Bengaluru: Seven years in the past, Nihal Sarin grew to become the youngest-ever Indian to cross the 2600 Elo barrier within the reside scores. He was 14 years and 10 months then.
Indian chess participant Nihal Sarin. (FIDE)
Over time, the Indian prodigy group has swelled in numbers, skyrocketed in scores and performances and certainly one of them even went on to change into world champion final 12 months at 18. Three younger Indians function within the high 10 reside scores right this moment, two of them within the high 5. Nihal isn’t certainly one of them. His journey has been markedly totally different. In contrast to his Indian friends, the 20-year-old who performed chess on-line extensively rising up, picked up the tag of being a monster at pace chess. Over the previous couple of months, he seems to have begun specializing in enjoying extra classical chess and has received two of his final three Open tournaments. His newest win got here on the Tashkent Open on Saturday – with an unbeaten 8/10 rating.
“I’m just trying to play a lot more this year,” Nihal tells HT, “Last year, I felt like I did not play many tournaments at all. I am trying my best to change up a few things, play more freely and not care too much about results.” He’s headed for a desk tennis session with a buddy and has plans to squeeze in a tennis session earlier than flying again dwelling.
The highest seed on the event, Nihal emerged as outright winner in a subject that had eight gamers rated above 2600 Elo. He took dwelling $20,000 for his efforts. In November final 12 months, the Uzbek metropolis was the setting for an additional open event win, even when not as formidable in its subject – the Presidents Cup.
It got here after a troublesome part which noticed him being not noted of the Indian staff for the Olympiad – the place they received a historic double gold. Nihal had received a person gold for his Board 2 efficiency within the 2022 Olympiad that noticed India B staff end with a bronze. Within the two years that adopted, Nihal wasn’t seen a lot on the classical chess horizon whereas his fellow Indian friends made fast strides, breaching limitations and jostling with one another to climb to the India No 1 spot.
Nihal crossed the 2700 Elo barrier twice within the reside scores – in 2023 and 2024. His Tashkent Open win earned him 7.1 Elo factors that now sees him positioned at 2694.1. As soon as once more on the cusp of the 2700 Elo membership. You’d think about seeing himself by to the revealed scores as a 2700 participant would determine excessive on his guidelines. “Yes, but also no. I am trying my best to not think or care about it. In the bigger picture, what really changes? Nothing much. So, what’s the point in bothering about it?”
Although he’s labored with a number of trainers over the previous few years, Nihal hasn’t had a full-time coach since 2021. There seems to have been a change on that entrance since this 12 months. One which’s working properly for him to date, he says.
Nihal will play the Menorca Open in April adopted by the Asian Championships and the Sharjah Masters. Does he really feel he’s hit the stride together with his outcomes? “It’s very hard to say. I managed to play two tournaments really well. It’s also not easy to keep up the consistency and keep playing well. Bad tournaments can happen at any point and it’s much easier to lose rating points than gain in general. Especially in Open tournaments.”
Srinath Narayanan, Nihal’s former coach, factors out that although his trajectory has been totally different, the Kerala participant’s energy was by no means unsure. “Nihal was always pretty strong in classical chess but his natural style wasn’t conducive to scoring a high percentage of wins in the Open tournaments, which has become the only way to the top – even for 2600 Elo prodigies,” Srinath tells HT, “It is something that he had to work on and that work seems to be paying off when we look at his recent classical results. Honestly, I feel his results are still catching up with his potential.”