NEWS: Hikaru Nakamura: King of the Checkered Frontier

CULTURE: Hikaru Nakamura: King of the Checkered Frontier

This weekend in San Diego, an 18-year old Japanese-American Chess Champion named Hikaru Nakamura is doing what he does best: defending his 2005 U.S. Championship title by treating Chess like a blood sport. The notoriously aggressive and unforgiving Nakamura broke legendary prodigy (and paranoid madman) Bobby Fischer's Grand Master record by three months, winning the title at the tender age of 15 years and 79 days. This particular whiz kid is more than just a Chess Champ, though. Nakamura, who was born in Osaka, Japan, but moved with his family to the United States at two years old, is the modern embodiment of an American legend. Like the rugged American individualists of yore—the legendary cowboy, the maverick frontiersman—Nakamura plays by his own rules, sticks to his guns, makes no apologies, and most importantly: he works alone. This is because, to put it frankly, he is arguably the best player in America. As he rides his Staunton Wood Knight off into the sunset, he consistently leaves a trail of badly beaten opponents in his wake, but it’s not as romantic as it sounds—reality rarely is. Like so many of the American mavericks who have come before him (and some who exist contemporaneously, like Eustace Conway, a North Carolina man who has lived off the land in authentic frontier style for decades), this kind of rugged American individualism—whether on the chessboard or in the Appalachians—has some serious costs. Still a teenager, Nakamura is burning out. Like Conway, Nakamura is a survivalist who has dedicated his life to being the best, but for what purpose?

There’s inordinately more money to be made in Poker tournaments than there is in Chess, and on the whole, Americans are about as interested in Chess as they are in living off the land. In Russia and Europe, sponsorships abound and Chess champions are veritable stars, but in the U.S. there are no real perks. Other than the love of the game and the desire to be the best, there isn’t a whole lot of incentive. As Americans continue to progress and move forward at ever-increasing speeds, it might be wise to ask what a Chess cowboy like Nakamura, or a modern maverick like Eustace Conway, can tell us about both our past and our future. On the surface, these two men seem to have little in common. If you dig deeper (oh, you know how deep I like to dig) into what their lives and aspirations can tell us about our country’s collective soul, you might find a cautionary tale. There isn’t a whole lot of room or interest in America for rugged individualism, anymore. Conformity is king, and in the past fifty years, our society has become centered on instant gratification and push-button convenience. Both our connection to the land, and our interest in a game that demands patience and focus have dwindled. Eustace Conway and Hikaru Nakamura show us what’s possible when we break out of the mold, take risks and invest in our individuality. But as Nakamura plows through the closing days of the 2006 U.S. Chess Championship this weekend, I can’t help but feel these unique Americans are the last of a dying breed.

I somewhat agree with the extrapolation, this time. There is growing scorn towards intellectuals and thinkers in America. I was reading The Devil in the White City, which is about the World's Columbian Exposition, and noted that it was done in reaction to Paris's Exposition Universalle, which was when the Eiffel Tower was unveiled. The US felt that it needed to display its dominance to the world after what was supposedly the most breathtaking fair ever conceived. So they went around the country, getting all the best minds working on one-upping France (it's much more complex than this, but it works as an example).

Nowadays, I just don't see that kind of a work ethic towards much of anything. America doesn't care about what the rest of the world thinks, which, it seems to me, fosters a lazy contentedness.

There still are, and always will be, unique Americans, though. The NPR program (and soon to be Showtime show) This American Life often documents a great deal of fascinating people (see their DVD, which features Ira Glass talking over drawings by Chris Ware, to see one man's story about trying to save the Louis Sullivan buildings in Chicago) who are prime examples. But I don't think these people are so much products of our culture now. Hell, maybe they never were. I have nothing to compare to. But it certainly seems like there was a difference.

Yes, everything was better in the past and everything is crap now. That's digging deep.

I don't think anyone's saying that. I'm certainly not. Things were crap in the past. The building of the White City would be illegal now; I can't remember how many people died making it. It's horrible. But there was a work ethic in the past that I think foreign competition retains to a greater extent. America these days...well, we don't care. Nobody watches the Olympics, and that's a drastic change that's occurred within my lifetime. It used to be that we wanted to be the best at everything. Not so much anymore. We watch baseball, football and basketball played in America. We're in our own little bubble and I think that the fact that we aren't viewed as competing with the rest of the world, outside of sports which I am only using as an example of the extent of our isolation, will hurt us in the long run.

I'm certainly not saying that there wasn't racism, sexism, massive violence, horrible working conditions, unbelievable amounts of corruption, a lack of education, etc., all of which do not paint a rosy picture of the past. Things are better now. Better than they've ever been, really. Doesn't mean every possible aspect of life is better.

"But there was a work ethic in the past that I think foreign competition retains to a greater extent."

There were slackers and lay abouts in the past too. I'll have to find the chart but the American work week is among the longest in the world. We work longer than a hundred years ago. Don't confuse desperation for any paying work with a work ethic either. Foreign competition really means cheap labor because their countries are poorer with less opportunity and their workers have fewer rights. When it's find work or starve labor gets real cheap. I once saw a PBS special about Africans trying to emigrate to the US and the comment that struck me was when a woman said, "I really want to live in a country where even the poor people are fat." It really is find work or starve out there.

"I think that the fact that we aren't viewed as competing with the rest of the world, outside of sports which I am only using as an example of the extent of our isolation, will hurt us in the long run."

We aren't competing with the rest of the world? That is just crazy. America is so competitive that we start wars if there is even a hint of us falling behind. A lot of countries hate us because our foreign policy is based on crushing competition for our corporations (look up World Bank practices for that). The US of A is the most crazy competitive country there is. It just doesn't get reported in our news.

My original comment was mostly about the "last of a dying breed" nonsense of the news post.

This reminds me of the "philosophy of quality" mined in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance. The bouying of esteem in contemporary society seems largely based on peer recognition, rather than self actualisation or personal goals.

It takes a year to design and build a fine guitar, but only a second to smash it on stage for a short-lived roar of approval. The significance of doing either of these things is in the eye of the beholder; perhaps both are equially valid.

Oh yes. Your analysis is so inspiring. Please continue to enlighten us with your thoroughly well-developed and cogent arguments. I can't wait for my next "lesson"!

How exactly does this guy play by his own rules? Oh wait, silly me, I was lookiing for substance and intelligence here...

~Trilo~

there will always be individuals who refuse to settle or accept the norm...outlawing abortion is horrendous ...the attack on individuality is an interesting one because ..while all governments try to quash any expressions of it..it will always be there..maybe less apparent in the daily news but there nonetheless..chess is an excellent game