Magnus Carlsen claims Hikaru is “improving” despite beating him during Champions Chess Tour

Top Chess player Magnus Carlsen paid a backhanded compliment to one of his biggest rivals, Hikaru Nakamura, during the Champions Chess Tour only to beat him in the next match.

Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are arguably the two most high-profile chess players in the world, and their clashes over the years have been well-documented, culminating in one of the biggest rivalries in the scene at the moment.

And during the Champions Chess Tour, which started this December, Carlsen said that Hikaru was “showing signs of improvement”, before going on to best him in his next match.

It’s not the first time Carlsen has commented on his Hikaru’s career. Last month when Hikaru was facing cheating allegations, Carlsen took to social media to roast some of his plays in Speed Chess.

Magnus Carlsen pays backhanded compliment to GMHikaru during CCT

While being interviewed for the upcoming match with Hikaru, Carlsen was asked what kind of preparations he was making for the showdown.

He answered: “I don’t know… I haven’t thought too much about it yet. But I guess he won a fairly convincing match now, so at least he’s showing signs of improvement.”

The interviewer also suggested that Hikaru posed a major threat to Carlsen in the tournament, a statement that Carlsen didn’t respond to.

For more information about previous clashes between Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, check out how Carlsen responded to Hikaru’s cheating allegations last month.