Viral video: Hikaru Nakamura shocks with ‘unsportsmanlike’ gesture after beating D Gukesh, infuriates Indian fans

Hikaru Nakamura shocked world champion D Gukesh. India lost 0-5 to the USA in the first Checkmate event, held in Arlington, USA. However, what Nakamura did after winning raised many eyebrows.

The thrilling match saw both teams creating strong chances. But, the Americans kept their cool to sweep the tie. ̌India struggled while playing with black pieces.

Hikaru Nakamura is ranked number 2 in the world, according to FIDE ratings. His FIDE rating is 2816. Gukesh is the reigning World Chess Champion. He holds the number 11 rank. Norway’s Magnus Carlsen is the current number 1.

After winning, Hikaru Nakamura threw Gukesh’s king to the crowd. The 37-year-old American chess grandmaster was playing against his Indian counterpart, aged 19.

“A grown man tossing his opponent’s King who’s half his age into the crowd. Real classy, Hikaru. The hate Magnus and Hikaru have for India’s Gukesh is just unreal,” wrote one Twitter (now X) user while sharing a video of the incident.

“Both teams were briefed that theatrics were encouraged and throwing kings, knocking them over etc. to hype the crowd up was ok. It just so happened that Hikaru won, and pretty sure he even spoke to/apologised to Gukesh backstage, saying it was all for show,” replied another user.

“When the whole world still cheer for you even when you lose, that's the sign that you have already won,” commented an Instagram user while referring to the Indian grandmaster.

One user said, “Poor sportsmanship by Hikaru” while another predicted, “He'll be regretting this soon now.”

“That's a pretty bold move! I wonder if it was frustration or just a moment of intense energy. What do you think is the line between passionate play and unsportsmanlike conduct in chess?” came from a Twitter user.

“His celebration proves that Gukesh is a great player,” posted another social media user.

D Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen meme moment

In June, during Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025, teenage grandmaster D Gukesh stunned Magnus Carlsen with a remarkable win in the classical game. The loss left Carlsen visibly upset.

He slammed the table before walking away, an unusual outburst for the calm champion. The video quickly went viral, flooding social media with memes and fan reactions.

"The memes are actually very funny. I laughed at it for like 10 minutes," Gukesh told ChessBase India as he picked a cat meme as his favourite.

Check out the viral meme video, Gukesh’s favourite, here: