7 Reasons To Watch Carlsen vs Nakamura Thursday

Attention all chess fans: This is not a drill.

This Thursday, Magnus Carlsen faces Hikaru Nakamura for the inaugural Chess.com Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship.

It's the match we've all been waiting for, and you can watch it live next Thursday, Oct. 27 on Chess.com/TV and Twitch.tv/chess starting at 10 a.m Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. GMT, 6 p.m. London, 7 p.m. Oslo).

For a detailed look at the upcoming match, read Peter Doggers' news preview. Stay tuned for more coverage of the match-up between Carlsen and Nakamura in the next few days. Till then, try not to get too excited. 

Here are seven reasons to watch the match. Let us know your match predictions in the comment section. 

1. It's the biggest event in the history of online chess.

It's the reigning world chess champion against the player that many consider to be his toughest rival. Sure, big games have been played online before, but not for such high stakes—and certainly not in a three-hour, viewer-friendly blitz and bullet marathon. 

2. So drop everything to mark your calendar. 

And bonus points to anyone who recognizes the position on Nakamura's chessboard before he swept away the pieces in a dramatic flourish. 

3. Watch the future of chess as an e-sport.

Image via planetminecraft.

During the semifinals matches, chess surpassed mega-popular games like Call of Duty and Minecraft on the live Twitch rankings, and we expect all records to be shattered in this match. The future of chess is going to be fast and online, and it all starts at the GM Blitz Battle Championship on Chess.com. 

4. Find out who is the best speed chess player of all time.

Speaking of speed, this match should legitimately decide who is the best blitz and bullet chess player of all time. In this survey of Chess.com masters, Nakamura was ranked the best blitz player ever, but the matter is far from settled. Many favor Carlsen, since he won the "secret blitz match" against Nakamura in a hotel room six years ago. This time, the whole world will be watching, and we'll see who plays the best quick chess.  

5. You've got bracket fever—and the final match is the only cure.

If you've followed the first GM Blitz Battle Championship since the bracket was released earlier this year, you know this is the match-up we've been anticipating. Chess fans got an exciting first two rounds and their dream final match as well. 

6. Play guess-the-move and you could win valuable prizes. 

Simply follow along with the game in live chess at the new Chess.com and play your predicted move on the board. We will be running contests where you could win Chess.com premium memberships.

Are you not using the new Chess.com yet? Click here to try it out. 

7.You can watch it in your language...

...as long as your language is English, Russian, French or Portuguese. All will be available during the live broadcast. Check back the day of the match for links to each show on the Chess.com homepage. 

Still not hyped for this match, after all that? Watch the promotional video below to fix that.

How excited are you for the Carlsen vs Nakamura match next week? Let us know in the comments.