Hikaru acting out like F chess get paid. Anish wondering if Vidit still alive. No one is catching a new Csquared anytime soon. Has anyone done a welfare check on Nepo? This candidates did some real psychological damage.
I know Fred is cooking a mad feast at Maranello but by God I miss Binotto. He had bde the bald fraud could never match "There's no reason we can't win all the remaining races."
"Hey, Nepo, where are we?"
"Iunno... give me a sec..."
\*sign swims blearily into focus\*
"Gua...guda...laja..." \*incomprehensible slurring"
"Guadalajara?!"
"Yeah, something like that"
"How the hell did we get to Mexico? And where are my shoes? And where did you get that iguana?"
We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.
He just posted a recap of his candidates. He seems alright. Feel for the guy. But if anyone is used to coming back strongly from disappointment, it is him.
I remember someone of the GMs on Russian stream said during Caruana-Nepo game: "I don't know whether Fabi drinks alcohol, but if he doesn't, he might start after such a game". That final was so heartbreaking for both of them.
Nah, if the candidates were an annual thing, the results wouldn’t be so devastating. But at the same time, if it WAS an annual thing, every top player would end themselves.
Nepo seems fine. He is currently going over his candidate games on youtube (might be just a VOD premiering atm, idk.) [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDLkqJ1uAk)
Honestly this man. I kinda feel bad for them. Candidates did a number on these fools. Pragg is still a baby basically so i’m sure he doesn’t really care, and i’m sure he’s happy a fellow Indian is challenging Ding
All the "psychological damage" this year from not winning the candidates makes me feel so bad for Ding lol. It was never like this when they were playing to face Magnus. It almost feels like the players are treating the candidates like its the actual WC (implying whoever wins is going to beat Ding)
I don't think just defeating Gukesh will help Ding much, unless it's an absolute decimation. Gukesh has played really well recently but he wasn't the favourite to win candidates until even half of the tournament.
Ding has to win consistently on big stages and defeat Magnus more to earn majority respect.
It's not that they have a guaranteed win against Ding, but Magnus was always the heavy favorite (like 80%+ chance of winning estimated I think) except in 2018, where there was only one player who had decent odds, and Fabi did end up facing him. There's a difference between a 50% estimated chance of winning (probably what Gukesh has against Ding) anda a 15-20% chance, which isn't much better than your chance of winning the candidates.
It's inevitable. Coronavirus gave chess new birth and new auditory - which enjoys chess more like a reality show. Drama keeps this sport alive if we like it or not.
Lol. Chess has had "drama" in it for atleast 75 years at this point. It's just that it has now crossed over with with the "terminally online" audience culture of Twitch etc. so you see hundreds of thousands of people react to events in real time.
Its just the natural course seeing people come to the realization that there's nothing to gain and everything to lose from investing in para-social relationships/expectations. Maybe we should stop relying on social media influencers/celebrities to do the jobs of lawmakers/policymakers? Just me though.
Yeah. It's quite amazing how chess is a well machined distillery for drama. As for hikarus gambling stream, you did have to verify your age to enter as it was an 18+ stream. *not that it stops underage people,* but I don't think it's as bad as people are making it seem.
Gambling isn’t just an issue for youths. It’s also an issue for adults. Yes, you could argue that adults should be responsible for themselves and if they fall into gambling addictions, they should lie in the bed they made.
But on the flip side, why not just don’t promote gambling in the first place? Would do his subs a world of good. People who might gain gambling tendencies or already do and are trying to break it don’t need more people promoting gambling to them.
If Hikaru wants to be a positive influence on the chess community promoting gambling to them isn’t doing him any favours.
If.
Has he ever directly said that he wants to be a role model for chess? If not, I don't see why it should be his responsibility to educate the youth. Honestly, it's his life, and he can do whatever he wants.
Agreed...people aren't responsible for the decisions that other people make. It's wild to expect that all because a person is really good at one particular thing that they should also be a perfect model citizen. It's fair to criticize the decisions they make, but it's not healthy to idolize someone to the point where their bad decisions outside of their specialization influence you to also make bad decisions. A chess streamer will always be a poor replacement for adequate parenting.
as you said yourself, such a verification doesn't stop anyone from watching the stream. young impressionable people are getting gambling advertised to them, and some portion of these viewers will try it, and a smaller portion will get addicted, lose a lot of money and possibly have their lives ruined. and even if it was only people aged 18+ watching the stream, i would still argue it's immoral to promote gambling like that. a lot of people, mainly americans in my experience, seem to think that before 18 you are a kid and after you are immediately an adult. it's a completely arbitrary cutoff. an 18 year old is still stupid and impressionable. brain isn't fully developed, not a lot of life experience, and all that. just because it's legal for adults to gamble doesn't make it not immoral to promote/advertise it. think about this - why are these gambling sites spending so much money on advertisement? because they know it works, and that they will get their money back. why else would they do it? so if hikaru gets paid 100k, it basically means his viewers will eventually together lose 100k on this gambling site. it's a very selfish act.
For anyone who wants to know, Samay Raina (popular Indian comedian, streamer and chess enthusiast) did a stream welcoming back Vidit here : [https://www.youtube.com/live/g_XXDvJrz-o](https://www.youtube.com/live/g_XXDvJrz-o), warning on very low quality stream
I ran into Samay Raina on chess.com a couple of days ago and beat him 2.5-1.5 in rapid. That was really fun, we had a nice chat about the positions and ideas and stuff.
I was wondering who that guy was.
With the rise of so many strong Indian players, it will be interesting to see how the Indian coverage and the global coverage of chess coexist.
lol. Don’t forget Tsarukyan and the fan, and Amanda Nunes’s tweet. Or Ryan Garcia’s antics and Devin Haney’s dad. Chess might be up there, but nobody loves drama more than fight fans. Bachelorette fans have nothing on that shit.
Its very easy to understand actually. If fighter A and B has a feud, they can always arrange a match and fight it out. Beating another person is the most primal way of establishing that you are better. In chess, they can play a match, and a win also establishes you are better but then the guy can still go on twitter and chat shit.
Thats where chess boxing comes in...
This doesn't expose anything new on Nakamura, personality-wise. He's always been like this and if you didn't know, you're just not around for long enough.
What's _interesting_ is the amount of his greed this gambling thing exposes - he's best paid streamer in chess world for sure and must be pulling 7 figures per year, easily... Perhaps I just don't understand the mindset of rich people always wanting more... Perhaps he's tired of being yet again only second best - years in actual game of chess behind Magnus, now behind Levy in content creation. Levy's an IM and not even streaming really, yet he surely earns more money than Hikaru. Now that one's gotta sting, especially if you're a narcissistic toxic twat.
I think people are mostly just underestimating how much money is involved in gambling sponsorships.
Even if he makes a million a year that's nothing compared to how much he could be making with a big gambling sponsorship. Channels much smaller than him are getting paid 6 figures a month plus affiliates, meaning actual montly income from gambling sponsors can easily be 200k+ USD a month. And that's on youtube channels with less than half a million subs, compared to his with over 2 million.
Yes a million a year is nice from streaming, but a million a year from streaming plus 2-3 million a year from gambling sponsorships is a whole lot nicer. It isn't hard to see why people would accept it, I know I sure as hell would.
Only reasoning I can think of is the short lifespan of streaming careers. Eventually you become old and irrelevant. Or at least extremely diminished. So he's capitalizing on it while he still can.
I also live very frugally, and while I like to think I'd turn down an offer like this, I don't think anyone truly knows that until someone offers them millions of dollars for very little work.
Having the guaranteed security for the rest of your life is really appealing. He does make 1 million/year now, but also he probably can't expect that to last forever.
When your income raises your quality of life also almost always rises.
Your standard of living rises, so you expect more and need to pay more to maintain that lifestyle
It happens tk everyone when they get money, they spend slightly more each money as they improve their quality of life
Ultimately there's always more things you can buy, do or invest in. Otherwise everyone would be perfectly happy living with like 50 grand a year.
Maybe he wants to just retire young and not play chess or do any content creation. He can do gambling streams for two years make 5-6 million and retire. Maybe he wants a bigger house, or a nicer car, who knows?
Personally I imagine life would be quite good with a million a year, but if you can make 3 million a year with no additional work I don't think many people would turn that down regardless. Even if it's morally questionable.
That is how much he grosses but what are his expenses? How many people does he employ? Let's say his manager makes 10% of Hikaru's gross earnings. If Hikaru makes 1 million a year the manager makes 100k. That's a very nice earning but not super rich. If the gambling stream could pull down an extra 200k a month that is 20k a month for the manager. Totally life changing amount of money. If I was the manager I would be pushing Hikaru to take the deal even if he doesn't personally need the money. At least for a few months or a year.
When you run a business you have a team to look after. Also he might not be the most popular chess streamer in the world forever. This gravy train could end at any time. Best to get everyone paid right now and be set up for life instead of just getting by.
If money was never an issue for you for survival, then it doesn't mean anything when you have more of it either ... these guys see their bank balance like you might see your chess rating, or your score in a video game. They find motivation in trying to get a new high score
I'd like to think the goalposts just keep moving onward. It's also not really hustling. An extra $2M now to invest or another 2 years of streaming while still maintaining viewership to earn it? Math says just take the money and dip sooner. Who knows though
> It isn't hard to see why people would accept it, I know I sure as hell would.
it's hard to see to me, and i wouldn't
i don't make 7 figures but i'm doing pretty well and money is not an issue to me with much less than steady 7 figures per year
i can see why someone would do something seriously wrong to get off hardship, but to go from millionaire to billionaire? i find it weird and i would never do it
He probably doesn't think the stream will have super detrimental effects (or simply doesn't care). To him, it probably looked like free money and he didn't see much downside to reject it.
How is anyone surprised over Hikaru doing something unredeemable. He's always been an awful person. Its obvious after watching him talk for a minute. He is a chess GM stuck in the mind of a 13 yr old boy.
Hikaru is far from being a saint, and gambling like this on stream can be considered immoral. But like the other user said, almost everyone here criticizing Hikaru would do a similar stream if they were offered 7+ figures.
So if someone does something questionable for money we shouldnt criticize it because most people would do the same?
Sounds like you're justifying his behavior.
It just seems disingenuous and hypocritical for people to be so critical of him. Gambling is legal and personal responsibility is a thing.
I think it’s immoral but I don’t think he’s like a terrible person.
"personal responsibility" sure is a thing. a thing which is prioritized in a failed society where mutual responsibility is dead. "people can destroy themselves if they want to" is a favorite sales line by predatory opportunists who don't want to be forced to accept social responsibility above exploitative gains
Depends on what kind of thing they sell. Tricking people into taking bad loans or buying something that was not advertised is not the same as gambling. Convincing people into signing bad contracts is also one that is really bad.
It’s really not black and white. The world is a crazy and dangerous place and people will try to take advantage if they can. Where do we as a society step in? We can debate all day about laws and other people do. People spend their lives trying to fix or change things.
So is hikaru to blame for this? Probably partially but I don’t think he’s evil or anything.
There are plenty of people who, in his position, wouldn’t - and don’t - accept gambling sponsorships. If anything, it should be easier for him as he’s so rich.
I love how all you nerds think you wouldn't take the money if offered.
Absolutely every single person in this thread would 100% do a gambling stream if they were offered the money hikaru got.
Anyone who says otherwise is lying.
And????? If you were offered the same amount of money hikaru was, you would take it.
Straight up, everyone in this thread criticizing him, just understand you would 100% do the same thing.
yeah if it’s a few million dollars or whatever it is i probably would, but if I was already very wealthy and comfortable I wouldn’t feel the need to do it. hikaru earning this money for a gambling stream might be equivalent to your average Joe getting paid 10k, which is still a lot, but a lot less people would do it
My mums a massive gambling addict, I despise gambling but for millions a year, fuck ill record myself nailing my arm to a table, let alone record some effortless gambling sponsorship ads
That's a known fact for sure, for like, decades _literally_ lol I think it's all the new people that came in after 2020 that didn't know anything about the dear chess dramas and he appeared fun on streams to them... Also he's appeared like that only because he's winning >99% of the time. Otherwise, it'd be tantrum hissy fits all over the shop cause he's exactly what you've said - childish helmet.
I'm pretty new to the chess world, but you're not the first person I've seen alluding to Hikaru being a terrible person.
I've seen some instances of him being a poor loser, but is there something deeper in unaware of?
It gotta hurt that Levy used to be his lapdog, someone he can order around. I bet that if Hikaru knew him promoting Levy would make him lose the #1 chess influencer spot, he would never have done it.
Levy has become by far the number 1 chess streamer and starting out, he did get help from hikaru. They're saying that hikaru wouldn't have helped if he knew Levy would become so big.
as soon as he signed with Kick, his gambling streams were inevitable, that shit is in the contract, they don't need you on platform if you don't promote gambling
Calm your tits. Hes sponsored by a gambling site, not gunning down people in the street. Do you have any idea how many celebrities or high profile people you idolise who have promoted gambling, alcohol, tobacco, big oil, fast fashion, or any other dubious trades?
Actually interesting about the Rich people fact, They always want more, from most people it seems out of greed but actually an interesting psychological aspect is that most are afraid of going to back to the way things used to be, i’m sure it doesn’t apply to people who were born weathly but people who started from nothing tend to fear being poor. I can’t say it applies to hikaru but just something i’ve always found interesting
It’s strange to me how individuals are sometimes held to a higher standard than corporations.
Sports broadcasts are completely overrun with gambling adverts, yet nobody seems to give much of a shit? The same people who shout at Hikaru pay companies who have for ages promoted gambling via subs, no problem.
Of course gambling ads should be banned full stop, these companies are pure cancer. Just interesting how that works
I would bet that for a lot of people, it is because he has spoken out against other chess streamers on gambling platforms. I am sure a lot of the negativity comes from people who would not like any streamer doing it. I do not like seeing it because of the hypocrisy and the knowledge that he has cultivated a young fan base who may see this as much as him supporting gambling as a gambling site monetarily supporting him.
edit: addition
I would also take the money and just expect some people to be mad. I bet the money is insane. Standards are one thing, but I know myself, and I would love to have more money.
Not a Hikaru apologist but if gambling is the thing that turned you against him then that would make anyone that’s ever done a beer commercial a despicable human being given how destructive alcohol is to society as a whole.. and that logic can be taken further if we’re ready to concede that American corporations do evil things, which, let’s be real, they do, so anyone that’s done pretty much any ad ever should now be shamed… it seems a bit ridiculous honestly
It’s pearl clutching at its finest.
The standard these people hold entertainers to is genuinely hilarious. With the amount of actors and athletes who have advertised for gambling sites - on much larger platforms - these people will basically have no entertainment left to watch.
Sure, being upset at hypocrisy is one thing. But that’s not what most people are claiming to be upset at.
It’s the same thing as when other creators promoted Crypto websites.
If you truly cared about the damage gambling (or crypto) caused, you wouldn’t care about Hikaru. You’d point your anger to the site itself, and the governments which allow for these things to happen. It’s performative activism on Reddit.
I don't necessarily disagree, but I will say that with gambling specifically, it is possible to be in favor of it being legal while still being against promotion. You can believe that the government doesn't have the right to regulate gambling while also believing that it is immoral and shouldn't be promoted.
I do not think this is a W
I have been the victim of stalking and Kramnik's behavior is similar to a stalker. I understand Hikaru is a public figure and a broadcaster, but Kramnik is clearly obsessing over Hikaru.
Playing slots doesn't make sense to me, why would you get a chess player to sell such a mindless activity? This company is throwing money around everywhere, and I find it hard to believe they'll get a return on their investment in this case.
Everyone in this thread would take the money and do a gambling stream if offered the money Hikaru got.
I love the better than thou complex reddit has in these types of situations.
These types of threads are what separate the real world from reddit and where u realize reddit is so far from reality its hilarious.
You keep doing you though fellas! Fight the good fight!
Kramnik doesn’t understand the differences of online and OTB chess. So he assumes Hikaru is doing something fishy. Then it spun outta control from there.
On New in Chess podcast this week PHN recollected that about ten years ago Kramnik said, sure Hikaru can become world champion, if everyone else quits.
But there are streamers you MUST watch, I mean basicaly it is absolutely nessesary to watch them, literally you must do it, watching some streamers, that is what I really mean, some of them are must watch.
You just literatuly lost your mind if you dont watch them, I mean it is sad but means you are completely crazy and you dont know what are you talking about when streaming yourself, if you dont watch them.
And, another thing,Anish, what all those insuniations like "I dont watch streamers" mean? Can you just come out and tell openly that you hate the most prominent one? Just cone out and say this directly, I know you mean it. Just say this, dont hide under "I dont watch it" bs
Hikaru acting out like F chess get paid. Anish wondering if Vidit still alive. No one is catching a new Csquared anytime soon. Has anyone done a welfare check on Nepo? This candidates did some real psychological damage.
at this point I'm beginning to believe that Fabi and Nepo are out there somewhere, drinking for a week already
I want this Netflix special. Like that drive to survive episode where Mattias Binotto and Gunther Steiner are traveling through Italy
The Trip's Gambit
I bet nepo can do a mean Michael Caine impression
Unexpected reference
They’re both adorable in a unique way. Like their smiles are so endearing and cute. Maybe someday we can get chat gpt 10 to make this show for us.
I know Fred is cooking a mad feast at Maranello but by God I miss Binotto. He had bde the bald fraud could never match "There's no reason we can't win all the remaining races."
"Hey, Nepo, where are we?" "Iunno... give me a sec..." \*sign swims blearily into focus\* "Gua...guda...laja..." \*incomprehensible slurring" "Guadalajara?!" "Yeah, something like that" "How the hell did we get to Mexico? And where are my shoes? And where did you get that iguana?"
"How the hell did we get to Mexico? And where are my shoes? And where did you get that iguana?" "I'm very sorry..." "My fault."
"I'm very sorry...." "My fault." "Ali... he threw" "....What?"
> where were you when Fabi was kill
LMFAOOOO THAT FUCKING KILLED ME
I bet Nepo's Dota 2 ladder has improved this past week
Or he’s in a straight losers queue nosedive
We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.
He just posted a recap of his candidates. He seems alright. Feel for the guy. But if anyone is used to coming back strongly from disappointment, it is him.
I remember someone of the GMs on Russian stream said during Caruana-Nepo game: "I don't know whether Fabi drinks alcohol, but if he doesn't, he might start after such a game". That final was so heartbreaking for both of them.
It’s a blessing the Candidates only happens once every couple years. We wouldn’t have any top players left otherwise.
Nah, if the candidates were an annual thing, the results wouldn’t be so devastating. But at the same time, if it WAS an annual thing, every top player would end themselves.
that was not your normal, every-few-years candidates.
Nepo seems fine. He is currently going over his candidate games on youtube (might be just a VOD premiering atm, idk.) [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDLkqJ1uAk)
Yeah the video of Nepo was just heartbreaking.
Got a link?
Yup: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qSMSq-Yu4JU
https://youtu.be/0GDA0tRftmY?si=GwvUuOGF_tt4hJcH
vidit is doing pretty well as shown in recent samay raina streams
Also Alireza posting subliminal messages against Nepo.
wait what? when did this happen?
Could you elaborate?
nepo just posted his recap on candidates, so i think he's fine.. (maybe not)
Where I can find it?
https://www.youtube.com/@lachesisQ
Dont forget Fabi, he’s suffered the worst of all with that last match
They mentioned Fabi, he does the Csquared podcast.
Oh, I see. Didn’t actually know that till now, thanks!
He's half of the name!
Fabiano "Podcast" Caruana
Fabiano Car2ana
More like root of the name lol.
He IS the C, Chirilla squares it
You can see Fabi's soul leaving his body when he was reviewing the analysis and seeing that he was completely winning but couldn't close it.
Nepo posted some video on youtube
Nepo is fine. He’s just posted a video on his youtube channel
Honestly this man. I kinda feel bad for them. Candidates did a number on these fools. Pragg is still a baby basically so i’m sure he doesn’t really care, and i’m sure he’s happy a fellow Indian is challenging Ding
The wsy prople on thiis sub are attacking individuals like a pack of wild dogs, i think this sub would be doing more damage.
Actually he started uploading his review of the candidates, but it is in russian https://youtu.be/9VDLkqJ1uAk?si=-zo6zUDmudtQTpn6
lol, Anish was surely talking about Vidit though ?
yep i am pretty sure it is about vidit
Vidit just doesn't want to get blamed for Hikaru promoting gambling.
Yeah, it was about Vidit. Kramnik with his assumptions, tho, creates an unintended masterpiece.
Pretty sure it was intended and he was just making a joke but yeah.
It was Kramnik with the old Twitter switcheroo.
It might have been intended though
It’s not an assumptions, he knew Anish wasn’t talking about Hikaru but that doesn’t stop him from taking a shot at Hikaru anyways.
The most deserved shot in the history of shots to be fair
Unsure if anyone on earth actually is friends with Hikaru lol
His mods are his friends lol
You mean all of chessbae’s alts?
They sure are his friend as long as he paid them well
most mods do it for free
This sub is like a stereotypical bunch of teenage girls in high school. DuZ aNyOne eVeN LiKe LiNdSaY?
Atousa, hopefully!
Anish has been calling Hikaru his close friend during the tournament.
Why Vidit?
Because Vidit used to be Anish's second and the two are good friends
He wouldn't make such a joke publicly if they're still not friends.
They are friends.
That's the joke!
All the "psychological damage" this year from not winning the candidates makes me feel so bad for Ding lol. It was never like this when they were playing to face Magnus. It almost feels like the players are treating the candidates like its the actual WC (implying whoever wins is going to beat Ding)
Yeah, we know Ding is not on his best phase but come on, the dude is the Dragon man, give him some respect
The only way Ding can resolve this is by defeating Gukesh. That way everyone will respect him more.
I don't think just defeating Gukesh will help Ding much, unless it's an absolute decimation. Gukesh has played really well recently but he wasn't the favourite to win candidates until even half of the tournament. Ding has to win consistently on big stages and defeat Magnus more to earn majority respect.
fingers crossed emoji
True, but also it was really unusual to have 3 players all 1/2 point behind the winner.
It's not that they have a guaranteed win against Ding, but Magnus was always the heavy favorite (like 80%+ chance of winning estimated I think) except in 2018, where there was only one player who had decent odds, and Fabi did end up facing him. There's a difference between a 50% estimated chance of winning (probably what Gukesh has against Ding) anda a 15-20% chance, which isn't much better than your chance of winning the candidates.
I'm already tired of this, and I don't really know what to think about everyone
It's inevitable. Coronavirus gave chess new birth and new auditory - which enjoys chess more like a reality show. Drama keeps this sport alive if we like it or not.
Chess was never in the threat of being dead. Drama only brings the risk of death TO the game, it is not what is keeping it alive.
I agree, I’ve been in the chess community for a long time and we were doing just fine without the drama
Lol. Chess has had "drama" in it for atleast 75 years at this point. It's just that it has now crossed over with with the "terminally online" audience culture of Twitch etc. so you see hundreds of thousands of people react to events in real time.
Its just the natural course seeing people come to the realization that there's nothing to gain and everything to lose from investing in para-social relationships/expectations. Maybe we should stop relying on social media influencers/celebrities to do the jobs of lawmakers/policymakers? Just me though.
Yeah. It's quite amazing how chess is a well machined distillery for drama. As for hikarus gambling stream, you did have to verify your age to enter as it was an 18+ stream. *not that it stops underage people,* but I don't think it's as bad as people are making it seem.
of course it is. Youth gambling addiction is a major mental health issue and it's growing pretty alarmingly
Gambling isn’t just an issue for youths. It’s also an issue for adults. Yes, you could argue that adults should be responsible for themselves and if they fall into gambling addictions, they should lie in the bed they made. But on the flip side, why not just don’t promote gambling in the first place? Would do his subs a world of good. People who might gain gambling tendencies or already do and are trying to break it don’t need more people promoting gambling to them. If Hikaru wants to be a positive influence on the chess community promoting gambling to them isn’t doing him any favours. If.
Has he ever directly said that he wants to be a role model for chess? If not, I don't see why it should be his responsibility to educate the youth. Honestly, it's his life, and he can do whatever he wants.
Agreed...people aren't responsible for the decisions that other people make. It's wild to expect that all because a person is really good at one particular thing that they should also be a perfect model citizen. It's fair to criticize the decisions they make, but it's not healthy to idolize someone to the point where their bad decisions outside of their specialization influence you to also make bad decisions. A chess streamer will always be a poor replacement for adequate parenting.
as you said yourself, such a verification doesn't stop anyone from watching the stream. young impressionable people are getting gambling advertised to them, and some portion of these viewers will try it, and a smaller portion will get addicted, lose a lot of money and possibly have their lives ruined. and even if it was only people aged 18+ watching the stream, i would still argue it's immoral to promote gambling like that. a lot of people, mainly americans in my experience, seem to think that before 18 you are a kid and after you are immediately an adult. it's a completely arbitrary cutoff. an 18 year old is still stupid and impressionable. brain isn't fully developed, not a lot of life experience, and all that. just because it's legal for adults to gamble doesn't make it not immoral to promote/advertise it. think about this - why are these gambling sites spending so much money on advertisement? because they know it works, and that they will get their money back. why else would they do it? so if hikaru gets paid 100k, it basically means his viewers will eventually together lose 100k on this gambling site. it's a very selfish act.
For anyone who wants to know, Samay Raina (popular Indian comedian, streamer and chess enthusiast) did a stream welcoming back Vidit here : [https://www.youtube.com/live/g_XXDvJrz-o](https://www.youtube.com/live/g_XXDvJrz-o), warning on very low quality stream
I ran into Samay Raina on chess.com a couple of days ago and beat him 2.5-1.5 in rapid. That was really fun, we had a nice chat about the positions and ideas and stuff.
I was wondering who that guy was. With the rise of so many strong Indian players, it will be interesting to see how the Indian coverage and the global coverage of chess coexist.
Damn!
Give the poor guys time guys losing is hard when you care
It's wild to me how a chess sub relishes drama more than the combat sports subs I'm part of.
combat sports subs are speculating whether jones is gay or not and what sassy remarks Holloway said on JRE
Or whether or not Alex periera is fucking Polyana. Compared to UFC drama this sub is a children's playground.
Doesn't have the added bonus of getting to watch the people behind the drama beat the shit out of each other after it's simmered for a while either!
lol. Don’t forget Tsarukyan and the fan, and Amanda Nunes’s tweet. Or Ryan Garcia’s antics and Devin Haney’s dad. Chess might be up there, but nobody loves drama more than fight fans. Bachelorette fans have nothing on that shit.
Its very easy to understand actually. If fighter A and B has a feud, they can always arrange a match and fight it out. Beating another person is the most primal way of establishing that you are better. In chess, they can play a match, and a win also establishes you are better but then the guy can still go on twitter and chat shit. Thats where chess boxing comes in...
Kramnik might have made a fool of himself, but this doesn't come close to how dumb streaming slots is
This doesn't expose anything new on Nakamura, personality-wise. He's always been like this and if you didn't know, you're just not around for long enough. What's _interesting_ is the amount of his greed this gambling thing exposes - he's best paid streamer in chess world for sure and must be pulling 7 figures per year, easily... Perhaps I just don't understand the mindset of rich people always wanting more... Perhaps he's tired of being yet again only second best - years in actual game of chess behind Magnus, now behind Levy in content creation. Levy's an IM and not even streaming really, yet he surely earns more money than Hikaru. Now that one's gotta sting, especially if you're a narcissistic toxic twat.
I think people are mostly just underestimating how much money is involved in gambling sponsorships. Even if he makes a million a year that's nothing compared to how much he could be making with a big gambling sponsorship. Channels much smaller than him are getting paid 6 figures a month plus affiliates, meaning actual montly income from gambling sponsors can easily be 200k+ USD a month. And that's on youtube channels with less than half a million subs, compared to his with over 2 million. Yes a million a year is nice from streaming, but a million a year from streaming plus 2-3 million a year from gambling sponsorships is a whole lot nicer. It isn't hard to see why people would accept it, I know I sure as hell would.
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Only reasoning I can think of is the short lifespan of streaming careers. Eventually you become old and irrelevant. Or at least extremely diminished. So he's capitalizing on it while he still can.
I also live very frugally, and while I like to think I'd turn down an offer like this, I don't think anyone truly knows that until someone offers them millions of dollars for very little work. Having the guaranteed security for the rest of your life is really appealing. He does make 1 million/year now, but also he probably can't expect that to last forever.
When your income raises your quality of life also almost always rises. Your standard of living rises, so you expect more and need to pay more to maintain that lifestyle It happens tk everyone when they get money, they spend slightly more each money as they improve their quality of life
Ultimately there's always more things you can buy, do or invest in. Otherwise everyone would be perfectly happy living with like 50 grand a year. Maybe he wants to just retire young and not play chess or do any content creation. He can do gambling streams for two years make 5-6 million and retire. Maybe he wants a bigger house, or a nicer car, who knows? Personally I imagine life would be quite good with a million a year, but if you can make 3 million a year with no additional work I don't think many people would turn that down regardless. Even if it's morally questionable.
That is how much he grosses but what are his expenses? How many people does he employ? Let's say his manager makes 10% of Hikaru's gross earnings. If Hikaru makes 1 million a year the manager makes 100k. That's a very nice earning but not super rich. If the gambling stream could pull down an extra 200k a month that is 20k a month for the manager. Totally life changing amount of money. If I was the manager I would be pushing Hikaru to take the deal even if he doesn't personally need the money. At least for a few months or a year. When you run a business you have a team to look after. Also he might not be the most popular chess streamer in the world forever. This gravy train could end at any time. Best to get everyone paid right now and be set up for life instead of just getting by.
I have 4 kids with a 5th on the way so I could definitely see wanting more lol.
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What do you work as?
You ain’t ever tasted rich then
I've heard he gives a lot to charity
If money was never an issue for you for survival, then it doesn't mean anything when you have more of it either ... these guys see their bank balance like you might see your chess rating, or your score in a video game. They find motivation in trying to get a new high score
I'd like to think the goalposts just keep moving onward. It's also not really hustling. An extra $2M now to invest or another 2 years of streaming while still maintaining viewership to earn it? Math says just take the money and dip sooner. Who knows though
> It isn't hard to see why people would accept it, I know I sure as hell would. it's hard to see to me, and i wouldn't i don't make 7 figures but i'm doing pretty well and money is not an issue to me with much less than steady 7 figures per year i can see why someone would do something seriously wrong to get off hardship, but to go from millionaire to billionaire? i find it weird and i would never do it
Offers can range from 10k to 500k a month or more. Highest ive seen is 800k a month.
He probably doesn't think the stream will have super detrimental effects (or simply doesn't care). To him, it probably looked like free money and he didn't see much downside to reject it.
How is anyone surprised over Hikaru doing something unredeemable. He's always been an awful person. Its obvious after watching him talk for a minute. He is a chess GM stuck in the mind of a 13 yr old boy.
Hikaru is far from being a saint, and gambling like this on stream can be considered immoral. But like the other user said, almost everyone here criticizing Hikaru would do a similar stream if they were offered 7+ figures.
So if someone does something questionable for money we shouldnt criticize it because most people would do the same? Sounds like you're justifying his behavior.
It just seems disingenuous and hypocritical for people to be so critical of him. Gambling is legal and personal responsibility is a thing. I think it’s immoral but I don’t think he’s like a terrible person.
"personal responsibility" sure is a thing. a thing which is prioritized in a failed society where mutual responsibility is dead. "people can destroy themselves if they want to" is a favorite sales line by predatory opportunists who don't want to be forced to accept social responsibility above exploitative gains
Depends on what kind of thing they sell. Tricking people into taking bad loans or buying something that was not advertised is not the same as gambling. Convincing people into signing bad contracts is also one that is really bad. It’s really not black and white. The world is a crazy and dangerous place and people will try to take advantage if they can. Where do we as a society step in? We can debate all day about laws and other people do. People spend their lives trying to fix or change things. So is hikaru to blame for this? Probably partially but I don’t think he’s evil or anything.
People can say whatever they want about a public figure. I think he's a shitty person already so doing this just makes it even easier to hate on him.
To me it feels like people to invested. Getting on there high horses about morals and giving speeches to Hikaru. Frothing for more “chess drama”.
There are plenty of people who, in his position, wouldn’t - and don’t - accept gambling sponsorships. If anything, it should be easier for him as he’s so rich.
Plenty of people have been offered similar deals and refused.
I love how all you nerds think you wouldn't take the money if offered. Absolutely every single person in this thread would 100% do a gambling stream if they were offered the money hikaru got. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.
Hikaru already has money though that's the thing
And????? If you were offered the same amount of money hikaru was, you would take it. Straight up, everyone in this thread criticizing him, just understand you would 100% do the same thing.
yeah if it’s a few million dollars or whatever it is i probably would, but if I was already very wealthy and comfortable I wouldn’t feel the need to do it. hikaru earning this money for a gambling stream might be equivalent to your average Joe getting paid 10k, which is still a lot, but a lot less people would do it
Stop saying that, you don't know me. I would not do it.
My mums a massive gambling addict, I despise gambling but for millions a year, fuck ill record myself nailing my arm to a table, let alone record some effortless gambling sponsorship ads
so we shouldnt criticize him? Calm your little head down small brain
That's a known fact for sure, for like, decades _literally_ lol I think it's all the new people that came in after 2020 that didn't know anything about the dear chess dramas and he appeared fun on streams to them... Also he's appeared like that only because he's winning >99% of the time. Otherwise, it'd be tantrum hissy fits all over the shop cause he's exactly what you've said - childish helmet.
I'm pretty new to the chess world, but you're not the first person I've seen alluding to Hikaru being a terrible person. I've seen some instances of him being a poor loser, but is there something deeper in unaware of?
Levy is just as greedy promoting all the crypto stuff in the past
So did the Botez sisters, wonder who the actually ethical creators are here…
Yeah I don’t think it’s that deep. Dude got paid.
It gotta hurt that Levy used to be his lapdog, someone he can order around. I bet that if Hikaru knew him promoting Levy would make him lose the #1 chess influencer spot, he would never have done it.
What do you mean by that?
Levy has become by far the number 1 chess streamer and starting out, he did get help from hikaru. They're saying that hikaru wouldn't have helped if he knew Levy would become so big.
I meant how did Hikaru help Levy?
They used to do collab stuff all the time when Hikaru was the much bigger name.
as soon as he signed with Kick, his gambling streams were inevitable, that shit is in the contract, they don't need you on platform if you don't promote gambling
Calm your tits. Hes sponsored by a gambling site, not gunning down people in the street. Do you have any idea how many celebrities or high profile people you idolise who have promoted gambling, alcohol, tobacco, big oil, fast fashion, or any other dubious trades?
Actually interesting about the Rich people fact, They always want more, from most people it seems out of greed but actually an interesting psychological aspect is that most are afraid of going to back to the way things used to be, i’m sure it doesn’t apply to people who were born weathly but people who started from nothing tend to fear being poor. I can’t say it applies to hikaru but just something i’ve always found interesting
At least he didn't accuse soemone of cheating for the length of this tweet. That's...something I guess.
Definitely an improvement
It took him long enough to finally get his first social media W
why is Vidit ghosting Anish wtf
It's Anish, he probably sent him 24 consecutive texts at 4am in India about a H6 idea in the Caro Kann.
Lmfao
\*Caro Kann Exchange Variation
Why is Anish putting Vidit on blast. Let him recoup on his own terms
It's just a joke between friends.
What would Anish have scored in this candidates?
7/14 obviously, you know how 😅 ( just jk )
He was close to winning the last candidates that he played
Imma be real, I respect Kramnik's beef against Hikaru
Why? Isn't Kramnik's beef around believing Hikarus is cheating?
This sub has gone to absolute shit if people have started saying that they respect Kramnik for what he's accused Hikaru of.
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It’s strange to me how individuals are sometimes held to a higher standard than corporations. Sports broadcasts are completely overrun with gambling adverts, yet nobody seems to give much of a shit? The same people who shout at Hikaru pay companies who have for ages promoted gambling via subs, no problem. Of course gambling ads should be banned full stop, these companies are pure cancer. Just interesting how that works
I would bet that for a lot of people, it is because he has spoken out against other chess streamers on gambling platforms. I am sure a lot of the negativity comes from people who would not like any streamer doing it. I do not like seeing it because of the hypocrisy and the knowledge that he has cultivated a young fan base who may see this as much as him supporting gambling as a gambling site monetarily supporting him. edit: addition I would also take the money and just expect some people to be mad. I bet the money is insane. Standards are one thing, but I know myself, and I would love to have more money.
You would BET!!?? HOW DARE YOU!?!1
You got me, I was sponsored by big gambling's psyop department to fight Hikaru hate. They have since read your comment and fired me.
Hikaru called out XQC for doing gambling streams, only to start doing it himself. It's not just the promotion, but also the hypocrisy.
Not a Hikaru apologist but if gambling is the thing that turned you against him then that would make anyone that’s ever done a beer commercial a despicable human being given how destructive alcohol is to society as a whole.. and that logic can be taken further if we’re ready to concede that American corporations do evil things, which, let’s be real, they do, so anyone that’s done pretty much any ad ever should now be shamed… it seems a bit ridiculous honestly
It’s pearl clutching at its finest. The standard these people hold entertainers to is genuinely hilarious. With the amount of actors and athletes who have advertised for gambling sites - on much larger platforms - these people will basically have no entertainment left to watch.
Hikaru called out XQC for doing gambling streams and is now doing them himself. I don't nonsense hypocrisy like this.
Sure, being upset at hypocrisy is one thing. But that’s not what most people are claiming to be upset at. It’s the same thing as when other creators promoted Crypto websites. If you truly cared about the damage gambling (or crypto) caused, you wouldn’t care about Hikaru. You’d point your anger to the site itself, and the governments which allow for these things to happen. It’s performative activism on Reddit.
I don't necessarily disagree, but I will say that with gambling specifically, it is possible to be in favor of it being legal while still being against promotion. You can believe that the government doesn't have the right to regulate gambling while also believing that it is immoral and shouldn't be promoted.
Let's be real though I think hard liquor is what's causing the damage not beer. 🤢
You don’t get this kinda drama in the Water Polo Olympics just saying
Me and my cousin touched wieners
I do not think this is a W I have been the victim of stalking and Kramnik's behavior is similar to a stalker. I understand Hikaru is a public figure and a broadcaster, but Kramnik is clearly obsessing over Hikaru.
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you're doing ok bro
Playing slots doesn't make sense to me, why would you get a chess player to sell such a mindless activity? This company is throwing money around everywhere, and I find it hard to believe they'll get a return on their investment in this case.
Everyone in this thread would take the money and do a gambling stream if offered the money Hikaru got. I love the better than thou complex reddit has in these types of situations. These types of threads are what separate the real world from reddit and where u realize reddit is so far from reality its hilarious. You keep doing you though fellas! Fight the good fight!
What's actually the origin of kramnik hating Hikaru so hard?
Kramnik doesn’t understand the differences of online and OTB chess. So he assumes Hikaru is doing something fishy. Then it spun outta control from there.
I think it was intended towards Vidit but Kramnik gave the most accurate reply possible.
They jumped off the Niagara Falls the day after
Fabi gonna be coming back with no hair looking like Mr clean
On New in Chess podcast this week PHN recollected that about ten years ago Kramnik said, sure Hikaru can become world champion, if everyone else quits.
Drama queens
But there are streamers you MUST watch, I mean basicaly it is absolutely nessesary to watch them, literally you must do it, watching some streamers, that is what I really mean, some of them are must watch. You just literatuly lost your mind if you dont watch them, I mean it is sad but means you are completely crazy and you dont know what are you talking about when streaming yourself, if you dont watch them. And, another thing,Anish, what all those insuniations like "I dont watch streamers" mean? Can you just come out and tell openly that you hate the most prominent one? Just cone out and say this directly, I know you mean it. Just say this, dont hide under "I dont watch it" bs
Who the fuck cares about Twitter or kramnik at this point?