The recent Checkmate: USA vs India exhibition match sparked controversy after American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura dramatically threw D Gukesh’s king following his victory in a bullet game. The moment quickly went viral, dividing the chess community and fans alike.

Team USA dominated the event with a clean 5–0 sweep over Team India, which featured top players such as Arjun Erigaisi, Fabiano Caruana, Divya Deshmukh, and Carissa Yip. Yet, it was Nakamura’s post-game celebration that stole the spotlight, triggering intense debate online.

While some defended Nakamura, saying his actions added entertainment value and excitement to the game, others, including FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky, criticized it as disrespectful behavior.

Chess legend Garry Kasparov later reacted in his trademark cryptic fas

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