New Delhi: Last February, Nihal Sarin was busy playing a game of online chess at TakeTakeTake’s titled Tuesday event. His opponent was Armenian player Ayman Ohanyan. In a tense final game, Nihal outlasted his counterpart. With the game played on a computer rather than a board, a gentleman’s handshake was never in the cards. What happened next, was equally unexpected and hardly on anyone’s wish list.As 21-year-old Nihal made the decisive move, his opponent Ohanian rose from his chair, pointed his middle finger at the screen, slapped the camera and walked away. “No big deal, regarding the recent incident, I want to make it clear that I was not angry. Things happen in the heat of the moment,” Nihal later posted on his X account.Since that incident, Nihal Sarin has been making headlines more regularly, not for anything off the board, but for what he has been doing on the board.
In April 2026, Nihal reached a career-high classical ranking of 2723.This recent ascent to the top of the world rankings was marked by his impressive run at the Menorca Masters Rapid Tournament, where he outlasted a field of heavyweights including Richard Rapport, Lanier Dominguez, and Pantala Harikrishna.Notably, Nihal made it two wins in a row with both white and black, against the reigning world champion, De Gokesh, during the Menorca campaign.Despite a late draw against Rapport, Nihal’s courage allowed him to win the title, his second major trophy after his victory in the rapid section of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament earlier this year.Its momentum also increased in the digital arena. Representing gaming giants S8UL, Nihal recently won the fourth and final Chess.com Open Play-in. After three disappointing attempts, he scored an unbeaten 7/9 to qualify for the round of 16, where he will face French legend Maxime Vacher-Lagrave later this month. The top three finishers in the event will qualify directly for the Esports World Cup 2026.Speaking to TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interview, Nihal admitted that the journey was without a hitch.“Play-ins are incredibly tough. It’s a huge challenge to just finish in the top two, let alone win the whole thing,” shared Nihal. “My first two attempts were pretty bad to be honest, the first was bad and the second was even worse. The third time, the result was better, but I felt the quality of my game was still low.“I was trying to play too enthusiastically, maybe taking too many risks, and it wasn’t working. For the final play-in, I decided to play as well as possible. I took a more classical approach, focusing on not losing games, and I’m glad I was able to win some along the way.”
It means the world to me. It is a great feeling to have this kind of support.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin on fan support
Despite being hailed as one of the strongest players under less time control, Nihal tries to keep his preparation exceptionally organic.“In these play-in tournaments, you never really know who you’ll be paired up against. While it’s always a good idea to revise files and setups, especially for rushes and blitzes, I usually prefer to just go out and play. I try to stay fresh, live in the moment, and just enjoy the game.”This Zen philosophy seems to be the secret behind its recent rise. Whether it’s insulting him on webcam or taking down a world champion on a physical board, his pulse rarely seems to raise.“Honestly, I never really thought about it that way,” he told the website, recalling the February incident. “Maybe that’s for the best. My real philosophy is to enjoy what I’m doing and do what I love.”Also read: D Gokesh’s potential World Cup challenger Javakhir Sundaroff breaks the code on sponsorship woes in chessAs he eyes a place in the Esports World Cup 2026, Nihal is well aware that the fans at large are cheering him on.“It means the world to me. It’s a great feeling to have that kind of support,” she said with a smile. “The fans are the reason we play and the reason the game is growing so fast. I am totally grateful to all the supporters and the people who enjoy the game. It is because of them that we are going forward.”
