Chess king Carlsen punches table in frustration after losing to India’s D Gukesh in Norway Open – Video goes viral

Chess king Magnus Carlsen punched the table in frustration following a crushing defeat to the reigning champion from India, D Gukesh, in the 6th round of the Norway Open in Stavanger on Sunday (June 1). Carlsen’s reaction to perhaps his ‘most painful’ defeats, as described by Susan Polgar, was louder and more dramatic, considering how well he dominated Round 6 of this prestigious event before blundering.

Sitting across the table was Gukesh, who failed to direct his emotions into joy and was rather taken aback by the outcome as he lagged for most of this round. As Carlsen was unable to handle his anger, storming off the site in despair, Gukesh was trying to absorb the emotion of this landmark victory over the world number one.

The Indian Grandmaster secured perhaps one of his most crucial wins against Carlsen in his backyard, beating him in classical time control for the first time in his career. Playing with white pieces, D Gukesh didn’t crumble under pressure and instead capitalised on Carlsen’s blunder in the endgame, converting it into a statement victory.

Although Carlsen’s first reaction told the entire story, with him quickly realising losing his cool and then compensating with a cold handshake with Gukesh, the Indian superstar got up from his seat in disbelief, wondering what he had pulled off.

Legendary Susan Polgar also described the enormity of Carlsen's loss to Gukesh in a social media post, writing,

“Carlsen rarely loses in classical chess, and he rarely commits big blunders. He was playing so well with the black pieces in round 6 in Norway against Gukesh. He had a winning position with more time on the clock. But Gukesh did not give up. He continued to fight, and Carlsen's advantage slowly disappeared. Then when both were in time pressure, he made a huge blunder, which cost him the game.

“This has to be one of the most painful losses in his spectacular career. I am sure he is very angry with himself," she said.

Meanwhile, it’s for the second in two years at Norway Chess that an Indian teenager has beaten Carlsen in the classical format. Before Gukesh made headlines for topping the home hero with his composure, his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa had defeated Carlsen last year.