Hikaru Nakamura split the chess world this year by reaching the Candidates Tournament after thrashing minnows at a series of low-tier events but the grandmaster is unrepentant and says any player would make the same moves as him under the circumstances.
The world number two capitalized on a regulation that awards a Candidates place to the highest-rated eligible player, provided they have played at least 40 FIDE-rated games during the qualification period.
With world number one Magnus Carlsen opting out of the world championship cycle entirely, Nakamura ?became the highest-rated eligible player by default and met the activity requirement, later describing his route to the Candidates ?as a “Mickey ?Mouse” path to the event that determines the challenger for the world title.
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