Hans Niemann faced Hikaru Nakamura in the Speed Chess Championship for their 3rd-place matchup. Before the match, Hans had some pretty strong words about Hikaru's age and his ability to play good chess.
Not just that, his "coach, good friend, and mentor" Vladimir Kramnik made some interesting remarks on Hikaru's loss to Alireza as well. And all it did was fuel Nakamura's motivation, as evidenced by his post-match interview.
After both players trading blows in the 5+1 section, with the score being relatively close, Hikaru flipped a switch in the 3+1 and bullet section. It's almost like they weren't even in the same league anymore.
00:00 - Hans' on Hikaru's age
00:34 - Vladimir Kramnik's post
00:38 - Hikaru can't stop groovin'
00:53 - Game 1: Classic Hikaru comeback
02:03 - Game 2: No pieces left, saves the game anyway
03:22 - Game 3: Dead lost position, but it's Hikaru
05:11 - Game 4: Sacs rook with check, literally doesn't care
06:05 - Game 5: Boss mode
06:41 - Game 6: Why he is one of the best defenders in history
07:49 - Game 7: Doing unspeakable things
08:33 - Hikaru's final thoughts
Thanks for watching!
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