Quick Update

January 31, 2011 • General

As today has been a very long day with multiple flights, I probably will not be posting a blog recap of Wijk aan Zee for another day or two. Once again, thanks to everyone out there for the many, many positive compliments. It is truly the fans who inspire me and give me the motivation to continue playing chess as well as I possibly can!!

Cheers!

Hikaru

Newark,USA

1.31.11

28 Comments

  1. Hi Mr Champion of Wijk aan Zee !

    You have really come a long way since your 2009 US Chess Championship! It was a real pleasure to meet you outside the club after you became the 2009 Champ in St Louis.

    They invited you to the big time and you have done it! It has been interesting to be able to follow your games on the internet and watching the video interviews. London had amazing coverage and loved the way the English guys handled the coverage.

    I wish I was still living in st louis because I sure would like to interview you and put it on youtube. I am the guy who was lucky to capture your winning moment in 2009 in st louis. (video is on your website)

    Be looking to your future games! You are looking like a seasoned GM now! Here is to American Chess and the best American GM in 2011. Nakamura!!!!

    aerodarts

  2. Great win and congrats Hikaru, I think this is just the beginning of many more successes at the highest level.

    I think you can do great things for both American chess and chess in general, we’re all pulling for you….

  3. Robert Plunkett

    Way to go Naka. I have known for years you would be world champion one day. ever since I saw you play as a litle kid at the world open with your dad Sunil. we’ve met a number of times since then although I doubt you would remember me. I have always considered you a very approachable person, and very down to earth. say hi to Littlejohn for me and keep working hard at the game like I know you can, also congrats in your last tourny for the win against Kram with black, it almost makes up for that loss in the Dutch to him earlier, and I am also happy to see you play the Dutch against Aronion as well. Finnally I was very impressed with the prep work in th Caro, I thought Bg4 and back to f5 was an extremely cool Idea, and was amazed at how well it worked!!! good luck and keep playing and working hard! we ar all pulling for you!

  4. Congratulations Hikaru! You made my week winning over there besting the top four rated players in the world. Three more rating points and you’re top five! We started playing chess at the same time. Countless times you sat beside me in upsate NY chess tournaments, in the U1400 section. You were 8. I even owe a victory to you for unintentionally crunching loudly on potato chips, helping make my opponent miss a mate-in-one. Then there’s the time after we played blitz you started chucking my pieces across the hotel lobby at the US Open in Alexandria, VA. That’s a memorable story. I wish you the best of luck in your future tournaments and know you’ll be a world-class player for many decades. (As for me, I quit playing regularly a decade ago and never eclipsed 1800, but your victory makes me want to get back into it. May we cross paths again… although my days playing beside you are long over.)

  5. Daryn Moran

    GM Hikaru Nakamura,

    Your determination to give your best in each and every round is admirable. You make me proud to be an American. Also, we look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on the tourney.

    When you just play chess the best you can, who can keep up? Pride doesn’t help much, and Carlsen delivered a blow to help you not be too proud. But, you just played great overall and everyone knows it.

    The only thing i ask is you love your games and your fans and chess in general. That way you won’t be afraid of your own success. Win as many games as you can when you can. Find the energy at the board when you need it, and relax away from the board. Maybe someday you’ll win category 20 or 21 level tourneys without a single loss, or possibly just sweep it with wins. Who says you can’t?

    Keep up the good work at your office–the chessboard vs other GM’s. Give them your all, we are watching each and every game curios to figure out how you do it. Show us the way! Keep America proud.

    2011 is a great feather in your cap already, moving up live ratings, and taking home 1st place at WAZ. However, take time to figure more goals for yourself. Give yourself stuff to shoot for. I don’t understand much the blindfold playing you may do in March, but good luck.

    Also, if further climbing on the ratings is in the cards for you, be there and take it. Don’t be proud, be grateful what God gave you and use it for Him. If you ever get the chance to compete for a World Championship, please take it when it’s there. Don’t let the politics of top flight chess get you down.

    Enjoy your studies of the game, the openings, the middle, and the endgames. Put your practices that you enjoy to work for you in competition. So many of us are amazed to see your hard work pay off, and I can’t say enough how great it was to watch you progress through this tourney.

    Whether you have such success again or not is up to you. We wait for your performances as you are ready. Bring pride to American chess again, and thank you for your blog, and your twitter updates. Thank you for letting us be a fan!!

    Take care, and good chess to you. Please share what you have enjoyed, and thanks again. Congratulations!!

  6. Daryn Moran

    GM Hikaru Nakamura, Champion 2011 Tata Steel Chess

    GM Hikaru Nakamura,

    They can never take this away from you. It goes with you forever now. We do appreciate your dressing very sharp and respectfully with good taste. Please don’t go insane like our poor champ Bobby Fischer did. May you give us a United States World Chess Champion who is a normal person, such as you are today! Good luck.

  7. I can’t believe some of the comments here from people who are supposedly ‘fans’. I mean, “Please don’t go insane”???? (facepalm)

    Anyway, congratulations on this major victory, Hikaru. It is so refreshing to see an American once again among the world elite. Will you be playing in Linares/Dortmund/Sofia?

  8. Hi Hikaru,
    Great win! We’re all pulling for you.

  9. Please continue to put your all into the game. We need you. You’re all alone up their with the US flag. When I think of you playing with the best in the world I see that determination in your eyes and imagine the fearless and peerless thoughts in your mind then a song comes to mind “Show me my opponent”. Your unstoppable! We love you!

  10. Definelty agree Marcus, and furthermore Naka has begun to establish strong psychology with his contemporaries. They are intimidated, Naka’s firey eyes and stone cold determination are visible. They are afraid. Then he’s the best blitz and bullet player ever to live. So yea we are proud of you Naka, very proud.

  11. Hey Hikaru! Im curious about who your biological father is. Wikipedia says Sunil Weeramantry is your stepdad. Care to enlighten us with a quick reply about your family?

    Thanks,
    SuperFan

  12. Congratulations on an awesome win! The world’s number 1-4 were participating and you won it! Let them be the ones that have the fear now. Remember when you you jokingly called Anand god? Well you just drew against god and as god continues to lose brain cells, it is only a matter of time and you will beat him too. Soon you’ll get into a groove like Kasp where you just slay everyone you play! Rock Star Performance!!! Go USA!!!

  13. I followed you and carlsen as my favorites through the entire tournament, amazing play! Glad i have chessbase to help me understand some of your moves 😀

    You’ve arrived and triumphed at the highest levels, cant wait to see whats next, no pressure, just do your thing and you’ll keep winning!

  14. PharmD in training

    Hikaru!!!!! Dude you are awesome!I want to play chess like you. I started playing the Caro-Kann and I won some beautiful games in blitz 🙂 I hope to get stronger in chess (A modest 2000 here).

    American chess really needed a boost and you certainly have given Americans cause to consider chess again. But, in my book, you were always an inspiration!

    How does someone like you reach elite chess by merely working alone and with no serious GMs as seconds?

    Look there’s nothing I can say but only, if I were rich I’d sponsor your chess so that you could achieve your dreams of this most intellectual of games and travel the world while meeting beautiful women throughout.

    BTW seems like these girls in your ( twitpic.com/3lhybf) gave you a dose of inspiration. LOL

  15. Awesome victory. I hope you have some time to rest recoup and watch the super bowl. 2800 is within reach and I wish you best of luck in reaching that goal.

  16. Juan Pablo

    Congratulations Hikaru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  17. Mundi King

    A simple congratulations. Thanks for all the hard work and winning a prestigious tournament against the world’s elite chess players. May you win many more.

  18. Indoleplayer

    The finest day for American chess since Fischer’s win in 1972! Congratulations from your biggest Vermont fan!

  19. Jim Humphrey

    Hikaru: you made my day when I saw the news of your victory. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Keep it up all the way to 2800 and beyond.

  20. glanmaster

    Congrats Hikaru !!!

  21. Daryn Moran

    How stupid my comment was, “please don’t go insane like Bobby”. That sounds so dumb. Thanks to the person who pointed it out. Sorry GM Hikaru, no disrespect intended. Take care, and we love to see your chess exploits.

    Next time maybe I’ll think before typing…

    We hope you reach your goal to 2800, and beyond.

    That will be some awesome display of chess, but everyone believes in your ability. You’ve proven to know how to make the right moves. Curious, do you do preparation for match play at all, since it’s different from a tourney with multiple opponents? We all expect to see you in chess matches and doing well.

  22. You clearly were the best !

    To be continued ! 😉

  23. Congrats on your win. I always new you were the man. Keep up the good work. Please keep those tricky tactics coming. You got mad love in Lewisburg West Virginia !

  24. Great Win! Nice to see a Yank back in the Top Ten!!

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