German GM Niclas Huschenbeth will no longer be working on Hikaru Nakamura’s team in 2026 and will not be seconding him before and during the FIDE Candidates Tournament. Niclas commented on Nakamura’s withdrawal in the Sunday chess talk show hosted by Michael Busse and Jonathan Carlstedt on January 4.

Niclas Huschenbeth urgently reached out to World Championship Candidate Matthias Blübaum due to the sudden removal from Hikaru’s team. Niclas is currently awaiting Blübaum’s response, as Matthias has already formed his team for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

German GM Niclas Huschenbeth (2587) and American GM Hikaru Nakamura (2810) met and began their cooperation in 2018 on the Isle of Man. For the 2022 Candidates Tournament, Niclas was responsible for Hikaru Nakamura’s play with the white pieces.

Credit: Lennart Ootes