Hikaru Nakamura has been accused of disrespecting World Champion D Gukesh and undermining the spirit of sportsmanship during the USA vs India Checkmate tournament. The American grandmaster was seen tossing Gukesh’s king into the crowd after his win, a gesture many felt crossed the line. 

Now, a video that has gone viral online suggests the act wasn’t impulsive but a scripted move discussed over dinner a day earlier. The clip, shared by ChessBase India, includes Hikaru and accounts of those present when he reportedly talked about plans to toss either all the chess pieces or just the king with the organisers. The video also claims that Hikaru holds great respect for Gukesh and even spoke to him after the match to clarify that the incident was all in good humour.

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Was Hikaru’s king-throw move scripted?

In the clip, Hikaru can be heard saying before the match, “If I win, I’m going to throw the king.” Someone nearby, likely part of the organising team, replies, “You should throw all the pieces into the crowd. Make it theatrical.”

The next day, Hikaru did just that. The clip then cuts to the match, showing him tossing the king as the crowd roared, and Gukesh appeared visibly awkward with the sudden response. A member of the event staff has now said, “Without context, it looks bad, but we were actually encouraged to do that stuff.” Another person adds, “It didn’t surprise anyone on the team. It was discussed the night before over dinner, he even joked that we could break the king if needed.”

The same video claims Hikaru spoke to Gukesh after the match to clear the air. “He said it was all for show and not meant as any disrespect,” one person said, adding that Hikaru “has great respect for Gukesh.”

A flashback clip then shows Hikaru on a podcast after Gukesh’s World Championship win, saying, “I really hoped Gukesh wins. India’s chances are big, they’re treating the game the right way, and Gukesh is a deserving winner.” He even admitted that watching Gukesh play left him “speechless.”

The viral moment that sparked debate

The USA had swept India 5-0 when Hikaru beat World Champion D Gukesh in a dramatic bullet game. What followed shocked many: Hikaru picked up Gukesh’s king and threw it into the audience.

 Russian great Vladimir Kramnik was among the first to slam the move. “I don’t know who came up with this childish, tasteless act,” Kramnik wrote on X, adding that it “looked offensive and provocative, especially against the World Champion.”

When asked about the way he acted post-match, Hikaru said, “If I won, I was always going to throw the king,” he told Chess India. “The fact that it was a dramatic bullet game made it even better. I hope the fans enjoyed it.”

 Chess streamer Levy Rozman, known as GothamChess, said the theatrics were part of the brief. “Both teams were told that throwing or toppling pieces was okay to hype the crowd,” he said, adding that Hikaru even spoke to Gukesh afterward.

Dutch GM Anish Giri shared a similar take: “I’m team Hikaru here. Organisers probably wanted to experiment and have some fun. Hikaru was just going along with it.”