Nihal Sarin’s Inspiring Journey: From Chess Prodigy to Champion

Nihal Sarin: Rising Star in Chess
Seven years ago, Nihal Sarin became the youngest Indian to cross the 2600 Elo rating in chess at just 14 years old. Since then, many young Indian players have climbed to the top, with one even becoming world champion at 18. Today, three young Indians are in the top 10 live ratings, with two in the top five, but Nihal is not among them. His journey has been unique. At 20 years old, he gained recognition as an expert in fast chess games, but recently he has been focusing more on classical chess.

Nihal has won two of his last three Open tournaments, including the Tashkent Open where he scored an impressive 8 out of 10 without losing any games. “I am trying to play more this year,” Nihal said. “Last year, I didn’t compete much. Now, I want to play freely and not worry too much about the scores.” He also enjoys playing table tennis and tennis.

In the Tashkent Open, Nihal was the top seed and beat eight players rated above 2600 Elo, winning $20,000. He missed out on the Indian team for an Olympiad that saw India win two gold medals, even though he had won an individual gold medal at a previous Olympiad.

Nihal has crossed the 2700 Elo barrier twice this year and his recent win earned him 7.1 Elo points, bringing him close to 2700 again, currently at 2694.1. He prefers not to stress about the rating, thinking, “What really changes?” He hasn’t had a full-time coach since 2021, but that may change soon.

Nihal has plans to compete in the Menorca Open in April, followed by the Asian Championships and Sharjah Masters. He is cautiously optimistic about his recent performance: “I did well in two tournaments, but being consistent is tough.” His former coach, Srinath Narayanan, believes in Nihal’s potential, saying, “His results are finally matching his talent.”