Hikaru Nakamura: Chess, Magnus, Kasparov, and the Psychology of Greatness | Lex Fridman Podcast #330

Hikaru Nakamura is a chess super grandmaster and is currently the #1 ranked blitz chess player in the world. He is also one of the top chess streamers on Twitch and YouTube. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

EPISODE LINKS:

PODCAST INFO:

OUTLINE:
0:00 - Introduction
1:41 - A private game vs Magnus Carlsen
9:29 - Chess openings
25:42 - Mental preparation
34:22 - Chess tactics
44:45 - Solving chess
50:26 - Aggression and ego
55:11 - Hans Niemann cheating scandal
1:05:03 - How to cheat in chess
1:19:26 - Greatest chess player of all time
1:29:43 - Hikaru's immortal game
1:42:08 - Paul Morphy
1:43:52 - World Chess Championship
1:46:41 - Magnus Carlsen
1:50:16 - Sergey Karjakin
1:52:43 - Beauty of chess
1:59:38 - Day in the life
2:14:16 - Streaming
2:28:56 - Taking risks
2:34:25 - Depression
2:39:14 - Advice for young people
2:46:34 - Love

SOCIAL:

[lexfridman]

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast.
0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions:
1:41 - A private game vs Magnus Carlsen
9:29 - Chess openings
25:42 - Mental preparation
34:22 - Chess tactics
44:45 - Solving chess
50:26 - Aggression and ego
55:11 - Hans Niemann cheating scandal
1:05:03 - How to cheat in chess
1:19:26 - Greatest chess player of all time
1:29:43 - Hikaru's immortal game
1:42:08 - Paul Morphy
1:43:52 - World Chess Championship
1:46:41 - Magnus Carlsen
1:50:16 - Sergey Karjakin
1:52:43 - Beauty of chess
1:59:38 - Day in the life
2:14:16 - Streaming
2:28:56 - Taking risks
2:34:25 - Depression
2:39:14 - Advice for young people
2:46:34 - Love

[GMHikaru]

It was a pleasure meeting you and thank you so much for taking the time to focus so much on chess in the past few months! I hope people can draw some inspiration or enjoyment from all of these amazing podcasts.

[chess]

I'm absolutely loving all the love for chess, Lex! 💚

[slythespacecat]

Hikaru is joking around but i remember not long ago, in a Titled Tuesday Tournament, dude said "i'm tired and i don't want to calculate, ima just sac my queen" and won the game. I was flabbergasted LOL

[NT-usfp]

Hikaru is so open and transparent, there’s a braveness to this that makes me so impressed with him.

[Talon]

Magnus, the Botez sisters, Gotham, and now Hikaru! This is great... love the chess coverage, man.

[lamine]

You may not get as many views in these podcasts but the fact you are promoting the chess community will always be appreciated by those who truly care ...thank you lex

[suqdic]

My dude, I never really was a podcast kinda guy, but since I found yours recently i can't stop listening to episode after episode... thank you so much for doing this!

[loneranterism]

Hikaru made me follow chess during the pandemic. A great communicator

[samvargas]

My respect for Hikaru increased 100x after this interview. He gives a really balanced and humble perspective on a lot of these questions. Awesome conversation.

[bobbobson]

Lex has embarked on this journey because he wants to beat hard mode on his chess app

[yessir]

Magnus, Gotham, and now Hikaru. The past month or so has been a treat

[ParkersPensees]

Unreal Lex. We've got jobs, bro. You can't keep putting out such good content, we have stuff to do 😅

[CandiceJoergan]

I've followed the career of Hikaru Nakamura since he first he first came on the scene. I remember when he all but disappeared, I suppose when he was in college, and remember being thrilled when he returned. It's almost impossible to believe he is now in his mid thirties, but I'm grateful for all the years of great chess and entertainment he's provided. Thank you Hikaru.

[James_Renz]

What makes Hikaru so interesting is his ability to be so articulate, honest, and objective of himself and the others around him. His ability to do that is better than almost everyone else I have seen.

[andrewr]

I love Hikaru, because not many top in the world, (even all time) share so willingly their thought process and their strategy. He is a people's champion.

[motamot]

So nice to see Hikaru here, he is really well spoken

[mykolaskucinskas]

Hikaru is a great person to have conversation with. He speaks quickly and provides interesting info and insights. Great episode.

[klin]

This is a gem of an interview. Enjoyed every minute of it.

[Crazeyfor]

Lex asked the best questions possible to make this a fantastic interview. And HN answered each question candidly and gave insight into the chess mind.