Magnus Carlsen Silences The Audience during his Match Against Hikaru

The Esports World Cup Chess in Riyadh is shaping up to be one of the most trending chess tournaments of the year, as the fans witnessed not just exciting speed chess but a “meme-worthy” moment from the world #1, Magnus Carlsen. While Magnus was on his way to comfortably beating Hikaru in game 4 of their semifinal match, he made this gesture to the audience in response to them cheering loudly for Nakamura in the previous game:

Day 3 of chess at the Esports World Cup had many exciting match-ups, including Magnus Carlsen taking on the dark horse, Nihal Sarin, in the quarterfinals. Magnus cruised through to the semis comfortably to set up the “El Clasico” of chess—Magnus Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura.

The support from the crowd—supporting the local Team Falcons—for Hikaru became evident when Hikaru got a huge cheer when he equalised the match against Carlsen by winning the third game. However, Magnus seized the lead right back in the next game and threw this gesture coupled with a smirk on his face. The match kept the crowd on the edges of their seats, as it concluded with an Armageddon showdown where Magnus prevailed.

In other matches, Arjun Erigaisi took down Ian Nepomniachtchi but failed to pass the “Alireza test.” Alireza Firouzja, who was often dubbed as the successor to Magnus’ title, will face the man himself in the Grand Final. The players will battle it out on August 1, starting at 4 PM UTC, for the grand first prize of $250,000!