 "Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin had reached the quarter-finals of the Esports World Cup before suffering a knockout punch at the hands of eventual winner Magnus Carlsen. Image credit: Nihal Sarin/Esports World Cup")
Grandmaster Nihal Sarin was among the two Indians who were part of chess’ maiden appearance at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh recently, going as far as the quarter-finals with Arjun Erigaisi going a step further into the semis and finishing among the top four. While Arjun, who represented Gen.G at the event, had secured direct entry via the Champions Chess Tour, Sarin was one of four players who had qualified via the Last Chance Qualifier.
‘Against Magnus, you rarely get a second chance’
For the 21-year-old, the highlight of the Esports World Cup was going face-to-face with world No 1 Magnus Carlsen in the quarter-finals, with the Norwegian GM predictably winning the contest and entering the semi-finals. While Sarin held Carlsen to a draw in Game 1, the latter bounced back and won the next two games to advance.
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“In the first game, I tried my best to stay cool and play normally. He put a lot of pressure on me towards the end, but I managed to defend and hold the draw,” Sarin, who represented Indian esports organisation S8UL at the event, told Hindustan Times on his showdown against Carlsen.
“In the second game, I actually felt I started quite well and maybe even slightly outplayed him at one point. The turning point came when I made a couple of mistakes, first playing Bishop to B3 instead of taking the pawn on E5, and then following it up with another error. Against someone like Magnus, you rarely get a second chance once you’re off track. He is incredibly precise when it comes to converting even the smallest advantages,” he added.
‘You fight, and you learn’
For Sarin, going toe-to-toe with Carlsen – counted among the greatest players of all time – was a dream come true. And one of the highlights of Sarin’s campaign was rejecting an offer for a draw from his celebrated 34-year-old opponent, the moment later going viral on social media.
“I saw the opportunity, but in that moment, I felt the position was still worth playing on. I wasn’t looking to settle and wanted to take my chances to try and create something. In hindsight, Magnus navigated it better and turned things around, but I think it was the kind of decision you sometimes have to take in a match like this. You fight, and you learn,” Sarin revealed.
Both Sarin and Arjun are currently participating in the third edition of Chennai Grand Masters, India’s strongest Classical tournament that got underway on Thursday.