In a stunning display of skill on Menorca, Spain, Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin captured the Masters title at the 5th Menorca Open on Sunday, achieving a remarkable feat by defeating reigning World Champion D. Gukesh in both of their encounters.
Nihal emerged victorious in the six-player closed tournament, accumulating six points over ten rounds, securing his position half a point ahead of his closest competitors, including Ukrainian GM Ruslan Ponomariov and seasoned Hungarian player Richard Rapport.
The highlight of the tournament was the match-up between Gukesh and Nihal, where Nihal showcased his prowess by winning both games against the World Champion.
Gukesh discovered the hard way that providing even a slight advantage to Nihal in the opening phase can be detrimental, as he fell to him in the third round. Despite having more time on the clock, Gukesh struggled to counter Nihal’s rapid play.
In their second match, Gukesh aimed to rectify his earlier defeat while playing with the white pieces. He entered the eighth round well-prepared and matched Nihal’s opening strategy effectively. For a period, it appeared that Gukesh had found a solution to Nihal’s aggressive style. However, as Gukesh attempted to advance his e5 pawn for a central break, he made a move that the chess engines criticized as flawed.
At this critical moment, Nihal paused for over a minute, utilizing a significant portion of his total time to determine the best response. Meanwhile, Gukesh also faced time pressure, spending more than eight minutes on his next moves. After trading queens, he found himself under increasing strain with less than four minutes remaining, while Nihal had 14 minutes on his clock.
As the game progressed, Gukesh’s strategies faltered. He hastily entered an endgame with rapid piece exchanges, which ultimately simplified Nihal’s task. Nihal’s active pieces controlled the board effectively, while Gukesh’s remained tied down, defending his exposed king. Although Gukesh fought valiantly, he ultimately resigned on the 51st move.
In the final two rounds, Nihal managed only half a point after suffering a defeat against Rapport and drawing with Ponomariov. Nonetheless, his four victories, the highest in the tournament, were sufficient to secure the championship. Gukesh faced another difficult event, finishing with three wins, four losses, and two draws, narrowly escaping the bottom position.
Meanwhile, Harikrishna Pentala, the third Indian participant in the Masters event, had a disappointing performance, losing five rounds and finishing in last place after once being the highest-rated Indian in live ratings.
Despite these challenges, there was a bright spot for India as Goan GM Leon Luke Mendonca triumphed in the 420-player Open ‘A’ event, sharing the first place with Argentina’s Tomas Sosa and China’s Li Di, and winning the title based on tiebreak criteria.
