Carlsen lost the game under severe time pressure and was visibly frustrated as his queen flew off the table while he hurried to press the clock.
Magnus Carlsen table slam; Fans react after loss to India’s Arjun Erigaisi (credits: IANS/Twitter)
Arjun Erigaisi defeated reigning champion Magnus Carlsen in a tense ninth-round blitz encounter at the FIDE World Blitz Championship 2025 in Doha, a result that not only shook the leaderboard but also sparked intense discussion online.
Carlsen lost the game under severe time pressure and was visibly frustrated as his queen flew off the table while he hurried to press the clock. Moments after the loss, the former world champion banged the table in anger, which quickly went viral.
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This was the second such incident involving Carlsen in 2025. Earlier in June, during Round 6 of the Norway Chess tournament, he blundered in a winning position against D Gukesh due to time trouble, allowing the Indian prodigy to register his first-ever classical win over the world No. 1.
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Erigaisi followed up his victory over Carlsen by defeating world No. 4 Nodirbek Abdusattorov with the black pieces in Round 10, a result that briefly propelled the Indian grandmaster into the sole lead in the tournament standings.
While Erigaisi’s performance earned widespread praise, Carlsen’s reaction drew sharp scrutiny from fans online. Social media was divided, with many criticising the outburst as unsporting, while others defended it as a human response to the pressures of elite blitz chess.
Magnus Carlsen fumbles his Queen!
❗No, it’s not AI generated.
Round 9 | FIDE World Blitz Championships 2025#Rapid Blitz #Doha pic.x.com/j8P0FgfhHi
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 29, 2025
“Erigaisi sole leader,” one fan wrote, celebrating the Indian’s rise at the top of the standings.
Others were far less forgiving of Carlsen’s behaviour. “What a sore loser!! Shameful behaviour!!” one user commented, while another added, “As always, no action against this type of behaviour.”
“Pressure does that to the best of us. Still feels a bit out of character,” one user noted.
“Magnus with his anger issues again. Did you see Alexander Grischuk’s reaction? Magnus scared the hell out of him,” read one comment.
While the incident drew attention, Arjun Erigaisi’s performance remained the bigger story, capping a memorable run that highlighted his composure and growing stature on the global stage.
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