The sting of loss rarely cuts deeper than this. When Javokhir Sindarov — the 19-year-old Uzbek prodigy who replaced Viswanathan Anand as a late entrant — drew Hikaru Nakamura as his quarter-final opponent at the Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam, few anticipated the humiliation that would follow for the veteran American.
Nakamura suffered one of the worst losses of his career, and as the tour moved from Germany to Paris for the second leg, he was feeling the weight of creeping self-doubt. The manner of his collapse against Sindarov, squandering winning positions through uncharacteristic mental lapses, left the five-time US champion contemplating retirement.
“Sometimes, things happen for a reason and if I’m going to start losing games where I get into great positions but my brain stops working, it starts to lead to certain thoughts creeping into my mind about the future,” said Nakamura, referring to his potential retirement. “If I get into similar situations where I start messing up games like I messed up a couple of games in this freestyle event against Sindarov and if Norway chess and the World Cup simply do not go well for me, there is a very realistic chance that I will probably start winding down my career.”
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The warning signs had been accumulating. Over the past 12 months, Nakamura’s resilience has faltered at critical moments. His losses at the Candidates, as well as during the World Rapid and Blitz Championship, were perhaps a signal that he was losing his touch.
The current World No.2 in standard rating with a peak ELO rating of 2819, Nakamura was a child prodigy who has always carried the persona of an outlier.
His 2020 TSM esports contract (a six-figure deal) was a first-of-its-kind deal for a professional player. It led the way for more private entities to come onto the scene. From 2020 to 2025, the sport has grown in stature with chess now included in the e-sport World Cup, set to take place in Saudi Arabia later this year.
USA’s Hikaru Nakamura and India’s Arjun Erigaisi in action during Freestyle Grand Slam Tour Paris Leg quarter-final. (Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess)
Yet, he remains a paradox in the chess world, a mainstream celebrity whose streaming empire revolutionised the game’s popularity, yet whose competitive resume lacks the crowning achievement his talent deserves.
Despite appearing in multiple Candidates, World Cup, and Grand Prix appearances, Nakamura has failed to win a major championship. Although he was part of the USA team which won two gold medals in the Olympiad, an individual title remained out of his reach. With many believing that he is among the most talented players to not have played a World Championship match, Nakamura is yet to do full justice to his ability.
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The win against India’s Arjun Erigaisi in the second quarter-final on Thursday, while fighting his inner turmoil simultaneously, was some respite for the American. It sets up a stern semifinal test against Germany’s Vincent Keymer, the in-form Weissenhaus leg champion.
While winning the freestyle event here would not fundamentally change Nakamura’s career trajectory, a deep run could prove psychologically significant.
