Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura is the 2019 U.S. Chess Champion. This is his fifth title, having previously won the Championship in 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2015. He has represented the United States at six Chess Olympiads, winning two team bronze medals and the first team gold in 40 years at the 2016 Olympiad. He also won the 2018 Grand Chess Tour by defeating GM Maxime Vachier-LaGrave in the finals in London. GM Nakamura was selected as the 2019 Grand Master of the Year by US Chess and is ranked #2 in the world on the Universal Rating System. This year’s online chess boom has allowed Nakamura to become one of the top Twitch Streamers in the world and he recently placed second in the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals benefiting Kiva.