You Can Play Hikaru Nakamura This Saturday

UPDATE: This article, written for the first "Nakamura's Knockout" event in March. NEXT Nakamura's Knockouts is this Saturday, April 18th at 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern.

Have you ever wanted to take on the best chess player in the United States and one of the top players in the world?

You'll get your chance this Saturday, as GM Hikaru Nakamura joins Chess.com for a very special online event.

Nakamura, currently ranked number-one in the U.S. and number-three in the world, will face challengers of all ratings on the Chess.com live server Saturday in the 2015 edition of Nakamura's Knockouts.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m EDT, 8 p.m. GMT). To find out the Nakamura's Knockouts start time in your own time zone, click here.

For two hours, Nakamura will be open for challenges from any Chess.com member, free and premium memberships alike.

IM Daniel Rensch will host a live broadcast of the event on Chess.com/TV and Twitch.tv. Be sure to follow Chess.com's Twitch channel to receive an e-mail notification when the Nakamura's Knockouts broadcast goes live. 

During the broadcast, IM Daniel Rensch will commentate and analyze games in real time. GM Nakamura will join the broadcast at the beginning and end of the event for an interview. He may also join the show during the event as time allows.

To play Nakamura, simply log on to the Chess.com live server this Saturday during the event and send a blitz or bullet challenge to "Hikaru." You can pick your own time control, but please be patient and persistent, as Nakamura will receive hundreds of match offers during the event.

If you're lucky, Nakamura will accept your challenge and you'll get to play him on likely the biggest chess stage of your life.

With the event just a few days before St. Patrick's Day, you'll definitely need "the luck of the Irish" to stand a chance against Nakamura.

"I was going to be on a float with a kilt and all on the 14th for St. Paddy's day, but Chess.com is #1," said Nakamura. "You guys are special to me."

Whether you want to throw your hat in the ring and play Nakamura, or just watch the carnage unfold on the chessboard, you can't miss this huge chess event.

Will IM Rensch also play against Nakamura while broadcasting, as he did in two games last year? (Rensch and Nakamura split their two-game match with one win apiece.)

"I don't expect to get as lucky as last time," said Rensch, "but I might try my hand in a game or two against Hikaru for the fans."

Check out the highlights of last year's Nakamura's Knockouts on YouTube: 

To help you prepare for the total chess butchery on Saturday, also watch FM Mike Klein's amazing video: 12 Nakamura Wins In 20 Minutes.

Let us know if you're planning to challenge Hikaru in the comments section below or on Facebook.

Don't forget to join us live on Twitch for Nakamura's Knockouts on Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m. PDT.