Magnus Carlsen goes down to another Indian Prodigy
In the recent Titled Tuesday that took place on July 8, 2025, GM Nihal Sarin defeated none other than World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen with the black pieces, making it his only second tournament victory over the Norwegian.
As the weekly online Blitz tournament was unfolding, Nihal saw himself tied on 9 points after 10 rounds with Magnus, setting up a challenging yet high-stakes final between the two. Over the board, Nihal Sarin is yet to score a win over Carlsen but has always given him a run for his money, holding him to 4 draws and losing just once. In the thrilling final game, outplayed the Norwegian in a complicated heavy-piece endgame, clinching the first place over giants including Magnus, Hikaru and Alireza Firouzja.
Nihal Sarin, who is known for his prowess in speed chess and online chess, grew up as one of the most promising prodigies to take over from the former world champion from the Indian crop of talents, which included now-established stars Gukesh, Arjun, Praggnanandhaa, etc. Even though Nihal has made steady progress in classical chess over the last 5 years, having crossed the “cursed 2700 Elo” barrier multiple times in live ratings, the Indian gets lost in the big names of Indian talents. Nihal has managed to beat Carlsen in casual blitz games in the past, but a compelling tournament victory like this one will surely bring waves of motivation and reassurance of his level.
It will be exhilarating for Nihal’s fans to witness his trajectory, especially in classical chess with multiple high-stakes tournaments coming his way in the calendar, including the FIDE World Cup and FIDE Grand Swiss.
