Nihal Sarin holds off Vishwanathan to capture TATA Steel Rapid chess title, dedicates win to late maternal grandfather

Sarin came in as a last-minute replacement for world champion D Gukesh, who had pulled out of the tournament, and from being someone who was not supposed to play to being the trophy winner, he has started off his 2026 brilliantly.

Sarin had a slow start to the tournament, earning just 1.5 points out of three on day one, but over the next six rounds he scored five points, with four wins and two draws against R Praggnanandhaa and Anand, according to ESPN.

This win is a massive one for Sarin, who recently hit 2,700 rating points in classical chess and could put his name in the league of contemporaries Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi.

However, it was an emotional day for Sarin, as not only did he win the title, but he also dedicated it to his maternal grandfather, who taught him the sport to "calm him down" and who passed away just a day before his triumph on Thursday night.

"He was the one who taught me chess, he taught me how the pieces move, he is the sole reason why I got into chess in the first place," Nihal said on the chess.com live stream as quoted by ESPN.

"When I was five, I used to be a very restless kid, and my grandfather introduced me to chess to make me calm down a bit, and that's how it started. He absolutely loved the game, so I want to dedicate this title to him," Sarin added.

Sarin had secured wins over Hans Niemann, Volodar Murzin, and Vidit Gujrathi on Day 2, but on the final day, he held a joint-lead with Vishwanathan and a draw against Praggnanandhaa and a decisive win over Wesley So gave him the title.

This is a fine victory for Nihal Sarin, who has been a climber in world chess as of late. Just last month, he got his hands on the President's Cup title in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and consequently breached the 2,700 rating mark, moving him among the top five Indians, surpassing Vidit Gujrathi.

In December, some fine performances followed in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha and he missed out on a knockout spot in the blitz section of the competition, finishing just outside the top four. (ANI)