Chess streamer Hikaru Nakamura was banned from Twitch on Tuesday. It is the first time he has been banned since joining the platform in 2019. The official reason for his ban has not been revealed publicly by Twitch or Hikaru as of writing this article.
While as of writing this article the reason for his ban is unknown, some have speculated that his ban could be related to him watching Dr Disrespect play chess on stream, an action that could be considered ban evasion since the Doc is famously banned from Twitch. Others have speculated that his ban is related to NSFW content, though little evidence has been presented to support this claim.
Hikaru is the youngest American to ever earn the title of Grandmaster, earning that honor in 2003. The 34-year-old streamer has since made a name for himself in the chess streaming world for his educational and entertaining chess content. He joined TSM in mid-2020, becoming a leader in the esports chess movement that also includes the likes of the Botez Sisters who were signed to Team Envy around the same time.
This is a developing story, we will update it as we learn more details about his ban.
