A visibly frustrated Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after suffering his first classical game defeat to reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju on Sunday at the Norway Chess 2025 tournament in Stavanger.
Carlsen had dominated much of the match and appeared to be in control, but as the clock wound down, a critical blunder under time pressure gave Gukesh the upper hand and ultimately the victory.
In a rare display of emotion, Carlsen struck the table after the loss, quickly shook hands with Gukesh, apologized for his reaction, and left the playing area abruptly.
“It’s not exactly the way I wanted to win, but I’ll take it,” Gukesh said in an interview with Chess.com. “I’ve also had my fair share of table-banging moments.”
Despite the setback, Carlsen remains at the top of the tournament standings.
