My Chess Origin Story: Winning Against US Chess Champion, Hikaru Nakamura
And the Unexpected Controversy 10+ Years Later
I learned to play chess in 2006 from my larger than life teacher, Richard Gil Martin. I taught chess in a preschool for 10 years, then started two chess companies, based on a curriculum I wrote. Story Time Chess won People’s Choice Toy of the Year in 2021 and 2025 from the Toy Association.
Chess has been my giving tree and this is a story I’ve wanted to tell for a long time. The day I beat one of the best chess players of all time, Hikaru Nakamura.
August - 2009
A grandmaster, disguised in an Amp Energy Drink costume, entered the chess circle of Washington Square Park seeking opponents.
This promotional stunt was part of the larger “Amp Vs Everything” campaign.
The Amp Energy Drink started playing people 1-1 in chess and won all their games.
Then Amp started playing three players simultaneously, or a three person ‘simul', and won all the games. Whoever Amp was, they were strong.
I arrived when the Amp’s handlers were organizing a ten-person simul. Amp wanted to play ten players at once and I was tapped to be one.
The simul works like this: Ten players sit in a row. Amp makes a move on the first board, then the second, and so on. After moving on board 10, they start over and make their second move at board 1.
It gets interesting when Amp starts beating people, which they did quickly. Soon, only seven people are left in the simul and Amp is coming to your board more frequently, putting pressure on you to make moves faster.
I was told I’d get $50 if I won. Sure, let’s have some fun.
The Game
I was fortunate for Amp to play my favorite opening, the Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation, and Yugoslav Attack.
Playing the first 15 moves of this game felt like reciting my phone number; I’d done it hundreds of times. The result was an attacking position I was comfortable with and suited my aggressive playing style.
Soon, only five games remained and I was one of them. A small crowd gathered around my board.
The Move
This is the endgame position. The material was even, each side had four pawns, a minor piece, and a rook.
I spotted a move that simplified the game, sealing Amp’s fate.
Here’s that same position in lichess.org. What would you play to beat ‘the man in the can?’
The move I played, Rg7, isn’t the best but it wins quickly and clearly.
Why is Rg7 good? For one it forks black’s f7 and h7 pawns. Black can’t defend them both.
But, wait! Isn’t Rg7 a blunder? Black can take the rook with his dark-squared bishop! That’s a bad trade for white. A bishop is worth 3 points and a rook is worth 5.
But, these were just the two first moves of a nine move combination.
Black’s bishop takes my rook, then my pawn recaptures, threatening to turn into a queen. Black must retreat their rook to d8, so the pawn can’t queen.
What’s next? The pawn queens on g8 and the rook captures.
What have I done? I’ve given up my best piece, my rook, and my furthest pawn. For what? Can you spot the last trick that ends the game?
Nf6+. It’s another fork that forces the king to move and wins the rook on g8. This nine-move combination won me a bishop for a pawn. The entire combination looks like this.
I moved Rg7, Amp took right away, and the combination happened as planned.
Amp resigned a few moves later, and I was the first of two players to beat the can.
I won $50 and took my girlfriend to Corner Bistro.
In Washington Square Park, I’m known still known as “The Man that Beat the Can.”
The Man in the Can? My Hunch, Hikaru Nakamura
For years, I didn’t know who Amp was.
One day, an idea hit me. Costumes can cover a lot. But what can’t a costume cover? Mannerisms. Every chess player has them. Not what chess pieces they move, but how they move them.
Look at that pinky on Amp!
What if I could find a US Grandmaster that moved pieces in a similarly? Enter, Hikaru Nakamura.
The similar pinky flex and Hikaru’s later involvement with Red Bull convinced me he was the man in the can.
What’s the big deal about beating Hikaru Nakamura?
I’m a huge fan of Hikaru Nakamura. He’s one of the greatest blitz chess players ever. He’s also won the US Chess Championship five times.
Who am I? I’m nobody. I’m a 1700 level chess player who taught chess in a preschool. The disparity between our levels is vast.
I asked ChatGPT the odds of a 1700 level chess player beating Hikaru Nakamura in a simul game. The straight-up answer is a 0.2% chance of victory, which could go as high as 2% due to the simul.
This game wasn’t David vs Goliath. It was David vs Goliath if David was blindfolded with noise-cancelling headphones.
If I played Hikaru 100 more games, I’d lose every one. On the best days, according to ChatGPT, I could win 1 of 50.
Explanations for my win, the familiar opening and seeing a 9-move combination don’t help this story make sense.
If it weren’t all on video, I might not believe it either, but here it is.
Hikaru Doesn’t Acknowledge/Remember the Win
Hikaru Nakamura is now one of the biggest chess streamers on YouTube.
In 2021, Hikaru watched the Amp video and confirmed he was the man in the can.
Here’s Hikaru’s reaction to his resignation to me on video.
“The one game I lost, I remember this quite well, I’ll talk about the game afterwards, I did lose one of these games, I won all the other games…the one I lost was against a good friend of mine Matthew Herman.”
“I don’t recall if I lost a second game.”
He reviews the opening in the 2nd game he lost.
Hikaru’s video was posted 12 years after the original. It’s possible Hikaru doesn’t remember if our game even happened. He was wearing a foam costume on a hot August day, I can’t image that’s great for your memory.
This is the explanation I accept today. In 2009, I played one of my best games against Hikaru Nakamura and won. But after the game, Hikaru immediately forgot it.
I’m exceedingly okay with that. I’m still a huge fan of Naka and $50 is $50.