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Hikaru Nakamura's openings
Chess.com· GM· Rank 1· 🇺🇸·
Hikaru Nakamura's most played openings in 300 recent Chess.com blitz games: Nimzo-Larsen Attack as White (36 games, 100% score); Sicilian Defense as Black (57 games, 95% score).
You vs Hikaru Nakamura: which openings to play
hikaruChess.com
Key findings
As White
Where Hikaru Nakamura scores best
As Black
Where Hikaru Nakamura scores below ratings
Where Hikaru Nakamura scores best
Games
300
Blitz
Score
92%
win = 1, draw = ½
As White
150
95% score
As Black
150
89% score
Rating
3470
Blitz
As White
Score counts a win as 1 and a draw as ½.
OpeningGamesScoreW / D / LAvg oppPerf
36
100%
36/0/0
2885
3285
18
94%
16/2/0
3045
3400
18
94%
17/0/1
2951
3306
15
100%
15/0/0
3001
3401
12
100%
12/0/0
2903
3303
8
94%
7/1/0
2962
3312
7
100%
7/0/0
2972
3372
5
100%
5/0/0
2998
3398
As Black
Score counts a win as 1 and a draw as ½.
OpeningGamesScoreW / D / LAvg oppPerf
57
95%
53/2/2
2893
3250
11
86%
9/1/1
3027
3317
8
94%
7/1/0
2897
3247
8
88%
7/0/1
3084
3384
8
75%
6/0/2
3032
3232
7
100%
7/0/0
2931
3331
5
80%
4/0/1
2884
3124
5
40%
0/4/1
3183
3103
How these numbers work
- Score: a win counts 1 and a draw ½, divided by the games played in that opening.
- Expected score (“ratings predict”): what the Elo formula predicts from both players' ratings in those games. A score more than 5 percentage points above it is green, more than 5 below is red, anything in between is on par.
- Performance (Perf): the average opponent rating + 800 × (score − 50%), a simple linear estimate; the average opponent is shown beside it.
- Sample size: key findings use openings with 5 or more games. How much to trust this score: fewer than 10 games is a small sample and only a hint, 10 to 29 is a medium sample, 30 or more is a solid sample.
- Games: finished Chess.com games, up to 150 as White and 150 as Black, grouped by opening and time control.
Data: Chess.com public API. Hikaru Nakamura on Chess.com
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