Why Hikaru Didn't Play 2024 Olympiad

This is the edited VOD From Twitch / Kick for September 21, 2024

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

👌Channel Management ► Team Hikaru

#gmhikaru #chess #2024olympiad

[pranavkardak]

15 years ago i'd have never imagined someone sitting in US saying that Indian Chess players are well supported financially & US players are not.

[sampaths]

I think what Wesley said was meant by way of a compliment to Hikaru. And Wesley is being super modest.

[abhinavtiwari]

"He makes videos on us that's his contact" bro wesley is so funny 😂😂😂

[NotTheWheel]

Wesley is so (no pun intended) self critical. He's a great Chess player, there are so many great chess players at the Olympiad and he made a great showing for America.

[aaronhaworth]

Wesley is the reason they won silver, winning the last two rounds when Fabi lost 1 and drew 1. No one else won on US either round

[aaronbeecher]

Wouldn’t playing in these tournaments bring more attention to the game, and in the long run, more money? I don’t see how not playing will help the young players.

[KrazyKrzysztof]

lol you know it's bad when the jesus lord wesley so curses on an interview

[jaimeduncan]

Magnus also has sponsorships, he is a model in Norway and he wins all the time. As Hikaru has said before the number of players that can live from chess is very modest, particularly in the open section. Remember that to stay strong you are most likely paying a second, training traveling, and more often than not if you are not one of the top 15 players you are not getting price money. Computers are helping it's not enough. If you are a man to go winning tournaments you need an Elo of 2700 and it's not clear that is going to cover your expenses. Women have it far easier in terms of strength, you can become a 2500 elo player and win enough tournaments to live, but there is less money in women's chess and you will get invited less. Maybe more team events will help and sponsors. Maybe the technology companies will see the value on promoting chess ?

[arvindradhakrishnan]

What Hikaru is basically saying is 'I cannot play for my country because I don't get enough money for doing that'..I make 6 or 7 times the money through streaming.Its candid but it feels very amiss..players like Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand represented their nations for years even when Norway and India did not have strong teams.They did not play for money..they played for national pride and love for their fellow citizens.

[nevercastle]

SO redeemed himself, but Hikaru doesn't even feel the need to recap or shout out to the US team on Twitter. I honestly think that he just doesn't care to play with most of the American team.

[Satyamm]

Hikaru surved USA for 15 years... He has won olympiard in 2016... He has done everything won everything he could for USA... Now leave him alone... Let him do what he likes the most....

[blueelephant]

When you make $10 million a year streaming you can't expect the U.S. federation to compensate you with an equivalent appearance fee. If they did it for you then they would have to do the same for Fabi and close to the same for Wesley, Levon, and Leinier. The U.S. federation doesn't remotely have that kind of money. You act like you're a guy desperately hustling to put together his next rent payment.

[mrsarthak]

India dominated Because the players are young and they all have killer instinct and Many GM's have also said that Arjun Erigaisi is now even better than Magnus when it comes to beating lower rated players with black which is very tough. So Hikaru's Presence wouldn't make any difference. India started with wins.

[sreecharan]

Heres the thing. USA was still the top seed without Hikaru. Their players didnt just show up on full potential. If Fabi didnt blunder against Guki and So didnt blunder against Ivanchuk, they pretty much had a chance at glory. Hikaru played quite a couple of olympiads and i understand if he has a fatigue with this thing and just likes his chair, his room and streaming chess.

[Sarthak]

One sad reality of world Hikaru pointed out really struck me that how entertainment value has influenced capitalism. Most profit generated by people are not the people who are best at it but those who can make it fun for general audience..

[nunya]

Problem is, Hikaru, you didn't do anything to carry the team. Moreover, you chose not to even try to carry the team.

[easymoneysniper]

Hikaru talks like the players play in the olympia for money, none of them play for money lol

[lavendergooms]

There is no question Wesley is good enough to be on any American team, too.

[niki]

So, it's not money but it is money?

[bhaskar]

summary: its cuz there were low elo players in the tournaments as well, and one loss against any of them woulda cost hikaru a shit ton of points, prolly throwing him out of 2800 level.