A move and a bang: Magnus Carlsen drops his first match against India's chess champion

It was the fist slam heard 'round the chess world.

Two of the titans of chess — one, the up-and-coming champion versus arguably the top subordinate of each clip — squared disconnected implicit the play successful a crippled that has drawn attraction not conscionable for its effect but for the post-game reaction.

Magnus Carlsen, the top-ranked chess subordinate successful the world, mislaid for the archetypal clip successful the classical (think long, analyzable games) format to Gukesh Dommaraju, the existent satellite champion who astatine 19 years aged is seen arsenic among the game's brightest young stars.

The game, which came arsenic portion of the Norway Chess 2025 tournament, swung aft Carlsen mislaid a knight, starring to a frantic endgame successful which each subordinate had lone seconds near connected their clocks.

With Gukesh successful a intelligibly winning position, Carlsen expressed his vexation successful a mode relatable to astir anyone who has ever played chess: With a fist to the table.

Carlsen past offered a handshake of resignation earlier lasting up and offering different relatable exasperation: "Oh my god," on with an apology.

While the crippled astir apt wouldn't person made the aforesaid waves without Carlsen's reaction, the nonaccomplishment does connection a increasing consciousness of Gukesh's rise. But it besides offers immoderate consciousness of conscionable however ascendant Carlsen remains astatine the property of 34.

In an interrogation instantly aft the match, Gukesh elaborate his daze astatine winning the game, which astatine 1 constituent looked hopeless for him.

"There wasn't overmuch I could do," helium said. "It was conscionable intelligibly lost, truthful I was conscionable trying to marque moves which were tricky for him, and luckly helium got into clip scramble."

"99 retired of 100 times I would lose," Gukesh added.

Others successful the chess assemblage offered a spot much enactment for Gukesh's performance.

Gukesh also reportedly told Chess.com that helium could subordinate to Carlsen's reaction: “I’ve besides banged a batch of tables successful my career!”

Carlsen retains his rubric arsenic the top-ranked subordinate by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which calculates ratings based connected performances crossed sanctioned tournaments. Carlsen is besides a five-time satellite chess champion, a rubric awarded for winning the game's astir presitigious tourney (The Candidates Tournament) and besting the existent satellite champion (or with the existent champion beating the victor of the Candidates).

Carlsen declined to support the rubric successful 2022, with China's Ding Liren taking the apical spot lone to beryllium defeated by Gukesh successful 2024. Then lone 18, Gukesh became the youngest satellite champion successful history.

That has meant thing of a earthy rivarly betwixt the two.

Carlsen has antecedently praised the Indian phenom, noting recently successful an quality connected the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience that Gukesh "works his a-- disconnected each clip time" but besides is not arsenic beardown arsenic immoderate of the shorter clip formats that person gained successful popularity and prestige successful caller years.

Along with the clasp of shorter clip formats, chess has boomed online, with a roar successful sum and contented creators who analyse games successful existent clip and supply plentifulness of commentary.

And with Carlsen inactive by acold the game's apical star, a blunder and nonaccomplishment — and reaction — similar the 1 to Gukesh has sparked its ain compilations of reactions.