TSM signs 5-time US chess champion Hikaru

The youngest American to earn the title of Grandmaster in chess has joined TSM, the organization announced today.

Hikaru Nakamura, one of the best chess players in the U.S. turned Twitch streamer, has seen immense success in his livestreaming career over the last year. His streams have attracted the attention of fellow streamers, while other chess Grandmasters have flocked to Twitch to display their talents. 

“I’m just the best,” Hikaru said in his announcement video. The 32-year old is considered the 18th-best chess player in the world, according to Chess.com. 

Following his success in the chess community, Hikaru moved to Twitch this year. Since then, he’s become the most-watched chess streamer in the category with over 500,000 followers, according to TwitchTracker. 

Hikaru is considered an exceptional ambassador for chess and his ability has garnered the attention of the best Twitch streamers. Earlier this year, Hikaru taught former Overwatch League player xQc how to play chess at a high level. They even went up against each other in an online match. Of course, the matchup ended as expected with Hikaru beating xQc. 

TSM has made an effort to sign some big names on Twitch. Earlier this year, TSM signed variety streamer Greekgodx following his move to the U.S., for example. Hikaru joins AimbotCalvin, Myth, and Gale Adelade on TSM’s stream team.