Hikaru Nakamura shared his opinion on Hans Moke Niemann’s recent play style. Hikaru notes that Hans often tries to play for a win from a worse position, and cites the game Niemann vs. Mukhiddin Madaminov from UzChess Cup 2026 as an example.

Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura

American GM, streamer

“One thing that I’ve noticed in some of his recent games is that more frequently than not, he has positions where there he’s maybe a little bit worse, but it should be a draw. And he chooses not to make the draw. Instead, he chooses to try and play for the win from a worse position…

He did this in the UzChess Cup recently against Mukhiddin Madaminov in the last round in a game where he was definitely worse. He tried to play for more.

He ended up being rewarded as the game ended in a draw, but he was losing it multiple times throughout that game.”

In a game against the winner of UzChess Cup 2026, Mukhiddin Madaminov, Niemann made a draw after two mistakes from Madaminov. Niemann finished the tournament in 7th place, losing 10.8 points in Classical. In 2026, Hans moved up to 19th place in the world rankings and gained +5 points.

Credit: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE