CHESS: Nakamura downplays ratings controversy after taking 'Mickey Mouse' route to Candidates

Hikaru Nakamura divided the chess world this year by securing a spot in the Candidates Tournament after dominating lower-tier events—a move the grandmaster defends, insisting any player would have done the same under the circumstances.

The world number two took advantage of a FIDE regulation that awards a Candidates place to the highest-rated eligible player, provided they have played at least 40 FIDE-rated games during the qualification period.

With world number one Magnus Carlsen opting out of the world championship cycle entirely, Nakamura automatically became the highest-rated eligible player and met the activity requirement. He later described his route to the Candidates as a “Mickey Mouse” path to the event that determines the challenger for the world title.

While Nakamura took this unconventional path, his peers competed in elite tournaments such as the World Cup, Grand Swiss, or the year-long FIDE Circuit, fighting for one of the other seven spots at the Candidates.

Nakamura documented his journey on social media, posting videos and photos of his opponents, many of whom were stunned to face a super grandmaster—players rated above 2,700 ELO—at events like the Louisiana State Championship and the Iowa Open.

“The controversy is complete nonsense,” Nakamura told Reuters via a virtual call from the Global Chess League, where he was playing with the Fyers American Gambits.

“Any chess player knows the game. They'll do whatever they can to ensure the optimal outcome, just like they do over the board. I think the vast majority of people did not have an issue with it. I know that any player in my situation would have done the exact same thing.”

Nakamura acknowledged that other players had “gamed the system” in the past, though his strategy drew criticism from FIDE, which introduced a mid-cycle rule intended to prevent elite players from earning points by defeating weaker opponents.

While FIDE described the adjustment as a technical necessity, Nakamura called it a “reactive” measure prompted by negative social media coverage.

“It’s very much motivated by personal views and issues rather than what’s good for the game,” he said. “FIDE is very susceptible to comments on Reddit and Twitter. When policy is dictated by a loud and vocal minority rather than the silent majority, you end up with decisions that aren’t in the best interest of the game.”

“Game the System”

FIDE said the new rule prevents super grandmasters from earning disproportionate points for beating lower-rated club players or International Master-level opponents.

“If a super grandmaster plays dozens of such games annually, it distorts the meaning of the rating system,” FIDE said. “With this in mind, we corrected this anomaly to protect the rating system’s accuracy for the future.”

The organization emphasized that its decisions follow current regulations and are not “knee-jerk reactions to block specific individuals.”

Nakamura said social media outrage was unnecessary but agreed FIDE should consider measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

“Going forward, there probably should not be a rating spot at all, because it’s too easy to game. Chess players will game the system,” he added.

The Candidates Tournament is scheduled to take place from March 28 to April 16 in Cyprus. The winner will face reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh of India.

-Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters