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Hikaru Nakamura reflects on his chess career, agrees he is only behind Magnus Carlsen, defends ratings and discusses D Gukesh and Javokhir Sindarov.
Hikaru Nakamura (Picture credit: X)
American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has said that he is glad about how his chess career has unfolded, adding that he agrees with Magnus Carlsen that he is only behind the latter in world chess.
Nakamura, who has competed in three FIDE Candidates tournaments with his best result being a runner-up finish in 2024, said that he is content with his career.
Reflecting on his journey and recent performances, Nakamura noted that the chess world often overlooks a player’s long-term achievements and focuses only on their latest results.
Nakamura even pointed to reigning world champion D Gukesh and 2026 Candidates winner Javokhir Sindarov as examples.
“Of course, I am satisfied with my career. Why would I not be satisfied? … In 2019, my rating went off a cliff and I was down to something like number 19 or 20 in the world and at that point, I really thought that my professional chess career was over,” Nakamura said.
“The chess world has completely lost its ability to remember anything beyond… beyond the past month. They have. Like if Sindarov goes and has one or two bad tournaments now after the Candidates, everyone is going to be like ‘Oh Sindarov is terrible, he is washed, Gukesh is suddenly the favourite again,” Nakamura added.
The American GM, who first reached world No. 2 in 2015, bounced back after a tough phase and has been among the top players again since 2023. Nakamura also criticised those who question the credibility of rating systems.
“I think the ratings don’t actually lie. I would say that in general, I had one bad tournament, but Magnus correctly says that the rating list and results in top tournaments of all formats say that I’m the second best,” Nakamura said.
Carlsen had described Nakamura as the second-best player in the world, irrespective of his Candidates results. He also came to the defence of his close friend amidst criticism that Nakamura qualified for the Candidates by focusing on smaller open tournaments while skipping major events.
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