A young chess prodigy named Michelle Zhang showcased her skills against world No. 2 chess player Hikaru Nakamura during the Maritime Open Chess Championship in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Despite being only 12 years old, Zhang held her ground against Nakamura for 65 moves in a thrilling first-round match.
Zhang, who hails from Halifax and has been playing chess since the age of 6, is a regular participant in the tournament. Nakamura, a renowned chess player and popular online streamer with over three million subscribers on YouTube, surprised everyone with his last-minute entry into the event.
The encounter between Zhang and Nakamura created a buzz among chess enthusiasts at the tournament, likening Nakamura’s presence to that of a celebrity like Taylor Swift. Nakamura expressed that his visit to Prince Edward Island was a way to give back to the chess community and reminisced about his own experiences as a young player meeting grandmasters.
Nakamura’s participation in the Maritime Open was part of his strategy to play 11 classical-rated chess games before the end of the year to qualify for the prestigious 2026 FIDE Candidates tournament. For Zhang, the experience was invaluable, despite not achieving the desired outcome. She expressed her desire to continually improve her skills and learn from the encounter with Nakamura.
Following the match, Nakamura complimented Zhang’s abilities in a post-match recap on his YouTube channel, providing a detailed analysis of the game. Zhang found the recap to be a valuable learning opportunity and was pleased to hear that Nakamura had moments of concern during their match.
With a significant age gap between them, Zhang, at 12 years old, has ample time to hone her skills and potentially face Nakamura again in the future. Her focus remains on continuous improvement and mastering the game of chess.
