Magnus Carlsen’s outburst after losing to World Champion Gukesh in the recently concluded Norway Chess tournament has taken over social media in the past few days — and it seems it isn’t going away anytime soon.In an interview with FIDE, Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna mimicked Carlsen’s famous fist smash. Harikrishna was part of Gukesh’s team when the Indian teenager won the World Chess Championship last year.In the interview, Harikrishna was asked, “Tell me you are a chess player, without telling me you are a chess player.”“Can I show (demonstrate) it?” Harikrishna replied.After being given the go-ahead, Harikrishna turned around and smashed his fist on the table behind them, then said, “Oh my God!”Harikrishna isn’t the first to imitate Carlsen’s trademark fist smash. During the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams Championships, Anish Giri was also seen gently tapping his fist on the table before the start of a game, flashing a knowing smile at the camera as he did so.Earlier this month, 19-year-old Gukesh defeated the Norwegian for the first time in a classical chess contest, and Magnus couldn’t digest the loss — slamming his fist on the chess board.Carlsen later apologised to Gukesh twice for his emotional outburst.When later asked if he was surprised by Carlsen’s reaction, the 19-year-old told Chess.com: “No, it was heartbreaking how he lost. I completely understand. I have also banged many tables in my career — a couple of them on camera, a few off camera. But I wasn’t paying too much attention to what he did; I was trying to calm myself down.”
