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D Gukesh says Magnus Carlsen’s viral table slam at Norway Chess last year showed natural emotion and drew new fans.
Magnus Carlsen banged the table after losing to Arjun Erigaisi (Picture credit: Screengrab from X)
Almost a year after Magnus Carlsen’s emotional table slam following his defeat to D Gukesh at Norway Chess 2025 became one of the most talked-about moments in the sport, the Indian world champion has reflected on the incident and the attention it brought to chess.
Speaking ahead of his clash against Carlsen at Norway Chess 2026, Gukesh said the reaction, though dramatic by chess standards, was a natural display of emotion commonly seen in other sports. The interview was conducted by the tournament organisers before the start of the event.
“In most sports, it’s the bare minimum the players would do. I mean, players in other sports get into physical fights. But in chess, people are generally composed even though obviously there’s a lot of things going on inside. We are generally taught not to react. We play in these suits and it’s a gentleman’s game. So I guess I understand why the reaction was so viral. But I feel like everybody has this emotion inside when they are playing a game. And it’s nice to see them finally expressing it.”
Magnus Carlsen’s frustrated reaction after losing to Gukesh last year quickly spread across social media and sparked widespread discussion even beyond the chess community. D Gukesh believes the moment ultimately helped attract new audiences to the game.
“Like, many people get attracted to different sports or different sports personalities not just because of their skills but also the stories revolving around it. So it’s a nice thing that it got a lot of attention. A lot of people got their eyes on chess, but I wouldn’t make it a big deal,” added Gukesh.
World Chess Championship Match
On discussions surrounding a potential future rivalry with Javokhir Sindarov, Gukesh said he largely avoids consuming online chess debates and social media conversations.
“In general, I don’t follow a lot of chess content that’s coming out. I mean, some of it might be useful, but most of it is not really something that would help me in any way. So obviously I run into some things, like just because of some people telling me things or me hearing something from others. But I don’t look for it myself.”
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