What Just Happened? The Chess World Is Fighting—Please Stop!

Wow, did that really happen? The chess world was sent into convulsions at the weekend over one split-second moment that appeared to expose a much deeper division in the game.

The fall-out was fascinating to watch.

If you took in the showy, star-studded Checkmate: USA vs India match held in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, you will know exactly what we're talking about.

GM Hikaru Nakamura, the world number-two playing for the U.S., checkmated world champion Gukesh D and then flung the black king into the crowd in celebration to cheers, jeers and shouts of "U.S.A."

Nakamura's blockbuster win meant the U.S. wiped the floor with India 5-0. But that celebration was too much for some.

Nakamura's triumphant gesture was probably pre-planned. It's possible the organizers asked him to do it. Gukesh may even have been asked to do the same if he had won. We don't know. Also, it was only an exhibition match.

Still, it divided the chess world.

Indian fans—of whom there are now many—fumed at the perceived disrespect to their nation.

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky, reacting as he usually does by expressing his thoughts on X, was more concerned about disrespect to the game.

Sutovsky called it "just showmanship," adding: "Rather distasteful if you ask me. I understand this entire match was about show, but there should be some red lines IMO."

The man charged with running FIDE's high-profile events, then continued his criticism before the organizers of the Checkmate match responded with a pointed barb of their own:

Sutovsky was not alone among the serious chess crowd.

GM Vladimir Kramnik, the former world champion, said: "This is not just vulgarity, but already a diagnosis of the degradation of modern chess."

Kramnik was not impressed. He added: "There are players who show respect and mature gentlemanly behaviour, many prominent players in fact (Wesley So, Gukesh himself, and many others). Promoting for years the player known for his awful behaviour, instead, a deliberate action, is damaging our game in my opinion."

The Singaporean GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming, a seven-time national champion, said: "If the future of chess is where it's acceptable behaviour to toss opponent's pieces into the crowd, I'm not sure I want anything to do with it."

WFM Alexandra Botez, the hugely-popular chess influencer, had a different take: "Everyone begs for more emotion in chess… then drags anyone who shows it. The irony."

By Monday, Sutovsky was in a slightly more reflective mood and opined that the clash over what happened "embodies huge difference in perception" over "what chess essentially is."

This is a fair point and gets to the nub of it: is the grand old game of chess a serious sport or fun entertainment? Can it be both? That debate will rumble on.

For Nakamura, the answer is clear. He said after: "If I won I was always gonna throw the king—the fact it was a dramatic bullet game made it even better. I hope the fans enjoyed it!"

We did—and the chess drama after!