'Magnus respects Gukesh, his words are being misinterpreted': Nihal Sarin defends World No. 1 after table slam reaction

Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin is making headlines again, this time in the world of esports chess. The 20-year-old qualified for the quarter-finals of the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after beating France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1.5-0.5 in the group stages on Wednesday.

He has now joined fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi in the knockout rounds. Sarin, who represents Team S8UL, bounced back strongly after losing to Arjun in his opening match on Tuesday, July 29. He defeated Dutch GM Anish Giri 2-0 earlier in the day before his impressive win over Vachier-Lagrave.

In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Nihal shared his thoughts on a range of topics, including Magnus Carlsen’s recent comments, where he seemingly downplayed Gukesh’s potential , to Carlsen’s table slam reaction after losing to the world champion at Norway Chess earlier this year.

On Carlsen’s remarks against Gukesh

On Carlsen’s remarks about Indian GM Gukesh, Nihal said that the World No. 1 player’s words are being “misinterpreted” and “overdramatised.”

Carlsen had said he was not fully convinced about Gukesh’s skills in rapid and blitz formats. He mentioned that Gukesh hasn’t really proven himself in those formats and that he would treat games against him like he is playing a ‘weaker’ opponent.

But after losing to him in the SuperUnited Rapid and blitz tournament, Carlsen changed his stance and acknowledged Gukesh’s abilities.

“I feel like Magnus’ words are being misinterpreted, and he has said it himself as well. Magnus definitely respects Gukesh. He’s an amazing player. Gukesh’s results in classical have been significantly better than rapid and blitz. His style is a bit more like that, very precise. In classical, you have much more time to sit and calculate, and rapid-blitz is much more instinct-based. So, I guess Gukesh has trained much more in the calculation way; it’s more natural for him. And it’s normal.

“Obviously, he is improving in other formats too. He finished first in Rapid in Zagreb, I believe, ahead of a very strong field including Magnus,” Nihal said.

“I feel Gukesh right now is a bit like how Fabiano Caruana used to be a few years ago. He used to be the one considered weaker in rapid and blitz. In classical, he was a beast. Around lockdown, there was a lot more rapid and blitz, and he just started to adapt, started to take maybe more interest in it, focused a bit more on it, and now he is among the best in those two. I feel Magnus’ words are being overdramatised a bit,” he added.

Talking about what makes Magnus still such a strong player even today, Nihal said that the Norwegian is like a machine when in good form.

“He’s [Magnus] just so good. You could say form is temporary and class is permanent. I kind of know the level, having had some opportunities to face him myself. I have felt that, because when Magnus is playing well, it’s like playing against a machine. It’s not something you feel against many people.”

On Carlsen’s viral table-slam reaction

Nihal also reacted to Carlsen’s emotional reaction after losing to Gukesh recently, when he banged the table.

“It’s not that common and it’s not desirable for anyone. No one wants to actively do it. Having been in that kind of position, I totally understand the reaction. Magnus was completely outplaying Gukesh and was winning. When all hope seemed lost, Gukesh started resisting brilliantly, and Magnus, very atypical of him, went a bit astray and it got a bit out of hand, and he ended up losing the game.

“Having been in a similar position, I completely understand the reaction. Later, I saw Magnus saying in an interview that ‘it’s like a tennis player smashing a racquet.’ So, I don’t think it’s anything personal.”

Nihal congratulates Divya Deshmukh

Nihal also had praise for India’s rising women’s chess star Divya Deshmukh , who recently won the FIDE Women’s World Cup and became a Grandmaster.

“Massive congrats to her [Divya]. That is a crazy achievement and something incredibly special and historic. In general, I wish her the very best and hope that it’s the beginning of many more results to come. I believe that she has just shown a glimpse of what she is capable of.”

When asked if India could rule both men’s and women’s chess at the same time, Nihal sounded hopeful and confident and compared India’s position to that of the Soviet Union.

“Yeah, definitely and I can also kind of say that it need not be future actually. We are already leading in chess. Like for example, this olympiad was an absolutely standout performance double gold and also in a very dominant fashion. I believe that is already something huge and I definitely hope that it won’t be a one-time thing at all.

“Like a lot of great players, obviously, there are many other strong countries too, but I don’t think it’s a thing of the far future. It’s extremely possible and with the trend I hope it will be how Soviet Union used to be at some point. It’s not going to be easy, of course at all but there is potential for sure. I totally believe.”

When asked what skill he would borrow from another top player, Nihal replied with admiration for Carlsen again.

“There are many good options to choose from but let’s say Magnus’ technique in conversion. How he used to convert slightly better positions, it was just something completely extraordinary.”