Hikaru Nakamura

American GM, streamer

“What can I say about all the drama that’s going on between these two players? Some people would say it’s good for chess, some would say it’s bad for chess.

It feels like it added a certain oomph to the tournament and the specific match at the end. So, it’s probably something that a lot of people like.

At any rate, this is a fantastic victory for Nepo after he felt slighted in a recent match in Serbia. He really does show how strong he is. He shows great prep.

Of course, Hans also showed great prep, and this game should have been a draw of perfect play. But nonetheless, Nepo blitzes out 40 plus moves. Hans slips on a banana peel, makes one slight error, and that’s all it takes in order to get crushed and blown off the board by Nepo…

For Nepo going to tomorrow’s round, he has an outside chance to potentially win this UzChess tournament. But I think, regardless of result, he’s going to be very, very happy with today’s victory.

For Hans, he’s going to be steaming. Probably will put out some angry tweets about this game.

But at any rate, a fantastic result for Nepo. For Hans, he’ll have to focus on the next chance to win a big tournament.”