Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura Joins Team Falcons Ahead of EWC Chess Debut
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- American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura joins Saudi Arabian esports organization Team Falcons.
- Nakamura has represented the United States at seven Chess Olympiads.
- Other major esports teams such as Gen.G, Team Liquid, LGD Gaming, Team Vitality and NAVI are also signing with top-tier grandmasters.
Saudi Arabian esports organization Team Falcons has signed American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, one of the world’s top chess players and a major figure in chess streaming.
Nakamura, a five-time US Chess Champion and current World Fischer Random Chess Champion, has signed with the team ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC). The tournament, where chess is about to debut as an official competition, will take place from July 31 to Aug. 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a $1.5 million prize pool.
To qualify for the EWC, Nakamura will need to perform well in the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events. The qualification process is fierce, with only the top 12 players from the CCT guaranteed spots. The remaining four spots will be up for grabs in a Last Chance Qualifier.
It looks like the very first competition for the EWC chess title is going to be intense, as other elite chess players have also teamed up with top-tier esports organizations in recent months. Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has joined Korean team Gen.G, while American stars Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen have signed with Team Liquid. Chinese team LGD Gaming has brought in former world champion Ding Liren, and Team Vitality secured Maxime ‘MVL’ Vachier-Lagrave. Esports giant NAVI has expanded into chess as well, adding top players like Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Oleksandr Bortnyk to its roster.
Hikaru earned his grandmaster title at the age of 15 and has represented the United States at seven Chess Olympiads (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), securing a team gold medal and two team bronze medals.
With a peak rating of 2816, he is the tenth-highest-rated player in history, according to The International Chess Federation (FIDE) estimates. At the time of writing, he holds the third place in FIDE’s rating with 2802 points behind only Fabiano Caruana (2803) and Magnus Carlsen (2833).
It is worth noting that Nakamura has already been a part of competitive gaming teams before. In 2020, he signed a six-figure deal with North American team TSM but ended his association with them in 2022. Shortly after, he inked a deal with Misfits Gaming Group, where he received resources for content creation.
