WATCH: Pentala Harikrishna mimics Magnus Carlsen’s famous fist-smash moment

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Harikrishna smashes his fist on a table during the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in London. (Screengrab via FIDE YouTube)

Magnus Carlsen’s famous fist-smash moment from the recently-concluded Norway Chess tournament has inspired countless memes. It started with people recreating sporting reels about other board games like snakes and ladders. Then it grew into something bigger, with people making spoof reels about evading ticket checkers and so on.

Now, Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna has made a tongue-in-cheek reference to the famous fist smash in an interview with FIDE. Harikrishna was one of Gukesh’s seconds when the Indian teenager won the world chess championship last year.

While talking to the global governing chess body’s social media team, members of the Indian team MGD1 were asked various rapid-fire questions. One of those was, “tell me you are a chess player, without telling me you are a chess player.”

“Can I show (demonstrate) it,” Harikrishna asks.

When told he could, Harikrishna turns around and much to the delight of teammates like Srinath Narayanan and Arjun Erigaisi, smashes his fist at the table behind them and then says “Oh my God!”

WATCH: Harikrishna mimics Magnus Carlsen

WATCH: Magnus Carlsen’s famous fist smash against Gukesh

OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 pic.twitter.com/QSbbrvQFkE

— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 1, 2025

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This is exactly what world no 1 Carlsen had done after losing to world champion Gukesh in the Norway Chess tournament. The Norwegian was livid at himself for throwing away a significant advantage on the board in a single move and then losing to the teenager from India who now occupies the world champion’s throne which he so willingly abdicated a couple of years back.

Carlsen had later apologised to Gukesh at least twice before walking away from the playing hall.

Harikrishna is not the first player to have mimicked Carlsen’s fist smash. Earlier in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams Championships, Anish Giri was also spotted softly smashing his fist on the table before the start of a game. Anish had smiled pointedly at the camera while doing the gesture.

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Meanwhile, the MGD1 team members were unanimous in voting Harikrishna as the player in the team that tells the best jokes. And he certainly did not disappoint with his gesture.

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