 "Magnus Carlsen opens up on strong reaction after losing to D Gukesh: 'Made me feel so kind of washed and useless'")
The stunning defeat at the hands of reigning world champion D Gukesh at Norway Chess appears to have had quite the effect on Magnus Carlsen despite the world No 1 successfully defending his title by finishing top of the standings. Carlsen had quite the reaction after losing to the 19-year-old from a dominant position, slamming his fist on the table that left his opponent wide-eyed and took everyone else at the venue by surprise.
The Norwegian revealed that the defeat against Gukesh made him feel “washed and useless”, and even though he remains the world’s best player, a defeat evokes a stronger emotional response from him these days than a victory.
“That was a really painful loss. Those hit a lot harder. Honestly, part of me, when I had that loss (to Gukesh) recently, just felt it was so dumb and so unnecessary,” Carlsen said in an interview on Pardon My Take.
“It just made me feel so kind of washed and useless that my thought for a few days was just ‘I’m not sure why am I doing this.’
“When I win it’s good, but it feels kind of normal. Then when I lose, it’s just, you know, for a moment, the world just falls apart,” added, Carlsen, who recently became the first player in chess history to breach the 2900-rating barrier .
OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 pic.twitter.com/QSbbrvQFkE
— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 1, 2025
Carlsen doesn’t wish to be the ‘bad boy’ of chess
The five-time Classical world champion, who has been vocal about losing interest in Standard chess and has also been involved in a feud with world governing body FIDE, added that he has no interest in being something of a “bad boy” for the sport.
“I don’t aspire to be a bad boy. Sometimes, I think I’m in a position, compared to some of my peers, where I can afford not to take shit. But honestly like those moments I had, like banging the table, like I’m generally not going to apologize for outbursts in the moment, as long as you realize afterwards and you show your opponent the proper respect.
“Obviously I wish I could have avoided that by winning the game itself, but I honestly think that there should be room for that in chess as well. It’s a little bit like smashing your racket in tennis. Chess is such an uptight sport to begin with, that (showing emotions) I think it’s okay,” the 34-year-old added.
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