Reference

In 2004, Hikaru Nakamura achieved several significant personal milestones in his chess career:

1. 4th Place in "B" Group at Corus Tournament: In April 2004, Nakamura finished in fourth place in the "B" group at the prestigious Corus (now Tata Steel) tournament held in Wijk aan Zee.

2. Qualification for FIDE World Chess Championship: Nakamura qualified for the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004, held in Tripoli, Libya. He performed exceptionally well, reaching the fourth round and defeating several grandmasters, including Sergey Volkov.

3. Entering the World's Top 100: Nakamura broke into the world's top 100 ranked players for the first time in October 2004.

4. New York State Champion: He also won the New York State Championship in 2004.

5. Achieved a Rating of 2600+: Nakamura surpassed the 2600 rating mark for the first time during the FIDE 2004 knockout tournament.

These accomplishments marked a significant year in Nakamura's early career and positioned him as one of the rising stars in the chess world.

For more details, you can visit the Wikipedia page on Hikaru Nakamura.