Overview

• ChessBase India released backstage video from the Checkmate exhibition showing organizers urging players to add theatrics, including toppling or throwing pieces.
• In the footage, Hikaru Nakamura says he will throw the king if he wins, and he later told ChessBase India he had planned the gesture.
• The clip also shows a post-match handshake between Nakamura and D Gukesh, indicating no visible tension between the players afterward.
• Reaction in the chess community remains divided, with Vladimir Kramnik condemning the act and voices like Levy Rozman and Anish Giri defending it as part of an entertainment-focused event.
• Nakamura and Gukesh are set to face each other again at the St. Louis Chess Club’s Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown on Oct. 27–29, with another meeting expected in the Global Chess League.