Work Text:
“Why don’t you play chess?” Hikaru reads aloud.
It’s a chatter, because of course it is, and Hikaru rolls his eyes and pauses his current Final Fantasy run to turn and stare directly into the pinhole of his web camera. “Look, guys, I know you really want to see me go up against MoistCritical or someone and get mated in like, under six moves on stream, but that’s just not happening. Unlike some people, I’m actually kinda good at chess.”
Predictably, chat begins going off with a slew of emotes, first :KEKW, then :monkaHmm. A few comments flash across his screen with LMAO hes scared or lies lies lies and Hikaru sighs, exiting the game to pull up a browser. “No, really. I’ve played my boyfriend over the board before, and obviously he crushes me every time, but he’s also said I’m decent. I’m not super interested in chess, though, which is pretty ironic.”
As always when he brings up his boyfriend, the outpouring of comments switch to a flood of blushing green frogs. Even so, there’s some question marks interspersed here and there, and then a donation that pops up. you have a boyfriend? since when??
“Yeah, you must be new.” Hikaru says lightly. “I’ve talked about him on stream a bit—he’s a chess grandmaster. Pretty weird, right? I mean, I probably can’t judge.” The last bit of that sentence is rambled out, mostly to himself, but also because voicing his thoughts is the easiest way to keep his viewers occupied when there’s no action happening on screen. “There’s even this Twitter account, I think, which is called ‘days until I reach GM and challenge Hikaru’s boyfriend’ or something. We can link that, right?”
Someone does.
Hikaru clicks on it, peering at the text. Then he snorts and brings a hand up over his mouth. “That’s… definitely not it. We’ll still check this one out, though, ‘cause I’m interested and I’ve never seen it before.”
twitter.co/Nh19MrL86fC
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
Everything we know about Hikaru’s chess grandmaster boyfriend: A Thread (1/8)
6.4k views | 367 retweets | 1.0k likes
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
First and foremost, he’s a chess grandmaster. That means he is a chess player who has been awarded that title by the International Chess Federation, and holds the highest title that a chess player can obtain.
Ergo, he’s really good at chess. (2/8)
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
It should be noted that Hikaru mentions during his Bloodborne speedrun that his bf is a grandmaster for WORK. This suggests he is either good enough to earn a living from chess alone, ie., a professional player, or does something else within the realm of professional chess.
Let’s assume the former. Currently, there are 971 active male grandmasters in the world, 101 of whom are American. (3/8)
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
In a Rainbow Six Siege VOD from three years ago, Hikaru states that they first met in 2014, during the 41st Chess Olympiad in Norway.
Source: twitch.tv/hikaru/clips-48TYWN (4/8)
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
However, he has also contradicted this by saying that he and his bf have known each other since 2009.
Source: youtube.com/twitchhikaru/q94VCtl10 (5/8)
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
Some other facts: Hikaru’s bf’s favourite alcohol is whiskey. He’s taller than Hikaru, or at least 5’7”. And he has brown hair. But Hikaru is also possibly colourblind, so this may be taken with a grain of salt. (6/8)
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
Additionally, Hikaru’s coffee machine was a gift from his bf for Valentine’s Day last year. The ring he always wears on his left hand was also bought by the bf. However, they do not currently live together. (7/8)
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Aug 15
→ replying to @nikaruhakamura
Either way, apart from what Hikaru has chosen to reveal about his life so far, his bf’s identity is not part of it. (8/8)
The first half of the thread is pretty accurate, but by the last few tweets Hikaru’s just brushing over them and shaking his head in bemusement. “Over a thousand people liked this, thinking I’m colourblind? Guys, I literally did the test on stream last December. At least most of the other stuff is right. I mean, they provided links so you can check, but I did meet my partner in 2009. We just didn’t know each other very well until we reconnected several years later.”
He reaches past the screen, retrieving a cup of coffee from his desk, and takes a long sip before continuing. “Anyways, I’ve gotten off track. We were… uh, right. The chess website. I might just put it into Google, see what shows up.”
What does show up is Chess.com, which is also one of the funniest domain names he’s ever come across. He does need to create an account, though, so Hikaru switches to his other monitor to set up a profile. His own name is already taken, and chat’s suggestions are by and large unhelpful apart from the one commenter who suggests Bongkaru, which he immediately yoinks upon seeing.
The queue matches him with an opponent fairly quickly. It’s a bit of a struggle at first; Hikaru doesn’t quite remember what each piece does, and accidentally calls the rooks ‘towers’ once or twice as chat calls him out—but soon he gets the hang of it and all of a sudden the setup on the white side looks vaguely familiar. Probably something Magnus had tried to teach him during one of their game nights, before too much alcohol was spilled or downed and Hikaru inevitably tried to flip the board.
“No, he didn’t teach me much,” Hikaru tells the more skeptical of his audience. “It’s kinda funny. I don’t know if you experience this with your partners, but he’s always so, so competitive when we play together. And so unnecessary about it too. I think he just likes the feeling of winning over me.”
The entire left side of his screen turns into a wall of hysteria, text now flying past so quickly it’s near impossible to read. It takes him another moment to understand. “Right,” Hikaru deadpans. “I forgot that you’re all single and forlorn. My bad, guys.”
Whoever he’s facing on chess™ isn’t doing a particularly good job. One of his knights hops over their pawns and starts wreaking havoc on the backline, something that Hikaru begins describing in game terms for the less attentive watching his stream. The bishops become supports, the rooks tanks, and the queen the DPS.
He can’t decide what to deem the king, though, so he leaves that up to chat—a topic they’re still arguing over when he manages to checkmate the other user. Hikaru blinks at the victory icon that’s popped up in the middle of the page and takes another sip of coffee. “Well, that was easy. And my little number went up. Is that, like, what I’m rated?”
Yes, chat chimes in. A few people say no, but their messages are succinctly ignored.
“So I’m on the same level as 800 other people?” Hikaru mutters. “Or- whatever. I don’t get how it works. We’ll play a little more, I guess, see what the hype is about.”
In the end, he finds himself enjoying his foray into online chess more than he thought he would. It’s easier than playing against Magnus, which is expected, but it’s also much more relaxing. There’s something nearly mechanical about how the pieces move around, and Hikaru can work with that. Mechanics are his thing, even if strategy isn’t. He beats his next three matches without breaking much of a sweat, and it’s not until the fourth that another dono catches his attention.
What’s your bf rated?
“Oh.” Hikaru shrugs. “I’m pretty sure he’s about 2900. Maybe a little lower now? I mean, I remember us celebrating it, but that was quite a while ago.”
Chat explodes. He doesn’t even see it at first, still trying to figure out what move to play next, but once Hikaru does he leans back from the screen, eyes going wide. “Whoa. Guys, I can’t figure out what you’re saying with all the emotes.”
Had he misremembered Magnus’ rating? It’s the same group of people spamming—the rest of chat seem just confused as he is, and after another few seconds or so the mods begin automatically timing them out.
“Um,” Hikaru says nervously, then slips and clicks the wrong square by accident. “Fuck! I mean, frick. I didn't say that. We might have just screwed up this round. That’s about to be our first loss.”
But he’s too distracted to keep focusing on the board anymore. Hikaru worries at his lower lip for several seconds before glancing at stream again. It’s largely an inundation of what just happened’s and GGs washed, except for when it’s not—and is, rather, a barrage of increasingly disbelieving speculations about the veracity of his love life. He spares a brief thought to whether or not it would be better to just pretend he hadn’t seen them. Except he doesn’t really want to let the conspiracy theories start brewing, so Hikaru takes another sip from his cup, trying to project nonchalance, and just picks one out.
The question looks fairly innocuous, at least. “To the chatter asking if it’s, uh, chess-dot-com rating, that’s a no. It’s the other thing. FIDE, I think.”
Instead of calming down, however, the chatter types, Magnus Carlsen???
Hikaru spills the coffee all over himself.
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Entertainment
Pop Crave ✓ @PopCrave · Sep 7
Twitch streamer Hikaru Nakamura accidentally reveals long-term partner to be 4-time world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen.
twitch.tv/hikaru/clips-48TYWN
986k views | 4.1k retweets | 32k likes
Pokimane ✓ @pokimanelol · Sep 7
→ replying to @PopCrave
hikaru!!!
Anish Giri ✓ @anishgiri · Sep 7
→ replying to @PopCrave
Does this mean we’re getting Magnus on the next edition of PogChamps? 👀🔥
GothamChess ✓ @GothamChess · Sep 7
→ replying to @PopCrave
My favourite Call of Duty youtuber, and a random Norwegian guy.
Trending — Hikaru
days until I reach GM and challenge Hikaru’s bf @Yo716839 · Sep 7
NOOOOOO
254k views | 896 retweets | 17.3k likes
naka updates - fan acc @nikaruhakamura · Sep 7
Everything we know about Hikaru’s chess grandmaster boyfriend Pt. 2:
He is quite possibly Magnus Carlsen.
34k views | 573 retweets | 6.1k likes
ella @queenyelin · Sep 7
wait so hikaru's bf is actually really good at chess right
1.0k views | 23 retweets | 95 likes
the Pawnisher @legalizecaruana · Sep 7
→ replying to @queenyelin
if by really good you mean one of, if not the best chess player of all time, then yes
Ziz 🇲🇦🇸🇪 @mihailmah0n · Sep 7
→ replying to @queenyelin @legalizecaruana
No way it’s actually Carlsen. Hikaru prolly meant to say 1900
the Pawnisher @legalizecaruana · Sep 7
→ replying to @queenyelin @legalizecaruana @mihailmah0n
you have to be 2500 or more to be a GM though
reyna main @damarisvalorant · Sep 8
→ replying to @queenyelin
honestly as long as he’s treating Hikaru right idgaf how good he is at moving little wood pieces around a checkerboard
キヨコ @remiwolff_ · Sep 8
no offence to anyone in particular but why would you willingly date a chess grandmaster
3.4k views | 37 retweets | 191 likes
chai @coffeecremer · Sep 8
→ replying to @remiwolff_
to be fair though I just looked him up and I can understand where our boy is coming from
Tommy @blackzoth1 · Sep 8
→ replying to @remiwolff_
Why would Magnus Carlsen date a fucking twitch streamer is the better question
I literally care @oreomoreos · Sep 8
→ replying to @remiwolff_ @blackzoth1
why not
Tommy @blackzoth1 · Sep 8
→ replying to @remiwolff_ @blackzoth1 @oreomoreos
Literally the only person in history to reach a 2882 rating? To get over 2900 in rapid and blitz? The guy who drew Kasparov when he was 13 years old?
filthy casual @cs3nikki · Sep 8
→ replying to @remiwolff_ @blackzoth1 @oreomoreos
ngl the twitch streamer is kinda cute, I’d date him too
Hika’s biggest simp @casablancascurse · Sep 8
This can’t be real 💔 someone please tell me its fake news
262 views | 5 retweets | 19 likes
sunshine @sunshine_kia · 22 hr
→ replying to @casablancascurse
sorry babe it’s definitely real, even the redditors are getting into it
Hika’s biggest simp @casablancascurse · 22 hr
→ replying to @casablancascurse @sunshine_kia
the what now 😭
sunshine @sunshine_kia · 22 hr
→ replying to @casablancascurse @sunshine_kia
reddit.com/chess/13wrDTCL78
r/chess · 1 day ago
posted by Oncroissant
(This post has been locked)
Magnus’ relationship?
Multiple social media accounts and news outlets are currently reporting that Magnus is dating the Japanese-American content creator and variety gaming streamer known as TwitchHikaru. Even Anish and GothamChess seem to be playing into the joke on Twitter.
As the most well-known figure of the chess world right now, I think we’re all aware that Magnus tends to drive a lot of clicks whenever his name is mentioned.
But this is a step too far. Putting aside the issue of prying into super GMs’ private lives, how is it possible for all these journalists to report on something completely unfounded, that is basically nothing more than a rumour?
2,134 upvotes | 354 comments
u/Acceptable-Dragonfly4759 · 1 day ago
| Magnus is dating
Is Magnus aware of this?
u/theHbomb · 1 day ago
yooo Hikaru mention on r/chess, the two spheres of my life have finally overlapped
u/chessicarabbit · 1 day ago
I think a lot of the comments here haven’t really done any digging into why, exactly, this is something that is being reported, and are interpreting OP’s post the wrong way. I’d like to address a few of these misconceptions.
1. TwitchHikaru claims to be in a relationship with Magnus Carlsen.
Hikaru did not claim he was in a relationship with any specific person. He has claimed since 2016 that he is dating someone who is a GM, but never revealed their name. This twitch.tv/hikaru/clips-WS13TF is what caused people to start speculating it was Magnus.
2. Anish and Levy’s tweets.
They’re just riding the virality train. It’s not serious.
3. There is no way that TwitchHikaru is actually dating Magnus.
Until one of them confirms or denies it, we don’t know for certain. However, to all the incredibly harsh naysayers, I’d like to point out that some of the conspiracy theories this sub has been peddling for a while, such as Disney Carlsen, do actually line up with this.
u/doubledisambish0p · 1 day ago
→ replying to u/chessicarabbit
…Ok I’ll bite. What is ‘Disney Carlsen’?
u/caruanavirus · 1 day ago
→ replying to u/doubledisambish0p
the theory that Magnus really likes disneyland, which is why he is spotted in Florida almost every year before the world rapid and blitz championships (and also why he has been skipping the LCC)
however the new context here is that Hikaru lives in Florida, and his birthday is in early december and Magnus’ late november, so it would sort of make sense.
u/doubledisambish0p · 1 day ago
→ replying to u/caruanavirus
That’s wild lmao.
“It’s so bad,” Hikaru wails into his pillow. “I thought that chess-dot-com was the official thing, and then I remembered you mentioning FIDE and I got them mixed up when I was trying to backtrack and now literally everyone knows!”
Magnus suppresses a laugh. “It’s not actually that big of a deal.”
They’d been planning on making an official announcement soon anyways. It was coming up on their five-year anniversary, and even his team’s media statements had already long been prepped. Plus, it would be nice to finally stop hiding their relationship from the public—bring Hikaru alongside him to tournaments, see Hikaru cheer in person and celebrate with one another when he won.
The thought that he’d be able to do so in a future that was so much nearer now sends a bolt of warmth through him. Magnus rolls over to the other side of the bed, discarding his phone in lieu of bringing an arm around Hikaru’s waist to tug the smaller man close.
Aghast, Hikaru swivels around and gives him a look of utter betrayal. It’s not very effective, especially with the way his hair’s sticking up in all directions from the static of the pillowcase like an angry black ball of fluff, and this time Magnus really can’t stop from breaking down into stitches at the sight.
Hikaru grabs the pillow and whacks him with it. “Stop laughing!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Magnus says, grinning, and presses a kiss to Hikaru’s forehead. “It’s just- you look very funny when you’re trying to be serious and upset at the same time.”
“I am upset,” Hikaru protests half-heartedly.
Even after all these years he still smells the same as when they first started dating—shampoo and spearmint and that hint of a light coffee roast that never quite seems to leave, a scent so comforting and familiar that Magnus’ care over how they’re going to handle the rest of the fallout completely fades away.
He gives Hikaru a little squeeze. “It really doesn’t matter, okay? We’ll just release everything that was written up, I’ll make an official post, and you can go back to streaming and get like seventy-thousand viewers while doing a question panel or something.”
A pair of dark eyes flicker up to stare at him. “…Only seventy-thousand?”
Magnus huffs. “Whatever number you want.”
“Nah, you’re probably right.” Hikaru says after a moment. Then he groans. “That’s not the point, though. The point is that we were supposed to do this whole thing properly, the way it was all planned out, and I’m the one who had to go on stream and fuck up everything like an idiot because I couldn’t keep my dumb mouth shut.”
“Hikaru,” Magnus says.
“Don’t even. I’m right.”
“You didn’t know how the elo system works. It’s not your fault.”
“No-” Hikaru begins again, then stops himself. “Wait. Wait, you could’ve just told me that you were the only player in the world rated that high.”
Oh. He definitely should have. Magnus freezes. “I didn’t want to brag?”
“That is one of the worst lies I have ever heard.” Hikaru declares. “I still remember the first time you tried using a pick-up line on me when I was visiting Tromsø with my stepfather. Literally, ‘I bet no one else in this room is a world champion’.”
“It wasn’t great,” he concedes.
“It wasn’t even true!” Hikaru says, but now he’s laughing as well, the sound of it bright and teasing and knocking something loose in Magnus’ chest. “Your friends called you out immediately.”
“They did no such thing,” Magnus lies.
“They definitely did.”
He flicks the shell of Hikaru’s ear and watches indulgently as a coral-red dusting creeps over the other man’s skin. “Okay, then. We can share the blame. Eighty-twenty?”
“Eighty-” Hikaru looks away, switching to Japanese to mutter something under his breath in disbelief.
“What?” Magnus says blandly. “Would you prefer something else?”
“I’d prefer a more supportive boyfriend,” Hikaru complains. He buries his face into the crook of Magnus’ neck, and even though there’s no real heat in his voice it does give Magnus an idea. He searches the bed with one arm and manages to find his phone tangled between the folds of the duvet, unlocking it and opening up the Twitter app.
There are too many screenshots of plane tickets and tournament itineraries in his camera roll, and even a number of candid snaps he’d managed to sneak of Hikaru—cradling a porcelain mug in the early morning and curled up over his laptop late at night, the sleep-softened line of his shoulders on top of white sheets.
But only several contain the two of them, together.
Magnus scrolls through the options. Eventually he settles on a photo that looks like it was taken in New York a few months ago, down under Brooklyn Bridge, himself smiling at the camera and Hikaru flashing a peace sign beside him, their hands intertwined in the middle in a lover’s knot.
Hikaru lifts his head. “What are you doing?”
“You’ll like it,” Magnus promises.
Magnus Carlsen ✓ @MagnusCarlsen · 17 hr
Five years later. Haven’t blundered you yet.
pic./u37dn…
1.1m views | 17.5k retweets | 84.6k likes
hikaru ✓ @twitchhikaru · 17 hr
→ replying to @MagnusCarlsen
oh my god