Chess: Carlsen’s sarcastic jab when compared with Nakamura live stream figures – ‘I’m a professional chess player and he is a professional streamer’

With over 1.6 million followers on Twitch, Nakamura is one of the top streamers on the platform. He routinely does live streams and according to Twitch Tracker, has an average concurrent viewership of around 10,000.

Magnus Carlsen, CHess, Magnus Carlsen chess, Nakamura, streamer Hikaru Nakamura, Carlsen on streamer Hikaru Nakamura

Carlsen has less than 250,000 followers and although he's been humble about his 'modest' following on the platform compared to other streamers.(Reuters)

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He might be the undisputed king on the board but if his first post of the year is anything to go by, Magnus Carlsen looks determined to extend his dominance beyond the 64 squares.

Chess players are some of the biggest attractions on streaming platforms such as Twitch. Carlsen, the five-time world champion, who recently won his sixth world blitz title, isn’t among the most followed or an avid streamer himself. But the Norwegian signalled his intent by taking on one of the best in the business – American Grand Master and streamer Hikaru Nakamura.

With over 1.6 million followers on Twitch, Nakamura is one of the top streamers on the platform. He routinely does live streams and according to Twitch Tracker, has an average concurrent viewership of around 10,000.

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Carlsen, on the other hand, has less than 250,000 followers and although he’s been humble about his ‘modest’ following on the platform compared to other streamers. During a live stream recently, when a user pointed it out to him, Carlsen played down the comparisons with Nakamura.

“Shouldn’t compare me with Hikaru. I mean, that guy is a full time streamer. If you didn’t know, I’m not even verified on Twitch. How could I possibly have more viewers than him? That’s not a fair competition,” Carlsen said.

He did, however, not bow out before a sarcastic jab. “It’s like when we play in professional chess tournaments, and I’m a professional chess player and he is a professional streamer. Like, that’s not fair.”