U.S. Chess Champion Hikaru Toasts 11% Portfolio Gain in April

U.S. chess champion Hikaru Nakamura has some key stocks to thank as he posted an impressive gain in his TipRanks investment portfolio during April.

In this monthly round-up we look at the stocks which have helped Hikaru during the period, which has been dominated by the war in Iran, concerns over inflation and the economy and continued concerns over an AI bubble.

Overall, Hikaru has delivered an 11.06% return over a one month period. He is down 4.27% over a 6 month timeframe, but is up 1.07% in the year-to-date. Overall, he has notched up a 10.26% gain, has a 9.38% average return on his transactions and has achieved 10 out of 18 profitable transactions.

Key Stocks

Let’s look at the stocks which have powered Hikaru higher over the last month.

• Oil giant Exxon Mobil (XOM) has recorded a 1.96% gain for Hikaru since he bought the stock in February. It has been helped by the huge hike in oil prices as a result of the war in Iran.
• Chip maker Intel (INTC) has recorded a remarkable 174.97% holding gain for the chess champ since he bough the stock in September 26, 2025. It has been boosted by the continued surge in demand for AI.
• Alphabet Class C (GOOG) is sitting on a 51.55% holding gain, again boosted by its embrace of AI.

Chess and Investing

Chess and stock market investing share a number of characteristics. The need for both long- and short-term strategies, thinking two or three steps ahead of the opposition, keeping your cool during periods of adversity, being able to adapt strategies, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each piece/asset in your portfolio and continually learning from your mistakes and successes.

That is why we here at TipRanks are so excited to partner with and follow the investment strategies of Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.

As part of our strategic partnership, we have built a Stream Portfolio. Fans of Hikaru can track and follow it in real time on his popular video channels and social media streams, but they’ll also be able to contribute ideas from the stream chat and help shape the overall holdings. Working with TipRanks’ award-winning investment tools, Hikaru is detailing his investment moves while demonstrating the platform. All content will include clear disclosures and does not constitute investment advice.  Hikaru is, according to Chess.com, a five-time U.S. champion, claiming the title in 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2019. Nakamura was also a participant in FIDE’s 2004 World Championship tournament and a candidate for the world championship in both 2016 and 2022, qualifying for a third in 2024. He has over 2 million followers on Amazon (AMZN) owned streaming platform Twitch.