GM Hikaru shatters all-time Chess.com blitz rating record live on Kick
Instagram/gmhikaruKick streamer GM Hikaru Nakamura broke the all-time Chess.com blitz rating record and did so against a Twitch foe.
Hikaru shocked the streaming world when he became one of the first creators to sign with Kick, bringing his educational chess content over to the new platform and he’s since made history.
For four years, Chess.com’s top blitz rating stood at 3332, a record that was held by Hikaru himself, but this November, he set out to conquer his own milestone once more.
This week, Hikaru stormed past his old record to reach a new high of 3336 and did so while competing against Twitch’s Liam Putnam.
GM Hikaru breaks Chess.com rating record
As Chess.com reports, Hikaru ended up winning a whopping fifteen games straight, picking up a single point with each victory, given that his opponent, Liam Putnam, was rated a bit behind, but still over 2900.
If he lost a single match, Hikaru would blunder 16 points, making every round important and the stakes sky-high.
Hikaru ended up reaching 3336 before a 50-move draw caused him to lose 7 points, but he still ended his stream with the new record achieved.
(Watch the record-breaking moment at 53:20)
Interestingly, rival Magnus Carlsen has the second-all-time blitz rating at 3322 – a high that he reached earlier in June. For context, that’s still ten points off from Hikaru’s previous record which just goes to show how far ahead he is when it comes to blitz.
At the moment, it doesn’t seem like anyone will be making a run for the title anytime soon. The current rankings have France’s Alireza Firouzja on top with 2896, still quite a distance from the Kick streamer.
That said, records are meant to be broken and it’s anyone’s guess if someone else can overtake Hikaru or if he will end up shattering his own top chess rating at some point.