Hikaru Nakamura GM

Blitz Review for Hikaru Nakamura

What’s working well

• Opening range  —From the hyper-flexible Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack (1 b3) to main-line English Four Knights as Black, you keep opponents guessing and regularly reach playable middlegames with a time edge.
• Practical pressure —Three of your five recent wins (e.g. Magnus Carlsen, Sanan Sjugirov) came by flagging the opponent from roughly equal positions. You are still the best in the world at forcing difficult decisions quickly.
• Tactical alertness —The ​1 … e5 English win versus PursuitOfHappyness2 shows precise calculation; 19…Bh6!? followed by 22…f5 created complications your opponent couldn’t solve.

Recurring risks

• Clock dips in long endgames —The loss to Parham Maghsoodloo reached move 85 with material equality, yet you lost on time. When the position stabilises, consider switching to a simpler plan (e.g. early rook trade on move 44 instead of 44…Kg7) to avoid 50-move scrambles.
• Over-pressing in “sideline” White openings
  In the Bishop’s Opening vs Hans Niemann you played the ambitious 15 Nf5?!–18 Nc7?! and ceded the initiative.
  Critical moment:
  
  
  
  Instead of 18 Nc7?! consider 18.Bd2 (centralises the queen after 18…Nd3+ 19. Kc2).
• Counter-punching vs the English Four Knights —Both the win against Carlsen and the loss to Parhamov followed 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6. The …h6 h5 plan (15…h5 vs Parhamov) is double-edged; if you’re low on time, the calmer 15…Bg4 & …Rad8 keeps pieces coordinated.
• Conversion against resourceful defenders —In the King’s Indian loss to Marco Materia you were better after 23…fxg6 but drifted (36…Rbe8, 40…Ne6). Once up material, simplify first; blitz technique > aesthetics.

Actionable training ideas (blitz-specific)

1. 10-minute “endgame sprints” – Start equal R+P endgames vs Stockfish at 1 s/move handicap; practise converting with 20 seconds total. Goal: keep ≥ 5 seconds while pushing the a-pawn.
2. Pre-move templates – Create mental check-lists for recurring structures (e.g. English Four Knights: …d5 exd4 Re8 template) so you can blitz the first 15 moves and bank time for later.
3. Critical-move depth limit – In unclear blitz positions force yourself to decide after 7 seconds. Review the game and rate if the extra think was worth it; most aren’t.
4. Weekly “no-sidelines” session – Play a Titled Tuesday exclusively with mainline 1 e4/1 …e5 & 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6. The reduced surprise value is offset by cleaner positions that convert faster.

Micro-opening tweaks to test

Final thought

You’re still winning the majority on the clock. Sharpening a few end-game kill-switches and tightening the English Four Knights repertoire should turn those stray time-losses back into routine points. Good luck in the next Titled Tuesday!