Nakamura opens up on testing ‘Nepo gambit’ towards Erigaisi in Freestyle Chess quarterfinals: ‘Needed to strangle Nepo’

The Paris leg of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour featured one of many wildest video games of the event thus far, as American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi delivered a chaotic, edge-of-your-seat battle on the
first day of the quarterfinals.

The sport was headlined by Nakamura’s daring experiment with what’s now being dubbed the ‘Nepo gambit.’ The newly coined opening thought, impressed by the present World Blitz Chess Champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, noticed Nakamura lose his benefit early on, with Erigaisi holding the sting for the primary 20 strikes a minimum of.

Nakamura on testing the Nepo gambit

Nakamura, trusting Nepo’s suggestion from the pre-game prep room, dedicated to the plan. Nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for remorse to creep in.

“Apparently I did an excellent job of performing there in case you assume I appeared glad. As a result of for just about the primary 1.5 hours, I actually wished to rise up from my board and strangle Nepo!” Nakamura mentioned after the sport.

But when there’s one factor Nakamura is famend for, it’s his resilience. As issues piled up, Arjun slipped, handing the American an opportunity to catch up. Nakamura seized the chance and the sport led to a draw.

In his post-match evaluation, Nakamura spoke candidly in regards to the gambit and emphasised that his feedback had been made in jest, urging followers to not direct any criticism towards Nepomniachtchi.

“For anybody who’s questioning, that is place quantity 841, I discussed that as a result of I believe to any extent further we must always seek advice from this because the Nepo Gambit as this was his nice thought. I really felt actually good. I trusted Ian’s evaluation. However Arjun, who’s a really principled participant, merely takes the pawn after which goes g3. And all of the sudden I’m in bother,” Nakamura mentioned on his YouTube channel.

“I made a bit of little bit of a joke after the sport ended — about how I wished to strangle Nepo as a result of I bought a foul place and the way you must by no means belief the Russian. I’m placing this on the very begin of the video in order that no one tries to blow this out of proportion create some pretend drama that merely doesn’t exist as I used to be making a joke,” he added.