Nihal Sarin Clinches Menorca Title After Handing Gukesh Two Defeats
Gukesh is world champion. In Menorca this week, that meant nothing.
Nihal Sarin beat D Gukesh twice in four days at the Menorca Masters rapid tournament in Spain — then collected the title with 6 points from 10 rounds. The 21-year-old from Thrissur won the six-player double round-robin ahead of a field that included several grandmasters alongside the reigning classical world champion.
The first beating came in Round 3. Gukesh played Qd7 on move 12 — a mistake Nihal punished immediately with 13.e5. It wasn’t close. Round 8 brought more of the same.
Gukesh carries the world title. But Indian chess right now has more than one player worth watching.