Nakamura Sparks Controversy After Tossing Gukesh’s King In Checkmate: USA Vs India Event
The chess world on Sunday was stirred by controversy when Japan-born American GM Hikaru Nakamura defeated world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, securing a 5-0 victory for Team USA over Team India at the Checkmate: USA vs India event. After making his winning move, Hikaru stood up, grabbed Gukesh’s king, tossed it into the cheering crowd, and waved his arms in celebration.
The act sparked mixed reactions on social media, with many calling his celebration disrespectful. A video of Nakamura’s gesture quickly went viral.
FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky criticised Nakamura for his behaviour. “The event was a show. Fans were ecstatic. Players were encouraged to behave accordingly. All true. Now, for better or worse, name me one top player who would do what Hikaru did”, he said in a post on X.
Commenting on the post, Checkmate organisers took a dig at Sutovsky, saying, “On behalf of the organisers, we admit having forced the players to have fun, to please the crowd and to forego the FIDE etiquette. We sincerely apologise if the players, the live audience and the vast majority of online viewers had a good time.”
Reacting to the organisers’ post, Nakamura shared a series of laughing emojis.
In the match, Nakamura and Gukesh began with a solid draw, featuring a bishop endgame. In the five-minute game, Nakamura played to entertain the crowd with his opening move 1.b4. Initially gaining a space advantage on the queenside, he was gradually outplayed, and Gukesh held the advantage for much of the game.
The game was ultimately decided in severe time trouble for both players. With little time to think, Gukesh blundered into a tactic related to his weak dark squares, allowing a mate in one. Instead of repeating moves for another draw and forcing a bullet game, Team USA secured a 5-0 victory over Team India. After winning, Nakamura again took Gukesh’s king and threw it into the crowd.
Former world champion and Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik criticised Nakamura, calling his behaviour a “childish, tasteless act.”
“I don’t know who came up with this childish, tasteless act. Likely this ‘thinker’ had no specific intention to humiliate Gukesh, but could have realised that this public gesture (using opponent’s king) looks offensive and provocative, especially against the World Champion,” Kramnik posted on X.
