Magnus Carlsen slammed the table after losing to Arjun Erigaisi at the World Blitz Championship (Image source: @NorwayChess/X)
At the FIDE World Blitz Championship 2025 in Doha, Magnus Carlsen slammed the table after losing to India’s Arjun Erigaisi. Earlier this year, the Norwegian chess grandmaster reacted similarly after losing to D Gukesh in his country, which created a buzz on social media.
The moment took the Internet by storm on Monday, earning praise for Erigaisi. Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, hailed Erigaisi for maintaining his composure during the game. “To calmly rearrange the board and show perfect etiquette after a high-tension win against the GOAT is class personified. Grace is always a winner. Bravo,” he wrote on X.
To calmly rearrange the board and show perfect etiquette after a high-tension win against the GOAT is class personified.
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 29, 2025
The video quickly went viral, garnering a wide range of reactions. Several users highlighted Erigaisi’s calm demeanour that led to his victory. “Magnus comes to match in a hurry, plays in a hurry and leaves in a hurry,” a user wrote. “Pure class under pressure. Respect and grace after beating the GOAT says everything about Arjun Erigaisi true champions win with skill and character,” another commented.
“Rage misplaced destroys not only an image but personal relationships too!” a third user reacted.
Just a day earlier, Magnus Carlsen shared his excitement about his World Rapid Championship 2025 triumph and spoke enthusiastically about the blitz section, calling it his “favourite event.” For the first eight rounds of blitz on Monday, he appeared well on course to complete the double, remaining unbeaten throughout. That run, however, came to an end with a loss to Erigaisi.
While Carlsen went on to claim gold at the FIDE World Rapid Championship 2025, Erigaisi bagged bronze.
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