Magnus ‘King’ Carlsen issues a warning to World Chess Champion D Gukesh

Magnus Carlsen does not always borrow words because he can be pretty blunt with his own when he wants to, mindless of who is at the receiving end. But after schooling World Chess Champion D Gukesh in a tense endgame in round one of Norway Chess, Carlsen borrowed a line from Hollywood and rightly attributed it.

"You come at the king, you best not miss." That was the message he posted on X. "A great quote from The Wire," captioned Carlsen. The quote written for Omar Little, a fictional character in the HBO crime drama series 'The Wire', is quite a punchline.

Several versions of the phrase have been quoted over centuries, starting with Renaissance philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. Ralph Waldo Emerson polished it. "When you strike at a king, you must kill him," wrote the American essayist, which ironically was used by US President Donald Trump during his impeachment trials.

But Carlsen wasn't on trial; he had been put to the test. Gukesh had a great chance to beat the World No. 1, who has yet to wholeheartedly admit the young Indian as a deserving World Champion. Gukesh had never come closer to beating Carlsen in a classical game, but he blundered in the endgame and lost.

Carlsen prevailed by virtue of his endgame acumen and killer instinct. The young, unassuming Indian had dared to go after Carlsen, who has remained World No. 1 since 2011. So, while Carlsen's Hollywood line aptly reinforces his stature as the best active chess player, Gukesh might want to take it as a compliment because he gave the King a scare.