English Chess Forum

This ruck has apparently been going on for a while - I only caught up with it this evening - but if you listen to Eric Hansen a little past the forty-two minute mark you can hear him call Hikaru Nakamura:

The most disliked lead [sic] grandmaster in the world among his peers because of a fifteen year period of being a toxic individual.

He adds:

not only is he the most disliked grandmaster in the world at the top level he's the most disliked by far

and

he's also the the most toxic online player that there's ever been at the top.

What can he mean?

And how many share Hansen's assessment of said individual - even if only semi-publicly?

You do hear on the grapevine that certain players have a "reputation".

(for instance, I have seen it claimed more than once that a certain top - and young - English GM isn't exactly Mr Popular)

Interesting that Nakamuras possible unpopularity with his peers is counterbalanced by being easily the most popular online chess personality.

As for the unpopular English GM - that has stumped me. I thought our "top" 3 "young" players were all very affable and popular.

I didn't name them since it is only whispers, but more than one person has said this.

Though some players fall into the Korchnoi/Miles category - not always easy to get on with, but usually fine as long as you don't upset them.

Outright a***holes do exist, but are thankfully not common.

I am not familiar with all the stories, but it seems that prior to rebranding himself as the friendliest super GM on twitch, there were accusation of extreme arrogance:

* at university, introducing himself as "I was smarter at 10 and achieved more than you'll ever do in your lives" to his room-mates (or something along those lines). Can't find a source anymore, so may be entirely made up.
* supposedly insulting a junior to "resign when lost" when the junior was trying to clock him in a rook endgame. This has been later denied by other people present at the event.
* allegedly a very bad loser, prone to insults/expletives.

So nothing I could find evidence of, but multiple rumours of past obnoxious behaviours. I believe that now at least the streaming viewers look at him very favourably, he is seen as much more approachable and less dismissive of "weak" players (weak ranging from 5 year olds to GMs)

Wadih Khoury wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 09, 2021 6:08 pm

So nothing I could find evidence of, but multiple rumours of past obnoxious behaviours.

As someone on the receiving end, I can say he's the only person I've ever played where the (American) arbiter thought it appropriate to apologise to me for his behaviour once the game was over. That left me wondering why the arbiter didn't at least warn him about his behaviour during the game.

"That left me wondering why the arbiter didn't at least warn him about his behaviour during the game."

Afraid to criticize a GM?"

For anyone unfamiliar with who Eric Hansen is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_1orgmneS0

Nick Burrows wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:47 am

Interesting that Nakamuras possible unpopularity with his peers is counterbalanced by being easily the most popular online chess personality.

As for the unpopular English GM - that has stumped me. I thought our "top" 3 "young" players were all very affable and popular.

What's the reason why he's unpopular amongst his peers. I remember there were issues with etiquette once a time, he he did have a habit of pulling faces at the board but there must be more to it than that.

Nick Burrows wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:47 am

As for the unpopular English GM - that has stumped me. I thought our "top" 3 "young" players were all very affable and popular.

They are.

Naka tried to take a (losing) move back a few years ago, didn't he?

That probably didn't go down well with many of his peers, now that you mention it.

More on the background between these two including a shaky vid of the two of them fighting.

https://www.polygon.com/22373729/chess- ... ontroversy

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:27 pm

Naka tried to take a (losing) move back a few years ago, didn't he?

That probably didn't go down well with many of his peers, now that you mention it.

Yes. Against Aronian.

There was also a double handed castling incident in a play-off game but I forget the details.

These are isolated incidents though. It all sounds rather petty to me. More like handbags at ten paces than anything else. What have the chess playing elite got to complain about anyway. They don't know how good they've got it.

Jonathan Bryant wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:40 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:27 pm

Naka tried to take a (losing) move back a few years ago, didn't he?

That probably didn't go down well with many of his peers, now that you mention it.

Yes. Against Aronian.

There was also a double handed castling incident in a play-off game but I forget the details.

Pete Doggers