Checkmate organisers defend Hikaru Nakamura over controversial gesture, take potshot at FIDE: ‘Forced to have fun’

American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has left the chess world divided with his controversial gesture following his victory over D Gukesh in the ‘Checkmate: USA vs India’ event in Arlington, USA on Saturday. After beating the world champion in the blitz tie-breaks to seal a 5-0 sweep for hosts USA, Nakamura attempted to make a statement by picking up Gukesh’s King and tossing it towards the crowd.

Also Read | ‘Disrespect’ or drama? Hikaru tossing Gukesh’s king sparks storm in chess world as old rivalries resurface

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky was among those who did not approve of Nakamura’s post-game theatrics even if it was at an exhibition event that aims to boost the sport’s popularity in the United States.

“The event was a show. Fans were ecstatic. Players were encouraged to behave accordingly. All true”, the Israeli Grandmaster wrote on X. “Now, for better or worse, name me one top player who would do what Hikaru did.”

Checkmate organisers hit back at FIDE CEO

The tournament organisers however, offered support to the world No 2 while taking a jibe at the Lausanne-based governing body by ‘apologising’ for not following the “FIDE Etiquette”.

“On behalf of the organizers, we admit having forced the players to have fun, to please the crowd and to forego the FIDE Etiquette. We sincerely apologize if the players, the live audience and the vast majority of online viewers had a good time,” Checkmate: USA vs India organisers wrote in reply.

On behalf of the organizers, we admit having forced the players to have fun, to please the crowd and to forego the FIDE Etiquette.
We sincerely apologize if the players, the live audience and the vast majority of online viewers had a good time.

— Checkmate: USA vs India (@CheckmateUSAIND) October 6, 2025

Nakamura vs Gukesh was the highlight of the event on Saturday at Arlington’s Esports Stadium, with the former sealing his victory by checkmating his opponent after the two played out back-to-back draws.

Also Read | Gukesh does Gukesh things, calmly resets board after Hikaru’s controversial gesture

The event began with a face off between Fabiano Caruana and Arjun Erigaisi, ranked third and fourth respectively in the world, with the former winning in 60 moves. USA would then collect back-to-back wins after International Master Carissa Yip defeated the higher-ranked GM Divya Deshmukh. The Americans then clinched an unassailable 3-0 lead after Tani Adewumi beat fellow IM Ethan Vaz.

The event also featured a battle between popular streamers Levy Rozman and Sagar Shah, both of whom are International Masters. While Shah held Rozman, a.k.a. GothamChess, to a stalemate in Game 1, the latter clinched the next game in 40 moves.

The Americans had played as white in each of the five games being the home team. The games were played with 10-minute time controls that was followed by blitz tie-breaks with decreasing time limits in the event of a draw.