What is the appeal of GM Hikaru Nakamura?

Is that even the right question? Perhaps we should ask why he has so many viewers? Any time he streams on twitch, he easily outshines any other broadcast on the system.

Here are my top seven reasons Hikaru is so popular, in countdown fashion.

#7 He's honest. Some people say he's arrogant or conceited. But he's one of the best players in the world! When he says he will win (even after dropping his Queen for a bishop), you should believe him. That's not arrogance, that's honesty. True humility is being totally honest with others and yourself. He's one of the best, he knows it, and he doesn't shy away from telling it like it is. BTW, he also will lament playing poorly when he's having a bad day (and still ending up winning Titled Tuesdays) - that doesn't mean he's fishing for encouragement. For him, playing badly is still good enough to beat pretty much everyone else in the world. (see his first round in the SCC tournament where he played ridiculous openings and still won handily).

#6 He streams a lot. He has said many times, that his full-time job is now streaming. Playing in big tournaments, even competing for world championships is secondary to streaming. So, you can almost always find him streaming Live.

#5 He talks to chat. He entertains questions, banters with his chat, and makes you feel that he's reading your messages and cares enough to respond to you.

#4 He plays rated games on stream. He puts those rating points at risk even though he is streaming. My friend SudacusChess says that when you stream, you lose 100 rating points in strength (because you are distracted). Hikaru is able to play at his top form while streaming...and explaining. Some streamers (myself included) will go silent mode if we're trying to win a tough position - Hikaru never seems to go silent mode.

#3 He explains everything. He can explain his moves even when playing bullet. I can barely move the pieces but he seems able to explain his moves, show alternate lines, and analyze on the fly games that are too fast to keep up with!

#2 He has the uncanny ability to keep up with a constantly scrolling stream of chatters. I can't keep up with the five chatters on my stream, if they are at all active. If you watch Hikaru's stream, the chat scrolls by non-stop. People are super active on his stream...and yet, he misses very little. He jokes with chat, comments on their best posts, thanks subscribers/donations/cheers. I think this is one of his most important talents as a streamer.

#1 He is one of the top players in the world! He currently holds two World Championships - 960 and Speed Chess. He finished tied for third in the classical World Championship Candidates. He finished in 1st place in the FIDE Grand Prix (2022). When you combine the previous reasons with his standing as one of the strongest players in the world - a player who is fully accessible to the public (noobs like me), who wouldn't want to watch his streams? Never before in the history of chess have we had a top player (now they are called Super Grandmasters) that you could "talk" to via chat, listen to, and hang out with. Imagine if your favorite celebrity (athlete, coach, singer, actor, artist, writer, etc.) was as accessible!

What did I miss? Why do you think he's so popular?