Hikaru Nakamura says becoming chess Grandmaster has become ‘easier’ now than before: ‘When I was young...’

World No 2 Hikaru Nakamura feels that becoming a Grandmaster in chess has become easier than before due to the changing nature of coaching and access to facilities. Nakamura's comments come a few days after 12-year-old Faustino Oro from Argentina became one of the most high-profile names to join the Grandmaster club.

Amid Faustino Oro missing the chance to become the youngest Grandmaster of all time by two months, Nakamura added that the road to attaining that title hasn't become easy due to a lack of quality competition, but because of the advancement in technology and chess courses.

Nakamura on chess Grandmaster process 

The American Grandmaster Nakamura added that aspiring chess players now have access to better courses, resources and live analysis, which has made improving their game easier.

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“It’s much easier to become a Grandmaster now than it was in my time,” Nakamura said. “People ask if it is harder to become a Grandmaster now.

"Actually, I would say it is easier. The amount of resources available to players today is incomparable to when I was young. If you are really serious, improving now is much easier.

"Back then, you had to play blitz games, download them, load them into ChessBase, use the best engines of that time, and try to analyze everything. Now you play a game and can analyze it immediately. You have Chessable courses, instant preparation, and instant ways to understand your mistakes."

Nakamura, however, also said that while becoming a Grandmaster may have become easier, it still requires "much more" discipline.

So objectively, becoming a Grandmaster is easier now, but it requires much more discipline and much more time. If you are really determined and ready to work hard, becoming a Grandmaster is much easier now than it was in my time.”