Hikaru Nakamura Responds to Backlash After Throwing King Piece at Chess Event

Hikaru Nakamura responds to backlash after throwing king piece at chess event

Hikaru Nakamura defends tossing Gukesh’s king at the USA vs India chess event, calling it a fun celebration

Why did Hikaru Nakamura throw Gukesh's king into the crowd after defeating him at 'Checkmate: USA vs India'?

Chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura was captured throwing D Gukesh's king into the crowd after defeating him at the 'Checkmate: USA vs India' event, the moment sparked major controversy as many criticised Nakamura's gesture.

Explained: Nakamura’s ‘king toss’ vs Gukesh sparks row at Checkmate event

Nakamura himself admitted that his celebration was pre-planned in a post-match interaction. “If I won, I was always gonna throw the King. The fact that it was a dramatic bullet match made it even better. I hope the fans enjoyed it.”

Chess world split over piece-throwing celebration

World number two Hikaru Nakamura has beaten the current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and thrown his king to the cheering crowd, prompting the chess world to debate whether it was showmanship or disrespect.

‘Vulgarity… would you take pants off if organisers asked’: Vladimir Kramnik slams Hikaru Nakamura for throwing D Gukesh’s king

Singaporean GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming, who had organised last year’s world championship match, where Gukesh had become the world champion, also agreed with Kramnik. “If the future of chess is one where it’s acceptable behaviour to toss opponent’s pieces into the crowd, I'm not sure I want anything to do with it,” he wrote on X.

Hikaru Nakamura Throws D Gukesh's King Into The Crowd After Beating Him, Sparks Big Controversy

The Japan-born American chess star sparked a massive controversy with his post-match gesture.