Recently, in October 2025, Nakamura sparked controversy by throwing the king chess piece into the crowd after a match victory against Indian world champion D Gukesh at the ‘Checkmate: USA vs India’ event, drawing mixed reactions on social media. He took Gukesh’s king piece from the chessboard and theatrically threw it into the crowd to celebrate. This event happened in the final game of the day as part of a 5-0 clean sweep by Team USA over Team India.
Nakamura explained whole scenario
Nakamura explained later that he had planned to throw the king if he won and felt the dramatic one-minute bullet game made the gesture fitting. The act was intended as showmanship to hype up the crowd, and according to fellow competitor Levy Rozman, both teams were briefed to include theatrics like this to engage spectators. Nakamura even reportedly spoke to Gukesh backstage afterward to apologize and clarify it was all for the show.
However, the gesture received mixed reactions. Many fans and observers found throwing Gukesh’s king disrespectful and unnecessary, especially given Gukesh’s young age and status as the reigning World Champion. Some praised Gukesh for maintaining composure, while others criticized the act as poor sportsmanship. FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky commented that while the act was showmanship, there should be limits, though he noted it was not a matter of nationality but style.
In summary, Nakamura’s throwing of Gukesh’s king in the crowd was a premeditated celebratory stunt designed to energize the audience but sparked debate over respect and sportsmanship in professional chess.
