Hikaru Nakamura has defended himself in opposition to withering criticism from just a few former gamers and followers on social media for tossing D Gukesh’s king into the group after defeating the world champion in an exhibition recreation within the USA known as Checkmate: USA vs India. Nakamura has additionally gone forward and urged a singular means, like dancing on Bollywood music, for Gukesh to rejoice if the Indian beat Nakamura in a reverse recreation in India, scheduled for later within the 12 months.
Though Gukesh is but to talk out concerning the incident, Nakamura has come beneath appreciable criticism from Indian followers, who’ve accused him of disrespecting the sport and Gukesh. Within the days for the reason that controversy, it has emerged that it was the occasion organisers. who had urged to the gamers to do issues like throwing the king into the followers and even breaking a king in the event that they win, simply to make it appear like a sports activities occasion and entertain the followers.
Nakamura stated that no participant would ever do such a factor in a critical chess event.
ALSO READ | ‘No disrespect’: Story behind Hikaru Nakamura tossing Gukesh’s king at followers after checkmating world champion
“It was not an insult… If it have been a critical occasion, just like the Candidates, in fact you’ll by no means do such a factor. No person would! It doesn’t matter if it was Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann, Anish Giri, or me. However this was a purely leisure occasion,” Nakamura stated in a video on his YouTube stream.
Within the video, Nakamura additionally defined why he had thrown the king underhand to keep away from hurting anybody. He stated he was a southpaw who had performed a little bit of baseball as a child earlier than switching to chess.
WATCH: Hikaru Nakamura throws Gukesh’s king into crowd
America shouldn’t be allowed to host chess events- they flip every part into WWE-style drama. An absolute mockery of the sport.#Chess pic.twitter.com/yDJnsai7oX
— Meru (@MeruOnX) October 5, 2025
“Due to the way in which the king is formed, I may not likely throw the king like a baseball. If the king have been like a baseball, I’d have most likely thrown it midway deep. However with the king, I may have truly harm somebody. And there was no different method to give it to the followers… until I used to be going to stroll and hand it over.”
Nakamura then gave a celebration suggestion for Gukesh if he wins the second battle of Checkmate: USA vs India, if it occurs in India later within the 12 months, because the organisers have deliberate.
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“Assuming we go to India and play a match in India. I’d let you know what Gukesh ought to do if he wins. He ought to simply get up, they need to queue up the Bollywood music, and he ought to begin dancing or one thing. He ought to begin dancing on the chessboard in entrance of me. One thing like that. And that may not insult me. That may be no insult in anyway,” Nakamura stated.
WATCH: Levy Rozman discusses the match in opposition to Gukesh
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