Overview

• Pentala Harikrishna recreated Carlsen’s iconic fist smash when asked to show he was a chess player during a FIDE interview in London.
• The mimic took place at the World Rapid and Blitz Teams Championships and left teammates including Srinath Narayanan and Arjun Erigaisi in stitches.
• Earlier in the event, grandmaster Anish Giri gently tapped his fist on the table in a similar nod to Carlsen’s famous outburst.
• Carlsen’s original reaction followed a loss to D Gukesh at the Norway Chess tournament, after which he apologized twice to the 19-year-old champion.
• The moment ignited a widespread meme fest across social media even as Carlsen went on to claim his seventh Norway Chess title.