The Hikaru Nakamura “rating farming” saga continues. Barely a month after sweeping through the Louisiana and Iowa State Championships, the American super grandmaster has entered yet another regional tournament — the 2025 Maritime Open Chess Championship, held from October 11 to 13 in the Canadian provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
Once again, the world’s number two-rated player is the clear favorite in a field dominated by national masters, FIDE masters, and players rated between 1900 and 2300. The pattern is familiar, the timing deliberate — and the chess world is watching closely.
A Grandmaster Among Locals
The Maritime Open, part of the Maritime Chess Festival, is a 6-round Swiss event featuring two sections: Championship and Challengers. The Championship section, where Hikaru competes, is both FIDE and CFC-rated, offering modest cash prizes — $750 for first place, plus a special “Winner Takes All” $500 prize and the Colpitts Trophy.
Among the 31 confirmed participants, only a handful hold international titles. The top seeds after Hikaru (rated 2874) are IM Mark Plotkin (2470), FM Adam Dorrance (2460), and IM Mike Ivanov (2415). Beneath them, the average rating drops sharply, with most players hovering between 2000 and 2150 — nearly 800 points below Nakamura’s.
For a super GM used to facing Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi, or Ding, this is a drastically different battlefield.
A Familiar Playbook
If this setup feels familiar, that’s because it is. In recent months, Hikaru has adopted a consistent pattern: entering smaller, regional events to accumulate rated games under FIDE’s revised qualification system for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Each win against these opponents nets him +0.8 Elo points — a tiny gain, but a safe one. Over multiple events, those increments add up, while minimizing risk compared to battling other top-10 grandmasters, where a single draw or loss could cost multiple points.
In Louisiana, he scored 7/7.
In Iowa, 5/5.
Now in Maritime, he’s chasing another perfect score.
What looks like an overqualified player taking on amateurs is, in reality, a calculated race against the calendar.
11 Games to Qualify
To be eligible for the Candidates through rating qualification, players must complete 40 FIDE-rated games within the evaluation period.
Before the Maritime event, Hikaru had 29 games — 6 from Louisiana, 5 from Iowa, and previous events earlier in the year.
By joining the Maritime Open, he adds six more rounds, taking him to 29 games, leaving 11 more to go before year’s end.
It’s a pragmatic move.
It’s also, in the eyes of many, an uncomfortable one.
Carlsen Calls It “Absolutely Shameless, But Pragmatic”
Magnus Carlsen, never one to shy from commentary, offered a blunt assessment when asked about Hikaru’s recent tournament choices.
“I kind of admire the way he’s going about it. Because it’s so shameless,” Carlsen said. “A lot of players would have picked tournaments where there’s maybe a couple of IMs. But he just wants to make sure he’s not going to get his 0.8 points from every single game — which is pragmatic. It’s absolutely shameless, but it’s probably the right thing to do.”
The Norwegian admitted he had also played in local leagues to maintain form but joked that doing so “against two GMs and one IM was an incredibly dumb way to farm points.”
In short: Carlsen understands the game — both on the board and off it.
Hikaru Fires Back
Hikaru, meanwhile, has shown little interest in appeasing critics. He addressed the controversy in his own words, citing personal reasons and the chess community’s tendency toward outrage.
“People seem to forget that I have a wife, and she’s pregnant,” Hikaru said. “So I don’t want to be traveling all the time. Playing a bunch of games and getting it out of the way quickly makes sense for me. People will always find something to complain about. That’s just how the chess world works.”
He also took aim at what he called “toxic elitism” in the professional scene:
“All the people I’ve met in person at these tournaments are overjoyed and thrilled. I care a lot more about those people than the toxic, elitist grandmasters of the chess world.”
For Nakamura, these regional tournaments are more than a loophole — they’re also a statement.
The Maritime Mission
The 2025 Maritime Open gives Hikaru a straightforward mission:
Play six games. Win them all. Stay sharp. Get closer to the 40-game threshold for the Candidates.
With live DGT boards broadcasting the top four tables, fans can follow the games on Live Chess Cloud, though few expect surprises. For local Canadian players, the event offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to face a top-five player. For Hikaru, it’s another step in a carefully calculated journey.
The Debate That Won’t End
Hikaru’s presence in another small regional event reignites a debate that’s dominated online forums and comment sections since September:
Should top grandmasters be allowed to qualify for world championship cycles through events where they face opponents hundreds of rating points below them?
The answer depends on perspective.
To fans, it’s entertaining.
To critics, it’s a system flaw.
To Hikaru, it’s simply the rules — and he’s playing by them.
With 29 games logged and 11 to go, expect one or two more state-level or provincial tournaments before the year closes. And if the past few months have shown anything, it’s that Hikaru Nakamura is not done “farming” yet.
I’m the senior editor of Attacking Chess, a keen chess player, rated above 2300 in chess.com. You can challenge me or asking questions at Chess.com.
