"I don't really like what Alireza is doing" - GMHikaru criticizes Alireza Firouzja for allegedly seeking quick ELO points

Grandmaster and Twitch streamer Hikaru "GMHikaru" has shared his take on the current controversy surrounding fellow Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja. The French-Iranian chess player has recently faced scrutiny for participating in a mini-tournament with three lower-rated players, raising questions about his motives in seeking rapid ELO point gains.

Participating in the tournament has proven beneficial for Firouzja, as it has allowed him to surpass Wesley So. So was his primary competitor for one of the two remaining spots in the upcoming Candidates Tournament.

Reacting to this situation, GMHikaru said:

"I don't really like what Alireza is doing."

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"Alireza had many chances to qualify" - GMHikaru critical of Alireza Firouzja

Alireza Firouzja, who hasn't been particularly active in 2023, required a significant boost in points. His recent tournament has elevated him above Wesley So in the FIDE ratings. If FIDE allows him to retain these ratings, Firouzja will secure qualification for the Candidates Tournament 2024.

Naturally, his recent actions have sparked numerous questions and raised concerns about his sportsmanship. GMHikaru said this about the situation in a recent stream:

"The main reason that I really don't like it is quite simple - Alireza had many chances to qualify for the Candidates. He had the chance to play the World Cup, he chose not to play in the World Cup."

(Timestamp: 00:14)

He added:

"So, to suddenly now at the very end, now it's like, 'Okay, now I need to try and get in,' he didn't really try the most in the opportunities he had. So that's what kind of rubs me the wrong way about it."

He did, however, state that the fault may be in the "system":

"When you look at the whole situation, I mean, this is part of the system, right? Like, it is what it is. Anybody can do this. I can go play some 2500s and beat them every game and get to 2850 and there's nothing really that stops me from doing that. That is just the reality."

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What did the fans say?

The clip was shared on GMHikaru's YouTube page, which garnered a lot of reactions. Here are some of them:

Fans equally critical of Alireza Firouzja (Image via YouTube/GMHikaru)

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FIDE has weighed in on the situation, asserting its authority to decide whether to officially rate Firouzja's tournament. As of now, they have not made a decision on the matter.