Chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura joins Team Falcons

The Saudi esports organization, Team Falconshas announced the signing of the chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Like other teams in the industry, Team Falcons has secured the services of this chess legend ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC), which will be held this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Hikaru will compete in the two Champions Chess Tour (CCT) events to qualify for the EWC. According to the qualification format, only the top 12 players from the CCT will advance to the multi-tournament event. The remaining four places will be determined by a last chance playoff.

Unlike other grandmasters, who have rarely partnered with esports teams, Hikaru is one of the few who has collaborated with organizations in the past. As one of the biggest chess streamers in the industry, North American team TSM signed Hikaru in 2020 with a six-figure contract.

The partnership, however, ended in 2022, and the player inked a deal with Misfits Gaming Group soon after, receiving financial support and content creation resources. By joining Team Falcons, Hikaru is aiming for the EWC title and a share of the $1.5M prize money that will be up for grabs.

Competition will be stiff, as other top GMs and players have joined some of the biggest esports organizations in the industry. France’s Team Vitality signed Maxime “MVL” Vachier-Lagrave, NAVI expanded into chess with the signing of three players – Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So and Oleksandr Bortnyk, Gen.G announced Indian player Arjun Erigaisi, Team Liquid has added four-time US chess champion Fabiano Caruana and chess legend Magnus Carlsen, and LGD Gaming has signed former world champion Ding Liren to compete under its banner.