Hikaru Nakamura won the United States Championship in December 2004, just before he turned 17. He was the youngest person to hold the title since Bobby Fischer, but his play was often too speculative or adventurous, evidence of an iIn April 2005, playing White against Krishnan Sasikiran of India in the elite Sigeman & Company tournament, he trotted out 1 e4 e5 2 Qh5?!, a move he dubbed “the H-bomb.” He pushed too hard and lost.
Five months later, Nakamura, again playing White, dropped the H-bomb on Andrei Volokitin of Russia in the final of the Lausanne Young Masters event in Switzerland. The game started 1 e4 c5 2 Qh5, and Nakamura was flattened in 23 moves.
Nakamura seemed to believe that his purpose was to entertain more than compete. But chess fans and tournament organizers want to see well-played games between great players. Although he placed second at Lausanne and third at Sigeman, tournament invitations, especially in Europe, dried up.
At 21, Nakamura is now a more mature player, which has led to better finishes — and more invitations.
In May, he won the United States Championship again. This month, he tied for first at the World Open in Philadelphia, despite taking half-point byes in the last two rounds so that he could leave for the Donostia Chess Festival in Spain. He led that tournament from the start but was caught in the last round by Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine. Nakamura then beat Ponomariov in a playoff.
Nakamura’s unofficial world ranking is now No. 17, a career best. He has been invited to play in the London Chess Classic in December with Magnus Carlsen of Norway, No. 3, and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, No. 4. And in January, Nakamura will play in the Corus tournament in the Netherlands, one of the top events of the year.
In Spain, Nakamura beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, 18. They followed a well-known but complex variation of the Najdorf Sicilian through more than 15 moves.
Vachier-Lagrave erred with 28 ... Be4; he needed to play 28 ... Bd7, though after 29 Nf4 Bg4 30 Rd4 ab4 31 ab4, White would have still have had the advantage.
Nakamura’s 32 Nb5 forced the win of a pawn. Playing 32 ... Rc6 would not have helped after 33 Re3 Re6 34 Nc7 Rc6 35 Rd7 Bd8 36 Re4 Rc7 37 Rc7 Bc7 38 Bc4, and White’s passed queenside pawns are too dangerous.
Though Vachier-Lagrave could win a pawn with 44 ... Re3 45 Ke3 Bg4, he resigned because after 46 b5, one of White’s pawns will queen while Black’s pawns cannot advance quickly enough.mmaturity.
Five months later, Nakamura, again playing White, dropped the H-bomb on Andrei Volokitin of Russia in the final of the Lausanne Young Masters event in Switzerland. The game started 1 e4 c5 2 Qh5, and Nakamura was flattened in 23 moves.
Nakamura seemed to believe that his purpose was to entertain more than compete. But chess fans and tournament organizers want to see well-played games between great players. Although he placed second at Lausanne and third at Sigeman, tournament invitations, especially in Europe, dried up.
At 21, Nakamura is now a more mature player, which has led to better finishes — and more invitations.
In May, he won the United States Championship again. This month, he tied for first at the World Open in Philadelphia, despite taking half-point byes in the last two rounds so that he could leave for the Donostia Chess Festival in Spain. He led that tournament from the start but was caught in the last round by Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine. Nakamura then beat Ponomariov in a playoff.
Nakamura’s unofficial world ranking is now No. 17, a career best. He has been invited to play in the London Chess Classic in December with Magnus Carlsen of Norway, No. 3, and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, No. 4. And in January, Nakamura will play in the Corus tournament in the Netherlands, one of the top events of the year.
In Spain, Nakamura beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, 18. They followed a well-known but complex variation of the Najdorf Sicilian through more than 15 moves.
Vachier-Lagrave erred with 28 ... Be4; he needed to play 28 ... Bd7, though after 29 Nf4 Bg4 30 Rd4 ab4 31 ab4, White would have still have had the advantage.
Nakamura’s 32 Nb5 forced the win of a pawn. Playing 32 ... Rc6 would not have helped after 33 Re3 Re6 34 Nc7 Rc6 35 Rd7 Bd8 36 Re4 Rc7 37 Rc7 Bc7 38 Bc4, and White’s passed queenside pawns are too dangerous.
Though Vachier-Lagrave could win a pawn with 44 ... Re3 45 Ke3 Bg4, he resigned because after 46 b5, one of White’s pawns will queen while Black’s pawns cannot advance quickly enough.mmaturity.
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