Hikaru Nakamura: The Grandmaster Who Hooked Twitch on Chess

Hikaru Nakamura, a five-time US Chess Champion, has made a significant impact on the popularity of chess on Twitch. Known for his innovative approach to engaging his audience, Nakamura's streams have attracted top gamers and revived interest in the ancient game.

Nakamura became the youngest US Chess Grandmaster in history at the age of 15. He led the US team to victory at the Chess Olympiad in 2016 and has been one of the top 20 chess players in the world for many years. When live chess games were banned due to the pandemic, Nakamura quickly adapted to his new role as a Twitch streamer and chess commentator.

His average viewership grew from 2,000 to 18,000 during the pandemic, and his Twitch channel had 366,000 followers as of the article's publication. Nakamura's streams have inspired other top Twitch streamers, including Felix "xQc" Lenny and Albert "Boxbox" Zheng, to try their hand at chess. Nakamura commented on a chess match between Lenny and another player, noting Lenny's mistake. He also played in several World Series of Poker tournaments in 2011, demonstrating his versatility as a player.