Prepare against Hikaru Nakamura
GM · United States · World #2 classical · FIDE ID 2016192
Our database contains 10,837 games by Hikaru Nakamura, covering Apr 2003 to Aug 2026. Below you'll find Hikaru Nakamura's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Hikaru Nakamura before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 2,792 | 2,816 | Oct 2025 |
| Rapid | 2,738 | 2,853 | Jul 2019 |
| Blitz | 2,800 | 2,934 | May 2019 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 10,837 | 6,168 | 2,956 | 1,713 | 56.9% |
| As White | 5,507 | 3,381 | 1,404 | 722 | 61.4% |
| As Black | 5,330 | 2,787 | 1,552 | 991 | 52.3% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Hikaru Nakamura's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Hikaru Nakamura's side.
First moves as White (5,509 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e4 | 1,736 | 31.5% | 68.5% |
| Nf3 | 1,569 | 28.5% | 80.1% |
| d4 | 1,037 | 18.8% | 68.5% |
| b3 | 499 | 9.1% | 82.0% |
| c4 | 302 | 5.5% | 70.0% |
| g3 | 119 | 2.2% | 88.2% |
Main lines as White
- 1.e4 — 32% of White games, 68.5% score
- …e5 (39% of these games) — Nakamura usually continues Nf3 (62.5% score)
- …c5 (37% of these games) — Nakamura usually continues Nf3 (68.2% score)
- …e6 (9% of these games) — Nakamura usually continues d4 (67.2% score)
- 1.Nf3 — 28% of White games, 80.1% score
- …d5 (45% of these games) — Nakamura usually continues e3 (75.4% score)
- …Nf6 (40% of these games) — Nakamura usually continues b3 (83.9% score)
- …c5 (8% of these games) — Nakamura usually continues e4 (79.4% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (2,572 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e5 | 916 | 35.6% | 56.3% |
| c5 | 587 | 22.8% | 63.9% |
| g6 | 390 | 15.2% | 80.4% |
| c6 | 214 | 8.3% | 77.8% |
| d5 | 126 | 4.9% | 70.2% |
| e6 | 107 | 4.2% | 68.2% |
As Black against 1.d4 (1,905 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 952 | 50.0% | 59.7% |
| g6 | 372 | 19.5% | 84.0% |
| d5 | 226 | 11.9% | 59.5% |
| f5 | 132 | 6.9% | 75.0% |
| e6 | 68 | 3.6% | 75.7% |
| a6 | 51 | 2.7% | 85.3% |
Hikaru Nakamura's chess games
All 10,837 games by Hikaru Nakamura in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - Aug 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 6,168 wins, 2,956 draws, 1,713 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A06 | Réti Opening | 919 | 659/162/98 | 71.7% |
| A01 | Nimzovich-Larsen attack | 490 | 361/80/49 | 73.7% |
| B50 | Sicilian | 271 | 150/75/46 | 55.4% |
| D37 | Indian Defense | 225 | 125/80/20 | 55.6% |
| D11 | Slav Defense | 216 | 110/71/35 | 50.9% |
| C65 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | 177 | 43/113/21 | 24.3% |
| A06 | Nimzo-Larsen Attack | 176 | 132/29/15 | 75.0% |
| A45 | Trompowsky Attack | 162 | 106/35/21 | 65.4% |
| A29 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 113 | 67/24/22 | 59.3% |
| A00 | Hungarian Opening | 104 | 86/10/8 | 82.7% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B06 | Modern Defense | 825 | 628/84/113 | 76.1% |
| C67 | Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense | 358 | 81/200/77 | 22.6% |
| D37 | Indian Defense | 340 | 145/131/64 | 42.6% |
| B40 | Sicilian | 193 | 98/55/40 | 50.8% |
| D02 | Réti Opening | 153 | 89/35/29 | 58.2% |
| A28 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 146 | 77/44/25 | 52.7% |
| E05 | Catalan | 144 | 43/78/23 | 29.9% |
| A80 | Dutch Defense | 143 | 87/38/18 | 60.8% |
| A40 | Queen's Pawn Game | 133 | 94/20/19 | 70.7% |
| B90 | Sicilian: Najdorf | 133 | 60/41/32 | 45.1% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2020 | Magnus Carlsen | 2,863 | Lindores Abbey Final 8 | C81 |
| Dec 2022 | Fabiano Caruana | 2,847 | Wch Blitz | A20 |
| Feb 2014 | Levon Aronian | 2,826 | Zuerich Chess Challenge Rapid | A01 |
| Jul 2026 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2,820 | USA vs Uzbekistan - WR Chess Rapid & Blitz Miami 2026 | D31 |
| Aug 2016 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 2,819 | chess.com sf blitz 5m+2spm | D85 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2026 | 4,508 | 3,648.5 | 2,758 |
| Bullet Chess Winners | 2024 | 284 | 173.5 | 2,761 |
| Speed Chess | 2022 | 205 | 132 | 2,849 |
| 1st 3-0 Thursday | 2026 | 132 | 102.5 | 2,755 |
| chess.com Speed | 2020 | 114 | 73 | 2,784 |
| ch-USA | 2020 | 109 | 70.5 | 2,729 |
| Saint Louis Blitz | 2024 | 107 | 69.5 | 2,881 |
| Chess.com Speed Chess | 2023 | 98 | 60 | 2,854 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Magnus Carlsen (396 games) · Wesley So (294 games) · Fabiano Caruana (282 games) · Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (247 games) · Alireza Firouzja (239 games) · Levon Aronian (217 games) · Ian Nepomniachtchi (171 games) · Anish Giri (129 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 10,837 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Hikaru Nakamura's chess games?
10,837 games by Hikaru Nakamura, from Apr 2003 to Aug 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line Hikaru Nakamura has played.
What does Hikaru Nakamura play on the first move as White?
Across 5,509 games with White in our database, Hikaru Nakamura opens with 1.e4 (32% of games), 1.Nf3 (28% of games), 1.d4 (19% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Hikaru Nakamura answers 1...e5 (36% of games), 1...c5 (23% of games), 1...g6 (15% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (50% of games), 1...g6 (20% of games), 1...d5 (12% of games).
What openings does Hikaru Nakamura play as White?
As White, Hikaru Nakamura's most-played openings in our database are: Réti Opening (919 games, 71.7% win rate); Nimzovich-Larsen attack (490 games, 73.7% win rate); Sicilian (271 games, 55.4% win rate). The full breakdown of 5,507 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Hikaru Nakamura play as Black?
As Black, Hikaru Nakamura most often plays: Modern Defense (825 games, 76.1% win rate); Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense (358 games, 22.6% win rate); Indian Defense (340 games, 42.6% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 5,330 games.
What is Hikaru Nakamura's FIDE rating?
Hikaru Nakamura is currently rated 2,792 in classical chess, 2,738 in rapid and 2,800 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,816 (Oct 2025).
How many games has Hikaru Nakamura played?
Our database contains 10,837 games by Hikaru Nakamura, covering Apr 2003 to Aug 2026. Overall record: 6,168 wins, 2,956 draws, 1,713 losses (56.9% win rate).
How do I prepare against Hikaru Nakamura?
10,837 games by Hikaru Nakamura reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.