Magnus Carlsen Criticised Following Table Slam At World Blitz Champs: 'Tantrums...'

Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian has said that ‘normalising tantrums’ of players like Magnus Carlsen, adding that slamming tables during ongoing matches distracts other players. The latter has again

grabbed a lot of eyeballs after he banged the table in the World Blitz Championships after losing to Arjun Erigaisi.

Carlsen, a five-time world champion, was under severe time pressure when he lost the match on the clock. Moments later, he slammed the table, shoved his chair back and walked away.

A clip of the incident went viral on social media, triggering mixed reactions from fans and fellow players.

Chris Bird, the arbiter on duty for the game, later clarified the incident, taking to X to address and calm the speculation surrounding it.

“No pieces, chessboards or tables were harmed during the filming of this video and for those wondering, Magnus immediately apologised to his opponent and me,” Bird tweeted on Monday night.

No pieces, chessboards or tables were harmed during the filming of this video and for those wondering, Magnus immediately apologized to his opponent and me. https://t.co/9QFIEQ7ooj

— Chris Bird (@ChrisBirdIA) December 29, 2025

However, the incident didn’t go down well with multiple members of the chess community. Aronian reacted strongly, insisting that such behaviour shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“Chris, I don’t think we should be normalising tantrums like that. It does affect players who are in the middle of a game who hear loud noises,” Aronian replied on Tuesday afternoon.

Chris, i don’t think we as should be normalizing tantrums like that. It does affect players who are in a middle of a game who hear loud noises. In many sports such acts are penalized as unsportsmanlike behavior in order to send a message to younger athletes.

— Levon Aronian (@LevAronian) December 30, 2025

Bird responded again, clarifying his position and stating that he didn’t endorse Carlsen’s reaction.

“Certainly not my intention to make it seem like I was OK with this behaviour. I think in the video you can see I briefly spoke with Magnus, who, as I said, apologised,” Bird replied.

Certainly not my intention to make it seem like I was OK with this behavior. I think in the video you can see I briefly spoke with Magnus, who like I said apologized. Beyond that point the issue was handed to my superiors to deal with as they saw fit.

— Chris Bird (@ChrisBirdIA) December 30, 2025

The defeat itself was a significant moment in the tournament, with Erigaisi beating the defending blitz champion in the ninth round, one of the biggest upsets of the event.