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7h ago

Nakamura Sweeps Iowa Open as He Pursues Candidates Spot Through State Events

The world No. 2 is pursuing the rating route under FIDE’s 40-game rule, a tactic that has prompted peer pushback.

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World No. 2-ranked chess player Hikaru Nakamura, right, walks 15-year-old Anjaneya Rao of Aurora through the various moves they made during a chess match in Iowa on Saturday. Anjaneya lost to Nakamura in 33 moves. (Gregory Royal Pratt/Chicago Tribune)

Overview

  • Hikaru Nakamura scored a perfect 5/5 to win the 70th Iowa Open in Iowa City, adding five FIDE-rated classical games under a G/90+30 time control.
  • He entered at 2807 and faced a field with large rating gaps, including a round against 2147-rated Anjaneya Rao, as the event doubled as a local showcase for fans and juniors.
  • With Iowa completed, Nakamura has 23 classical games in 2025 and remains 17 short of the 40 required between February 2025 and January 2026 to be eligible for the rating spot.
  • He is skipping the Grand Swiss and World Cup in favor of smaller state tournaments and has indicated he will play more such events to meet the games threshold.
  • Reporting portrays him as the frontrunner for the rating berth with a 20+ point edge over rivals like R. Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, even as Hans Niemann publicly criticized the approach and Nakamura said the games demand a different, challenging mindset.