TSM have certainly had a very busy last few months. Between its Valorant team, who have run rampant in the Ignition Series, and its League of Legends side, which has a chance to qualify for Worlds, the organisation originally founded by Andy "Reginald" Dinh must hardly know where to look. However, TSM never rests on its laurels, and is always looking for new innovative areas of investment, some of which would surprise even the most experienced esports insiders. TSM has decided to break more new ground by welcoming a chess champion to their streaming roster.
An impressive pedigree
Hikaru Nakamura is what you might call a prodigy. This Japanese-American is a 5-time US Chess Champion (2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2019). He has held the title of Grandmaster since 2003, which is only awarded to players who fulfil a strict range of criteria, such as having an extremely high ELO ranking and achieving notable results at elite tournaments. Nakamura is the youngest American in history to receive Grandmaster status and is currently ranked 18th globally according to his ELO rating. Nakamura actively streams on Twitch and is sure to receive a considerable boost in exposure from joining TSM.
Hikaru Nakamura began streaming on Twitch in 2020 and has become the most followed chess streamer on the platform, with more than 500,000 users currently following his channel. This pickup feels like a win-win both for player and organisation, who feature some of the biggest streamers on Twitch in their ranks, such as Myth, AimbotCalvin, Gale Adelade, and Brian "TheOddOne" Wyllie.
FaZe Clan has welcomed a new member: Ben Simmons. The Australian NBA star joins the American gaming organization to play a role in the behind-the-scenes action.
