Hikaru Nakamura Criticizes Freestyle Chess Las Vegas for Organizational Flaws
Hikaru Nakamura, the world’s #2 chess grandmaster, recently voiced significant concerns about the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas, held from July 16 to 20, 2025. The event, boasting a $750,000 prize fund, aimed to elevate chess as a competitive spectacle but drew criticism not just from Nakamura but from others as well for its handling of the live audience and complex format.
Nakamura, while addressing his online audience, highlighted the live audience during the games as a major distraction, since he noted perpetual gasps and screaming, which undermined the fairness of high-stakes matches. According to the players, the noise-cancelling headset given to them proved to be ineffective. With prizes like $200,000 for first and $100,000 for third, Hikaru emphasised that such an environment was unsuitable for professional play, advocating for audience inclusion only in casual, entertainment-focused events. Notably, Nakamura was denied the ability to listen to music during games and was asked to wear a headset after the first day, adding to his frustration.
The tournament’s convoluted double-elimination format also added to Nakamura’s dissatisfaction, since it came with possibilities of players being forced to have 11-hour playing days, which Fabiano and Pragg demonstrated in their match. Many players struggled to understand the time controls and structure, leading to gruelling playing hours that Nakamura deemed unacceptable due to fatigue impacting game quality.
Fabiano Caruana echoed Nakamura’s sentiments in an interview, politely criticising the event’s organisation. Nakamura called out the organisers for removing the interview from YouTube in an attempt to protect their brand. Even though the interview was made available to be viewed later, such an attempt by the organisers left a bad taste for the fans following the grand slam.
A very similar format with a live audience and commentary is taking place at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, where the players seem to be satisfied with the arrangements made to maintain fair playing conditions. Some players were also seen making use of the somewhat “casual” nature of the competition by listening to music during the games, as the tournament is being played in a 10+0 rapid hybrid format. Let’s see how the saga of chess and live audience unfolds in Riyadh and future Freestyle Chess events!
Photo courtesy: Lennart Ootes
