India, July 21 -- Magnus Carlsen's defeat to D Gukesh during 2025 Norway Chess sent social media into a state of meltdown. It wasn't just the defeat, it was also his reaction, where he slammed the table in frustration. Carlsen was dominating throughout the game and then a massive blunder towards the end, saw Gukesh clinch a thrilling comeback win.

Carlsen's reaction went viral, with memes and parodies stemming from his table slam. Dissecting Carlsen's reaction, chess legend Viswanathan Anand felt that it broke stereotypes of how chess players are emotionally.

Speaking to Chess.com, he said, "I would not call this totally undeserved (win for D Gukesh). Magnus is famous for converting things perfectly. So he of all people should know (how to win this). But of course Gukesh was lucky that he could even survive this far. Magnus was basically 99% of the way. It's like falling and injuring yourself 2 metres before the finish line. That's what happened to him."

"He was so angry that he hit the table. Quite understandable and even in a sporting sense he just produced a moment where everyone could see what what chess players are going through. People have this fixed image of chess players being very serious and suddenly they see emotions and enjoy it. So also it helps us break some stereotypes."

But Anand also felt that the reaction was motivated by the presence of social media. "There was no point doing it. There weren't 20 cameras pointed at you. So what's the point? The only reason to do this is to get on social media now."

Anand further added, "Even many non-Indians have seen this. So clearly they enjoy seeing chess players do that. I enjoyed it as well because you know it's drama. From Magnus's perspective also I understand it very well. He was winning the game. He wanted to beat Gukesh in a sporting sense. He wanted to really show and he had the opportunity in the palm of his hands. He was going to beat him twice at Norway Chess in two games and make a point."

"At some point in that game, Magnus started to outplay him. So you can see Magnus' pieces all coming for the kill. The only thing is around about here when Magnus starts this king march. It is slightly risky. It is not a bad method but the possibility of mistakes happen. And once again a miracle happens. But this is a common miracle. I have done it myself. You get irritated at your opponent's resistance that he's not resigning. And then you get angry and try to finish the game with some calculation. Somewhere here something has gone wrong. Of course these mistakes happen. And suddenly Magnus has lost," he added.

Carlsen had defeated Gukesh in the opener in Norway, but then lost to the Indian GM in Round 6, which led to the iconic moment. Meanwhile, the Norwegian also lost to same opponent in the Rapid section of the 2025 SuperUnited Croatia in Zagreb, but then beat the Indian in the Blitz round.

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