
1
🇳🇴Carlsen, Magnus
2,823
2
🇺🇸Nakamura, Hikaru
2,792
3
🇺🇸Caruana, Fabiano
2,784
4
🇺🇿Sindarov, Javokhir
2,782
5
🇺🇿Abdusattorov, Nodirbek
2,780
6
🇺🇸So, Wesley
2,770
7
🇮🇳Praggnanandhaa R
2,763
8
🇩🇪Keymer, Vincent
2,761
9
🇨🇳Wei, Yi
2,758
10
🇫🇷Firouzja, Alireza
2,757
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