Hikaru Nakamura

Born on 9 December 1987 in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, to an American mother and a Japanese father.

Moved to the United States as a young child and grew up in White Plains, New York, where his stepfather, Sunil Weeramantry, was a celebrated chess teacher.

Learned chess at age seven from his stepfather and began playing competitively at the same age.

By age ten, he was already a chess master; at fifteen, he became the youngest American Grandmaster ever at the time, breaking Bobby Fischer's record from 1958.

Was home-schooled from the fourth grade onward, as attending school would have taken too much time from chess.

His mother tutored him at home, allowing him to focus intensively on chess development.

Five-time United States Chess Champion and the reigning World Fischer Random Champion.

Became the youngest American Grandmaster in history in 2003 at age 15 years and 79 days.

A World Championship Candidate on multiple occasions, reaching the semifinals of the 2022 Candidates.

One of the strongest blitz and rapid players in the world; a dominant force on Chess.com and a hugely popular streamer and content creator.

Known for his aggressive, fighting style and his incredible speed of calculation, particularly in bullet and blitz chess.

Nakamura's transition from classical chess to streaming and content creation has made him one of the most recognizable figures in chess, bringing millions of new fans to the game.

He is known for his "Bullet Chess" prowess and co-authored a book on the subject.

His rivalry with Magnus Carlsen in faster time controls is legendary, with many memorable encounters.

"42...Q×b2 was mate, so the less exact 42...Q×f1+ gave White a chance, but White ran out of time anyway."

Bullet Chess: One Minute to Mate (with Bruce Harper) — a guide to the fastest form of chess.