It was an all-American affair in the consolidation match of the 2024 Speed Chess Championship, and streamer extraordinaire Nakamura battered his young opponent, outthinking and outlasting Niemann in the progressively faster time controls.

After defeats to Alireza Firouzja and Magnus Carlsen, respectively, in the semifinals, Nakamura and Niemann faced off in a match that may not have had that much riding on the line in terms of tournament prestige, but human elements still made it a notable clash between two of North America’s greatest players.