Will Gukesh force Carlsen to bang the table again at Norway Chess? Here's what the Indian star said

Will D Gukesh once again make Magnus Carlsen bang the table at the Norway Chess? This was one of the questions asked to the reigning world champion ahead of the start of the 2026 edition of the tournament.

In a hugely popular moment, Carlsen had slammed his fist on the table after making a blunder and losing to Gukesh at the Norway Chess 2025. During Round 6 of the 2025 edition, reigning World Champion Gukesh secured his first-ever classical win against Carlsen and the World No.1 smashed the table in frustration.

Carlsen also exclaimed, "Oh my God!" as he lost the match due to his error and stormed out of the playing hall. The moment went viral and became one of the most talked-about moments of the tournament.

Will Gukesh-Carlsen recreate the table scene?

Norway Chess organisers revealed the pairings for the 2026 edition on Sunday with Gukesh set to meet the former world champion Carlsen in Round 4 on May 28 and Round 10 on June 5.

More from Chess

When asked if Gukesh will force Carlsen to bang the table again, the reigning world champion could not control his smile. "I mean... my job is to play chess. That is within my control," he said.

"Chess players generally don't show a lot of emotions but when it did happen, a lot of people got attracted to chess. So, it's a great moment for chess. Also, I feel chess players generally expressing more is fun to watch," Gukesh added.

Norway Chess 2026 kicks off May 25 and will go on till June 5. Besides Gukesh and Carlsen, the tournament will also feature R Praggnanadhaa from India, France’s Alireza Firouzja, Germany’s Vincent Keymer and America’s Wesley So in the open category.

Gukesh had a poor 2025 and has had a lukewarm start to this year as well. Norway Chess is set to be an extremely crucial tournament for the Indian as he prepares to defend his world championship later this year against an in-form Javokhir Sindarov.