Hikaru Nakamura Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 7 in |
Weight | 73 kg |
Date of Birth | December 9, 1987 |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Girlfriend | Mariagrazia De Rosa |
Hikaru Nakamura is an American chess player who has often been regarded as one of the best chess players of his era. His major accomplishments include winning the Decameron International Open (2004), the North American Open (2005, 2006, 2007), the Miami International Open (2007), the Corsica Masters (2007), the Cap D’Agde Rapid Championship (2008), the Gibtelecom Masters (2008), the Wijk aan Zee Championship (2011), the Biel Blitz Championship (2012), the Tal Memorial Blitz Championship (2013), the London Chess Classic (2013), the Zurich Chess Challenge (2015, 2016), and the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival Championship (2015, 2016). As of August 2020, he had won the United States Chess Championship 5 times (2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2019). At the team level, representing the United States, he had won a ‘Gold’ medal (2016) and 2 ‘Bronze’ medals (2006, 2008) at the Chess Olympiads; along with a ‘Silver’ medal at the 2010 World Team Championship. In 2009, he had co-written a book titled Bullet Chess: One Minute to Mate to popularize a new format of chess which would require just 60 seconds to record a completed game. In October 2015, he had reached his peak FIDE Elo rating of 2816, which had helped him reach the number 2 rank in the world.
Born Name
Hikaru Nakamura
Nick Name
The H Bomb
Sun Sign
Sagittarius
Born Place
Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Residence
He splits his time between Los Angeles, California, United States, and Naples, Campania, Italy.
Nationality
Education
Hikaru, after his high school graduation, had attended the Dickinson College, a liberal arts institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Occupation
Chess Player
Family
- Father – Shuichi Nakamura
- Mother – Carolyn Merrow Nakamura (Musician, Former School Teacher)
- Siblings – Asuka Nakamura (Older Brother) (Chess Player)
- Others – Sunil Weeramantry (Step-Father) (Chess Player, Chess Coach, Author)
Manager
He is represented by United Talent Agency, Los Angeles, California, United States.
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 7 in or 170 cm
Weight
73 kg or 161 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Hikaru has dated –
- Mariagrazia De Rosa (2013–Present)
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial (Asian and White)
He is of Japanese descent on his father’s side and American descent on his mother’s side.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Mildly stocky frame
- Often sports a trimmed beard
- Affable smile
- Short-cropped, center-parted hair
Hikaru Nakamura Facts
- Hikaru’s family had moved from his birthplace of Osaka, Japan, to the United States when he was just 2 years old. His parents got divorced a year later.
- Sunil Weeramantry, his step-father, had started coaching him and his older brother Asuka after Asuka had won the National Kindergarten Championship in 1992.
- In 1997, at the age of 10, he became the youngest American chess player to beat an International Master upon defeating Jay Richard Bonin. In 1999, he had won the prestigious Laura Aspis Prize, an annual honor given to the highest-rated USCF (United States Chess Federation) player under the age of 13.
- In 2003, at the age of just 15 years and 79 days, he had become the youngest American to earn the title of Grandmaster, eclipsing the record set by the great Bobby Fischer; by nearly 3 months.
- In May 2014, when FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) had published its official rankings for rapid and blitz chess for the first time, Hikaru was ranked number 1 in the world in both those formats of the game.
- He had appeared as ‘himself’ in a season 5 episode (May 2020) of the popular drama TV series Billions.
- In January 2021, Hikaru played chess with Twitch star, Pokimane online and was impressed by her skills.
Featured Image by Hikaru Nakamura / Instagram