Gukesh Defeats Nakamura — The Man Who Once Insulted Him By Tossing His King — And Shows The Grace Of Indian Sportsmanship

28th October 2025 at 6:11 PM

1 minute read

Unlike Nakamura, Gukesh did not retaliate by throwing the king piece.

St. Louis (USA): Earlier this month, American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura humiliated India’s world champion D.Gukesh by picking up Gukesh’s king piece and theatrically throwing it into the audience after a match — supposedly as part of a “fun gesture” encouraged by the event organizers. The act was widely viewed as disrespectful to both Gukesh and the noble game of chess.

Now, Gukesh has avenged that moment — defeating Nakamura in the same month during the “Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown” tournament featuring the world’s top four players. On the opening day, Gukesh beat the Japan-born American 1.5–0.5. Although Nakamura is considered one of the best rapid chess players in the world, Gukesh outplayed him with remarkable composure.

World Champion Gukesh takes down Hikaru Nakamura to score his first win at Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, leads the day.

Gukesh didn’t throw the king in the crowd! Says alot about culture, upbringing and his greatness! 🙏🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Yld9RrG7dm
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) October 28, 2025

When Nakamura had beaten Gukesh earlier in October, he celebrated exuberantly. But this time, Gukesh quietly acknowledged his victory — displaying the dignity and composure emblematic of Indian culture. Unlike Nakamura, Gukesh did not retaliate by throwing the king piece. Instead, through humility and restraint, he showcased his true greatness.

In the opening round of the same event, Gukesh had lost narrowly to world number one Magnus Carlsen (0.5–1.5), but he bounced back strongly — defeating both Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana (2–0) to finish the first day at the top of the table with 4/6 points. The second round will begin at 11:30 PM IST on Tuesday.