World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen's father Henrik disagrees that his son is arrogant. On the contrary, he asserts that Magnus is confident and that trait has come because he has delivered at the highest stage.
The conversation was triggered after the 34-year-old was caught on camera slamming his pumped fist into a table after suffering his first defeat to world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical game on Sunday in Norway's Stavanger.
Carlsen had his opponent on the ropes for much of the match in the Norway Chess 2025 tournament but his composure cracked under the pressure of a ticking clock and he committed a blunder that handed the young Indian a decisive edge. Carlsen's first reaction to the outcome of the match was slamming his fist on the table before regaining his composure to quickly shake hands with Gukesh.
Magnus Carlsen apologised for his outburst but quickly stormed off. According to Henrik his son is cocky but has earned the right to be so.
"He's the same cocky young man. That's what I wanted (him) to (be). He looks arrogant, but he's the sweetest person when you talk to him. That's why I can say a cocky young man' well, I used to joke that, in our family, arrogant is not a negative word.
If you have earned it, it's okay. He's not trying to put on a show. He has a certain level of confidence that can come across as arrogance. He's fairly confident because he has delivered," Reuters quoted Henrik as saying.
Magnus Carlsen remained top of the standings after the defeat.