Arlington, Texas — The stars and stripes ruled the board on Saturday night as Team USA swept Team India 5–0 in a high-energy chess showdown at the Checkmate: USA vs India exhibition in Arlington, Texas. The event ended in spectacular fashion when American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a bullet tiebreak — and then hurled Gukesh’s king into the cheering crowd.
The Arlington Esports Stadium roared like a basketball arena as Nakamura, the world No. 2, clinched victory with a ruthless back-rank checkmate. His queen on d8 sealed the game, supported by a bishop on b2 that cut off Gukesh’s final escape square. With that, the U.S. completed a perfect sweep over India in all five matchups.
A New Kind of Chess Show
Unlike traditional chess tournaments where players sit in near-total silence, Checkmate: USA vs India invited fans to make noise — and they did. Cheers, chants, and laughter echoed through the venue as players competed under bright lights and live commentary.
The format featured rapid and blitz games before culminating in one-minute bullet duels, adding an esports-style thrill to the centuries-old game. Team USA captain Hikaru Nakamura embraced the energy, transforming the event into part sporting contest, part show.
Gukesh Falls in the Final Clash
Gukesh, just 19 and fresh off a rocky Grand Swiss campaign, held his own in the longer time controls. He drew both the 10-minute and 5-minute games against Nakamura before the match came down to a single bullet game — one minute per player, plus a one-second increment per move.
At one point, Gukesh had both a time and position advantage. But against one of the fastest players in chess history, even a small slip can be fatal. Nakamura turned the tables in classic “Hikaru mode,” ramping up the speed and pressure until the world champion cracked.
As the final checkmate appeared on screen, Nakamura jumped out of his chair, grabbed Gukesh’s king, and flung it into the stands — a moment that instantly went viral among fans online.
“That’s Hikaru being Hikaru,” joked American streamer Levy Rozman (GothamChess) afterward. “It’s showtime. It’s entertainment. And the crowd loved it.”
Team USA Dominates Across the Board
The Americans were unstoppable from the start:
- Fabiano Caruana defeated Arjun Erigaisi, India’s top-rated player after Gukesh.
- Carissa Yip, the U.S. women’s champion, beat India’s newest grandmaster Divya Deshmukh.
- Levy Rozman, the chess streamer better known as GothamChess, won his matchup against Sagar Shah, co-founder of ChessBase India.
- Rising prodigy Tanitoluwa Adewumi, 14, outplayed India’s 13-year-old Ethan Vaz, one of the youngest international masters in the world.
With four wins already on the board, Nakamura’s final game against Gukesh turned into the night’s headline act — and he delivered.
Next Stop: India
Because the U.S. hosted the Arlington leg, all American players had the white pieces. A return match will be held in India later this year, where the Indian team will get their turn to play white.
I’m the senior editor of Attacking Chess, a keen chess player, rated above 2300 in chess.com. You can challenge me or asking questions at Chess.com.
