The Definitive Chess Streamer Tier List

[@rachidlopez8174]

Hikaru can’t physically restrain himself from insulting everyone here and say he’s the best lol

[@vagggzvagggzasgsga2451]

Yep.

[@shankrl1]

I thought it was a joke at first, but no he’s actually that full of himself

[@LinkoLankao]

TRUE

[@shivam_singh_kill_pro]

magnus is just best by very big margin too

[@tojogamer1733]

🤣

[@amaze3727]

There needed to be a "Magnus milkers" tier with Levy in it

[@JustAPokemonCommentingOnVideos]

not levy's fault magnus is just so milkable 🥵🥵🥵

[@hanannyg]

+ Hikaru

[@Nafim-kv6rg]

Stop pokemon​@@JustAPokemonCommentingOnVideos

[@Yamom2323]

Funny considering he has more subs than Magnus and Hikaru combined. Usually the people doing the milking are less popular. But you can hate on Levy all you want while he travels the world and counts his millions.

[@Nafim-kv6rg]

@@Yamom2323 funny how u didn’t watch the video "Hikaru says WHAT about Magnus"

[@LoganNagol]

1:12 Anish makes a little joke…Hikaru: “OMG he insulted her and basically said she is a failure who isn’t good at chess” 🤣🤣 like you ain’t have to add all that bro

[@OrionEJ]

That is what he was saying though. I heard it and knew he was throwing shade. Yea he's joking, but the hidden meaning could sting. If you can't see he was implying she should be much stronger than she is, you are naive.

[@AndreaMilitano-i7w]

​@@OrionEJwe are not naive, you guys must have known strange people to start interpreting things like that

[@itsodiumchloride9516]

​@@OrionEJExcept he never said that. He was actually explaining why she wouldnt fit into the "born to stream" category, because she was born into a family of grandmasters, hence why he said she was "born to be a world champion not to stream". That doesn’t imply she’s some disappointment for not achieving it or that she’s bad at chess. Only a massive loser could twist his words that far.

[@LoganNagol]

@@OrionEJ imagine one of your friends makes a little joke about your shirt, no big deal or anything, and then some random guy just standing there adds “YO EVERYONE THIS GUY JUST COMPLETELY DESTROYED THAT NERD’S INSANELY UGLY AND HIDEOUS SHIRT OMG I CANT BELIEVE HE WOULD SAY THAT ABOUT THAT SHIRT EVEN THO IT IS SO UGLY AND STINKS LIKE WET DOG” and you just standing there like bruh 😐

[@OrionEJ]

​@@LoganNagol It wouldn't really make any sense, because i dress well. 🤷‍♂

[@SlimShady-q3f]

Remember when Hikaru said that being good at chess doesn't mean that you're smart, he was talking about himself

[@nowisek]

most of them

[@kashem425]

5:07 Sagar has a burning passion for chess. He’s a great commentator IMO which helps make Chess more interesting to casuals.

[@ravithangiralaviolin1201]

Just a quick note to Hikaru and everyone else: Levy in my opinion is one of the best chess youtubers on the planet. He brings so much enthusiam and joy into what he does while also not making his videos over edited so fans can connect to what he's showing. Absolutely incredible person

[@RajivKumar-xp9qn]

True that... Levy's contribution is similar to samay and sagar's, only difference is levy is sort of global...

[@nekhillkumar7397]

Sagar's commentary skill is unmatched, it definitely does stand out hikaruuu. -Hikaru Fan but sagar shah "talent KnOwEr"

[@BofaDeezKnights]

Sagar is the GOAT. He makes chess matches sound like a South American soccer match.

[@fortheloveofphysics7185]

Sagar is only commentator whose commentary make one excited and keep at edge of seat in a supposedly boring and calm game like chess. If this is not talent then talent don't exist 😅😅

[@vibeyy69]

Whole Video Summary : Hikaru Praising Himself!

[@wooshbait36]

He is a huge narcissist lmao; he has to make everything about himself, and his enormous ego is showing.

[@vibeyy69]

@@wooshbait36 And the Big Irony is that He doesn't even care about that.

[@johnpeter2609]

​@@vibeyy69he literally doesn't CAREEE!!!

[@nutie9571]

bro basically because he is the GOAT

[@nitinraj8396]

​@@nutie9571 he isn't even the greatest of his generation dude

[@AtyulitRout-wg5ps]

Naricissim is off the charts lmao. Good thing there's someone like magnus to keep his ego on check.

[@eraseyoursoc1al]

can you blame him, was one of youngest chess grandmasters at his age, arguably top 5 chess player in the world, and made millions from switching to content creation.

[@geenethmethmin2487]

​@@eraseyoursoc1aldoes that mean Hikaru agrees that he is narcissistic?

[@simonraffael]

@@eraseyoursoc1al That said, it is not nice of him to praise himself in everything, he often belittles others, but when he is criticised, he is self-justifying and his ego is bruised.

[@AtyulitRout-wg5ps]

@@eraseyoursoc1al so? Buddy that's not an excuse to belittle everyone lol. If you have seen some of his other stuffs such as him acting like a retard against alireza or even his beef against danya and chessbrahs you would know he's got a huge of a ego and doesn't accept anything if it's not him adopting others which is a insufferable behaviour.

[@AtyulitRout-wg5ps]

Lmao my own comment on this got deleted 😭 that's hilarious

[@pedrohlc17]

3:11 i had to leave.. couldn't survive the cringe

[@okolenmi7511]

Even Hikaru was clickbaited on youtube "shitpost" recomendation. What a time to be alive.

[@EstudosLatim]

Best part of the video lol

[@Divyendu-w6d]

Hikaru completely missed the banter

[@KooldewdOnline]

Sarcasm is not for Hikaru

[@deepakbisht4957]

Making shots hiding behind so called sarcasm is something that naive kids like you will never understand... These are dual nature sarcasm that you can take in any ways but it has both meanings...

[@Thegaming728]

⁠@@deepakbisht4957bro thinks he‘s a psychologist

[@myopiniondoesntmatterbut4826]

@@deepakbisht4957armchair psychologist, call yourself down youre not some enlightened intellectual

[@XenonTempest]

​@@Thegaming728 He might be one you never know

[@pocketvices]

Always hasn't been

[@schrodingerscat86]

Too much yapping by hikaru 😮‍💨

[@harveycminusmansfiel]

I’m honestly baffled Hikaru and his team would willingly post this video. He comes across as a massive out of touch bitter narcissist. Praising others for what they’ve been able to achieve rather than digging and jabbing at people that puts them down makes for a better person and better brand. There’s that classic destructive downward spiral from admiration to envy to resentment. Admiration is something we should all learn to practice more frequently p, especially Hikaru.

[@AlJayWright]

he also seems to lack an ounce of humour or levity. Like he sees things very literally, while Anish is much more of a joker who sees things from a comedic standpoint

[@Yamom2323]

I’d argue you sound like the unhinged narcissist. You believe that one of the greatest chess players of his generation shouldn’t voice his opinion about chess? You believe the second most viewed streamer shouldn’t give his opinion about streaming? That’s extremely narcissistic. Believing you have the right to judge someone’s opinion in a field you have zero expertise in? Then rant about it in the comments? Knowing he won’t read it nor care if he happened to? That’s far more narcissistic and unhinged than anything he said.

[@Yamom2323]

You also believe that you have the ability and right to say whether his opinion is right or wrong. Nothing is more narcissistic than that.

[@Wargasm54]

Levy is definitely legendary. His subscribers alone proves that.

[@praveenchoudhary6756]

Anish should try Stand up Comedy for sure. He’s wittily sarcastic

[@VARMOT123]

Hikaru's reaction to this make him see like an unhinged narcissist . Dude everyone knows you are an extraordinary chess player. This was just a fun subjective list

[@intenseavarice34]

Your comment to this vedoe makes you seem like an overly-obsessed neurotic. Like dude, the whole point of react content is to get these types of responses out there. This was just a fun, opinionated stream. Chill out lol

[@nathanaelleclercq2912]

That is because he is an unhinged narcissist

[@demolitionrig9614]

Gosh he is such a Narcissist saying someone else has a brighter future than him!!! Like come on people watch the video man and stop overusing these labels.

[@AtyulitRout-wg5ps]

@@intenseavarice34 yeah and when you watch videos it's quite common to write a comment and show how you felt he did exactly the same. So what's your point bud?

[@illusorytrutheffect]

That’s a very harsh title to throw at someone you barely know. He is just rational and critical. Nothing wrong with that..

[@VARMOT123]

Anish-vidit combo is super entertaining. Anish is the most natural charismatic and smart extrovert in all of sport

[@giridharpavan1592]

the man's toxic

[@arctic-1878]

Mega-narcisist Hikaru just had to mention that he is a bigger youtuber. What a humble man.

[@saimmostafa5627]

Peak Narcissism lol

[@adamleckius2253]

God Anish is such a comedian. I will definitely start watching him more

[@souravsingh5908]

He is hilarious..watch his streams with vidit in pandemic.

[@Shreyas-yn6bz]

Samay is definitely a goat chess streamer especially for Indians. Its just because of him a lot of people including me started following chess. He changed our perspective that chess is a boring game.

[@roopamaurya4766]

Yep agreed

[@VARMOT123]

Not our . May be in the hindi belt . Virtually every south indian kid plays chess at school

[@studykabaap2530]

@@VARMOT123 woah maybe in ur school dont say every south indian our schools dont have chess

[@mranonymous707]

I started playing chess watching Levy

[@roopamaurya4766]

@@VARMOT123 ofcourse in hindi

[@MrRop-yp3wt]

Hikaru insulting Anna while putting words in Giri mouth

[@bhargavjitbhuyan9394]

Lol.

[@cocogus]

Botez sisters on the same tier as Levy is absolutely insane

[@ramachandra776]

Anish was being smooth in his trolling of the chess streamers while Hikaru was a little upfront though both have more or less the same opinion about chess streamers . Anna Cramling brought a sense of fun to her chess videos while the Botez sisters used chess as a vehicle to get into the more general streaming categories. Anish hesitated though i think because his wife Sopiko is friends with Botez sisters . Hikaru has no such restraints and thus gave his unfiltered opinions .

[@DHHFanatic]

Drunk Hikaru vs Drunk Magnus will be Legendary 🔥

[@maklsi]

Finally, Hikaru reacts to Hikaru interviewing Hikaru.

[@saad5590]

Hikaru Nakamura interviewing Nikaru Hakamura was funniest thing I watched all week

[@superman198224]

Anish said “all women are queens” for Anna.

[@chesscomsupport8689]

If that is true, then Alex is really anti-woman.

[@yesyouareright9800]

Give me one in the top 100

[@anonymous00278]

@@chesscomsupport8689 lol

[@kuzma2004able]

It's really sad to see how he can't restrain from exaggerating stuff and constantly reminding that he is the best. I dont think it was the case prior. Like what tf happened, maaan... Just genuinely very sad

[@Jungkookfanfictiondiaries]

Ohh God hikaru is sounding so full of himself I swear

[@logant6490]

Ginger gm is by far the most enjoyable channel. Attacking chess and wonderful adult banter.

[@2bitvagrant584]

Get over yourself Hikaru. Your personality leaves plenty to be desired. Remember that before trying to diminish other streamers who are a lot more entertaining than you. Modesty should come naturally for someone who will never be more than #2.

[@geenethmethmin2487]

Pin of shame ?

[@simonraffael]

I see that Hikaru pinned it, as it probably hurt him a lot. I don't think it's fair that you equate his personal values with his chess skills, but I completely agree with you that he could behave in a more humane way and be a bit more humble. Whenever he gets any minor insult, he gets indignant and tries to justify himself, but whenever something nice or good is said about someone else in the video, Hikaru questions it most of the time.

[@andresv.8880]

He's only modest concerning the number 1 lol 😂

[@Debbie2324]

Hikaru is taking this video wayyy too seriously 😂

[@Morill128]

What Sagar and CBI overall stand out at is the quality of on-site reporting from events. No one comes even close to making you feel like "you're there", including the biggest organizations with a lot of resources.

[@_Naythan_]

Every chess player is egotistic, at least he's being honest

[@VARMOT123]

Chessbase india video viewers are from around the world .content is global. Their streams are mostly india specific

[@originaljungle]

if El Magneto streamed full time the other streamers would be toast lol

[@Friknob-s]

"have you ever blamed a fart on someone else?" "Yes, magnus carlsen" 😂😂

[@RalphA-y7b]

The center of the chess universe has a name, Hikaru. You are a planet with many moons, you are not a system with many planets. 🤦🏻‍♂️. I honestly think Hikaru is trying to get recognition in all areas surrounding chess, streaming, blitz, time played, many chess championships to make him seem that he is part of with Magnus or better. As long as Magnus is number one the best he should settle with is number two. Accept it, lol

[@lucianorodriguez7726]

He found a problem in everyone, "if vidit streams a lot his chess suffer".. man there is no lineal equations for everything

[@cisholdinginc.3823]

Chess KZbinrs I love - Anna (Wholesome) - Epic Chess (Funny commentary) - Gauci Chess (Best Chess lessons) - Giga Dummy (Interesting Games)

[@Marioandluigi-j2k]

Levy is S tier magnus milker, S tier creating content out of nothing creator.

[@liljackypaper]

He's slowly become unwatchable for me. I turn his videos on and he just starts rambling about nothing and I turn it off. Last video I watched he started going on a rant about prime numbers and I just closed the video so fast.

[@uzomaamarachi1162]

Still levy is the best

[@AtyulitRout-wg5ps]

@@Marioandluigi-j2k yeah but he's goated. he's funny, does beginner chess lessons and is just has a very likeable personality. That explains why he got so many subs.

[@lucianorodriguez7726]

@@liljackypaper That was a 20 seconds talk about prime numbers, if you want 100% content go watch shorts of youtube.

[@liljackypaper]

@@lucianorodriguez7726 found Levy's burner

[@thesubhumancomedy]

This was entertaining, to see Hikaru's reaction. People take it way too seriously.

[@martinpaddle]

Funny to see you criticize people for going more in the KZbinr direction as opposed to streaming. Many people have a life and can't waste their time watching streams (then there's also the issue with time zones). With YT content, you can watch it whenever you have time. There's also something to be said about well produced YT videos rather than just watching someone play and talk.

[@ArabianKnight63]

Sagar is a fkn legend , he has covered sub 800s to supergms for so many years, dude taught noobs during covid.

[@Irfanhill]

Anish was really in fire in that video! 😂 Also, the miniature is crazy good 😅

[@KrishVij-l8y]

I don't enjoy the botez sisters much idk know why I feel like they try to overhype a lot of things like there is this one shot where I think Andrea botez deliberately put her queen to sack so as to get the "botez gambit " reaction I would enjoy an honest game of chess rather than getting deliberate sacrifice . I understand why they do it though

[@abirvaabchatterjee6439]

Nemo once said "How did you just roast all 3 of us?"

[@Friknob-s]

"is magnus intimidated by you?" "yes 100%" 😂😂😂😂

[@NJDJ1986]

i love how after reacting to the tierlist, Hikaru reacted to Hikaru interrogating himself, which the edit was funny, & saved the best for last for Cagnus Marlsen standing awkwardly on stage !

[@wooshbait36]

Most enormous ego in chess.

[@A_NormalWeeb]

Hikaru speaks the truth without any filter and I love it

[@yakonpetzinc7451]

From Guatemala: this video was genius, I enjoyed it, while translating something very difficult.

[@rendezvousonmemorylane]

The Simp energy is off the charts 😂

[@grey8478]

what, loving your wife is simping? esad misogynist

[@ArabianKnight63]

Anish is a troll, dude would excel at standup comedy.

[@ravithangiralaviolin1201]

4:28 Hikaru butchered Sagar's name 😂

[@PiyushSuryatale-s3f]

HIKARU WATCHING HIKARU INTERVIEWING HIKARU IS CRAZY!!!!!!!!

[@feelsbadman1677]

No Abbo count could ever be bigger than Hikarus Ego. Infact nothing could.

[@masterno8576]

How the hell is levy not on top

[@eraseyoursoc1al]

cause he is basic, it means hes good for a lot of people but he's not the "best" for many. c

[@geenethmethmin2487]

Cuz this isnt about KZbin. This is about chess streamers

[@Alain9-1]

normal guy, an IM at the end

[@russellhoughton2132]

He might be taking this a bit too seriously.

[@kashem425]

8:41 Thing to remember , Vidit and Anish rib each other Constantly so pretty much everything said here is for entertainment.

[@shekharagarwal7127]

Good to see that the comment section gives Hikaru a reality check, wonder what he thinks when he reads them.

[@danalawrence4473]

This is all pretty interesting. My take is that you enjoy your success in streaming/vidoes because of your success in the world of chess. You are, after all, one of the best in the world. I find that Anna's enthusiasm for chess is infectious, and her joy at being able to present it captures you. That she is also attractive helps her with younger men. For me, the issue I have with the Botez sisters is that I am not a fan of snark, and all too often that is how they come across. as is same for Dina Belenkaya, who is actually an accomplished player. Levy is often too much for me; I wish he would dial himself down a bit. For me, the most important content creator is Epic Chess (James Gardner), who does a very good job of keeping his videos to a decent length, provides excellent analysis and seems to love what he does.

[@GolfRaffi]

Hikaru KZbin: 2.59M subscribers, Botez KZbin: 1.7M subscribers and Anna KZbin: 1.28M subscribers So I guess Hikaru isn't 100% up to date about how big Botez KZbin is

[@vivekagrawal5608]

Anish is so free that he can make a reaction video on this reaction video.

[@wot_hog]

Sagar is simply the greatest chess journalist in the world. THAT is his forté.

[@CapnChill5]

Anish is hilarious

[@lalpark]

People critique Hikaru for beeing too full of himself but the reality is he’s the only one who’s a top streamer and is also one of the top chess players.

[@valnovanoth]

With this thumbnail, Hikaru just “drew” fire on Anish

[@arctic-1878]

11:30 Uh excuce me, the Botez sisters have more views on regular videos than Hikaru!

[@oliverkim6610]

I think it's because hikaru uploads way more videos more often, so his overall views on long form are much higher

[@sujalprince]

And u know why . 🍑 🥵

[@N3V3RJUGG]

have you been drunk at games? hikaru asks *yes* hikaru answers

[@mamaBucketvfx]

Vidit just now got about 130K USD for gold in Olympiad.

[@complicated.exe.0.x]

What tf do I see in the thumbnail? Samay Raina is sitting alongside Magnus in the same tier; of course, guys, Magnus is lower than that.

[@chsh9686]

Meanwhile most chess viewers prefer watching Levy than Hikaru, because he's just more entertaining...

[@blizyon30fps86]

Only on KZbin, also majority of levy’s viewers are casuals. Hikarus viewers are usually people who actually come to watch the game of chess not be entertained so they’re usually better at the game. So no not “most chess viewers”

[@subhamkumarsah933]

this guy is also a yappologist !

[@bintube5269]

The ending was the funniest part

[@ArabianKnight63]

They missed agadmator the goat 😢

[@rishabhpal8236]

Agadmator 🐐

[@UnknownUser-j3n]

Best channel. Now i cant watch any game on any other channel. Just Agadmator.

[@JoschC]

Your streams/videos make my life easier.

[@22mylbrown94]

Hikaru says I can maintain both while barely playing OTB just put the fries in the bag bro

[@YandreYak]

the missing category would be AI-like-streamer

[@Marrow452]

Thought the Magnus and Lily Collins thing was a deepfake but it turns out it's real.

[@EF0E]

Jerry from ChessNetwork is in a tier of his own. He's the best teacher and educator while also being fairly entertaining at times, though it's definitely more educational than entertainment which is why he's not as popular.

[@usuariocelular8065]

19:55 so, he saying magnus was 100% afraid of him was what.

[@andresv.8880]

Yes, Hikaru can come off as a narcissist who takes things too literally, but there is also this moment 13:30

[@aianonymousinfo3216]

samay is the best streamer legendary one

[@MrRop-yp3wt]

I thought top chess players were smart until Hikaru

[@chesscomsupport8689]

You left out Kramnik.

[@prashantsingh139]

Flexing for 100th time and saying I don’t need to do that

[@Jordan-tr3fn]

3:15 the didn't forgot modesty haha

[@GolfRaffi]

Hikaru, you said their is a 6th category that is missing, did you mean Recycle Bin? LOL

[@calmakopomasadiano6445]

So many bunch of haters here lmao. It's just a typical occurrence when one individual just enjoys and praise himself for once when most of the videos, stream, he does the opposite. And when he does people see this an opportunity to just attack him.

[@padfoot9690]

This seems like an AI generated video of Hikaru...since when does Hikaru praise himself this much and he never really insults people outright

[@AtyulitRout-wg5ps]

Levy is hella funny bro.

[@Deepak_Arya]

Hikaru....i like hikaru straight forward mind....he says what he feels.....

[@whoharrshhh]

Bro hikaru chill

[@ggwp77777]

Only streams i actually enjoy is when hikaru or magnus streams others streams are just unbearable to watch

[@dasfasdas7350]

Last part is unexpectedly funny🤣😂