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Nakamura Continues to Rise… Qualifies for WCC
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GM Hikaru Nakamura is the brightest American star since the great Bobby Fischer. Having broke Fischer's record for achieving the GM title, the 15-year old is continuing his ascent as a top player. His hunger and determination was shown once more at the Pan-American Continental Championships (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Especially impressive were his wins over GMs Gennadi Sagalchik (USA) and Julio Granda-Zuniga (Peru).
GM Alexander Goldin (USA) and GM Giovanni Vescovi (Brazil) shared joint 1st with 8½-2½ while Nakamura placed joint 2nd with five players: GM Ivan Morovic (Chile), GM Alexander Onischuk (USA), IM Pascal Carbonneau (Canada), GM Lázaro Bruzón (Cuba) and GM Yuri Shulman (USA). All scored 8-3 and will qualify to compete in the 2004 FIDE World Chess Championship.
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Nakamura scored impressive wins against Uruguay's IM Bernardo Roselli and Granda-Zuniga which featured a very mature king march from an apparently safe kingside (see moves 31-40). His understanding of piece play was very instructive in this game as he shifted his heavy artillery from one file to another preparing a pending invasion. The results were indeed very effective. Perhaps Nakamura's most impressive game demonstrated his keen understanding of positional nuances and most of all, his tactical alertness. His 23…Rxg3! against Sagalchik started a fusillade of tactics ending in the cute 37…Qxa3+!
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After 23...Rxg3! (diagram), the game continued 24.Nxg3 Bxf4+ 25.Kb1 Bxg3.
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The position after white's 33.Na4-c3 resulted in 33...c4! (diagram) which resulted in...
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34.Rxb5 Bxc3! 35.d6 Qxd6 36.Rxf5 and ending with 36...Rg1+ 37.Ka2 Qxa3+!
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Nakamura's losses were to winner Goldin and GM Igor Novikov, but of course both of these players will begin to look over their shoulders at this young talent. At only 15, he has shown why he is one of the world's strongest juniors and one of the most promising talents groomed in the U.S. in almost 50 years. With a strong support system of both parents (which includes father FM Sunil Weeramantry) and older brother Asuka Nakamura (another talented player), it is only a matter of time until he breaches FIDE's top 100 player list.
Pan-American Continental Tournament website (in Spanish)
Games of Hikaru Nakamura
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