About

2.13 Seconds Chess or Realization That Magnus Is Losing is a series of video edits based on a viral clip of chess player Hikaru Nakamura getting up from a game, looking at a game being played by Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer, and expressing shock about how the game is going after purportedly noticing that Magnus is losing.

The clip comes from a game at the FIDE World Cup 2023, which Carlsen ultimately ended up losing. The video became the subject of memes in October 2026, which focus on how fast it took Nakamura to realize that Carlsen, considered one of the best professional chess players, is losing.

Origin

In August 2023, Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer faced off in a chess match as part of the FIDE World Cup 2023. Carlsen lost one of his games against Keymer. At one point in the game, chess player Hikaru Nakamura got up from his game, looked at their board and appeared shocked to see Carlsen losing.^[1]

On October 8th, 2026, TikToker^[2] @flashccfx posted an edit of the video where Nakamura notices Carlsen losing, timing the seconds until he realizes at 2.13 seconds, garnering over 17.3 million views in 11 days.

Spread

The clip of Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer continued to inspire edits and memes throughout October 2026 as the meme spread online.

On October 13th, 2026, the official Chess.com TikTok^[3] page posted an edit of the clip, garnering over 1.1 million views in six days.

On October 17th, TikToker^[4] @o2leoo posted an accuracy reenactment meme based on the video, garnering over 1.8 million views in two days.

That day, TikToker^[5] @_ace_ace_ace_ace_ace_ posted an edit of the clip that gained over 903,000 views in two days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References