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HT at Esports World Cup 2026 - ‘Nihal Sarin good but unlucky’: Carlsen shows who’s boss and what it takes to be champion
Magnus Carlsen praised Nihal Sarin after beating him at the Esports World Cup, saying the Indian grandmaster was good but unlucky.
Magnus Carlsen remained slightly under the weather throughout the Esports World Cup in Paris. Yet, his dominant title run hardly suggested he was struggling physically. The media had been waiting to speak with him from the very first day, but with the Norwegian continuing to advance through the tournament, and not keeping a 100 per cent, that opportunity presented itself after he lifted the trophy. Reflecting on chess's transition into the esports format, Carlsen admitted he would have loved to take a day off to recover, but that's simply not possible in a format that is quick, intense and relentless.
Despite not being in the best of shape, Carlsen produced a near-flawless performance throughout the tournament, including a 2-0 win over Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin the day before. It was the second straight edition of the EWC in which Carlsen got the better of Sarin, having also defeated him in Saudi Arabia the previous year. From the moment Carlsen picked Nihal as his opponent, it was evident that the Indian had to produce something special. Crucial moments have let him down in recent months, and despite accomplishments such as winning the Bullet Chess Championship, an Indian victory, barring a few moments here and there, never seemed the most likely outcome.
The scoreline didn’t tell the whole story
However, the game, as Carlsen put it, wasn’t as straightforward as it looked. The 38-year-old gave Nihal his flowers, even if the result suggested otherwise. In what turned out to be his final answer of the day, Carlsen cast his mind back on the game 24 hours ago and offered words of praise that were sure to bring a smile to Nihal’s face.
“I think the match was a lot closer than it looked. Nihal made a conscious choice in the first game: to play fairly complicated chess, playing the Sicilian from the get-go and wanting to fight. And yeah, I played him in that game. But then, in the second game, he kind of had me on the ropes a little bit. But I managed to fight back. Had he won that game, who knows what would have happened, right? Even in the third game, he put serious pressure on me,” Carlsen responded to a query from The Hindustan Times.
That’s exactly what happened. In fact, it had been the story with Nihal lately. His upcoming Chess Olympiad partner, Arjun Erigaisi, had shown a lot of heart against Hikaru Nakamura, but Nihal’s fight was limited. The game had its adventures, with Nihal having more than a few opportunities to press a little harder. After the match, as Carlsen and Nihal shook hands and discussed variations, Carlsen took close to 30 seconds to look at positions where either player could have gained a decisive advantage – clear evidence that it could have gone either way.
Nihal’s fight earns Carlsen's respect
The second game is where Nihal challenged Carlsen. In a drawn position, he had the better chances, although Magnus had more time on the clock, which increased his chances of holding the game. As the king moved away from the centre, Magnus looked to force a rook trade, while the rook could also have moved to the first rank and continued putting pressure on white. Nihal, with just 1:14 left, had to keep the pressure on. Instead, he began advancing his king and pawns. Magnus, meanwhile, knew exactly how to handle it. Magnus did not appear particularly concerned. His plan was to stop the pawn from advancing and use the bishop to give checks whenever it moved away. If the king retreated, Magnus could bring his own king towards the dark squares and hold the draw, which in the end, was enough to seal a place in the semi-final.
“I think Nihal is really good in this format. He's been... a little bit unlucky that I've had very little choice but to pick him... in the border finals. Um, but, um, no, I think that his performance was not bad at all, and I think he had a very healthy approach to it as well. Obviously, when you lose without reaching a board game, it doesn't feel great, but I think he did things in a very good way,” Carlsen told HT.
Four Indian grandmasters made it to the event in Paris, with the two most prominent, Arjun and Nihal, finishing in the top eight. Of course, the end result could have been a whole lot better. Twice, Nihal let games slip away, but then again, it’s not the end of the road. Indian chess continues to grow immensely, irrespective of the results of the last few months. As his friends gave it their all, R Praggnanandhaa clinched the Sinquefield Cup 24 hours ago. Arjun is already India’s No. 1 and, at one stage, was in a prime position to stun Nakamura before Armageddon eliminated him. And now, with Carlsen’s praise adding to his performance, Nihal returns from Paris with plenty to build on.
