Separated by vast stretches of the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus and Menorca serve as contrasting backdrops for the latest developments in Indian chess, where the nation’s leading players face significant challenges. At the 2026 Candidates Tournament, R Praggnanandhaa’s aspirations for the title are dwindling with each passing round. Meanwhile, across the water at the Menorca Masters 2026, D Gukesh, the reigning World Champion, encountered another tough defeat, succumbing to fellow Indian Nihal Sarin in the third round.
Gukesh entered the Menorca Masters with a history of triumphs, having won the tournament twice before, but his recent performance paints a different picture.
His first notable misstep against Nihal occurred just nine moves into the match. Instead of exchanging queens during the opening, Gukesh opted to retreat his queen to c7. This decision enabled Nihal to enhance his position by moving his dark-squared bishop to f4, followed by advancing his pawn to e4, gradually intensifying pressure on Gukesh and seizing control of the center.
Displaying a fierce competitive spirit, Nihal soon played bishop to g6, targeting Gukesh’s dark-squared bishop and threatening to dismantle his defensive structure. Unfortunately for Gukesh, he made another crucial error by moving his queen to d7 to support his bishop rather than establishing a stronger defensive stance.
Nihal continued his assault by pushing e5, putting Gukesh’s knight on f6 under attack, forcing it to retreat. He then seized Gukesh’s active light-squared bishop with his knight, solidifying his advantage, with chess engines indicating a favorable position for Nihal at +1.71.
Understanding Gukesh’s resourcefulness when pressured, Nihal remained relentless. He advanced his h-file pawn, setting the stage for a coordinated kingside offensive. Gukesh, who had initially enjoyed a time advantage, began to lose ground as Nihal’s attack intensified, leaving him with little room to maneuver.
By the 34th move, with no feasible options remaining, Gukesh opted to resign. This marked his first loss of the tournament after earlier draws against Leinier Dominguez Perez and Ruslan Ponomariov.
With this victory, Nihal surged to the top of the leaderboard with two points after three rounds, having previously defeated Pentala Harikrishna and drawn with Perez.
The trajectories of these two Indian players differ significantly. While Nihal is experiencing a rise in classical chess, consistently improving his rating, Gukesh has been grappling with an unprecedented downturn since his ascension to the title of World Champion.
This tournament could be one of Gukesh’s final appearances in major competitions for some time. Facing a challenging period, the Grandmaster from Chennai has chosen to adjust his schedule in preparation for his title defense later in 2026. As part of this strategy, he has opted out of the Grand Chess Tour.
On social media, Gukesh expressed his disappointment, stating, “My performance in the last few events has been quite disappointing, not just for me, but for all of you who support me. In order to find my best form, my team and I have decided that I should compete with slightly less intensity over the next few months. Consequently, we feel it is in my best interest to skip long events away from home to allow for more dedicated training time.”
It has now been over 16 months since Gukesh last claimed victory in a tournament, following his world championship win against China’s Ding Liren.
