‘Sometimes there are blind spots’: Nihal Sarin looks back at Chess Olympiad loss
Indian chess player Nihal Sarin reflects on a critical blunder during the 2026 Chess Olympiad that cost India a match against Uzbekistan. The loss, witnessed by world champion Gukesh, remains a significant moment of regret for the team.
Why it matters
It provides insight into the psychological pressure and high-stakes nature of elite international chess competition.
NEW DELHI: World champion Dommaraju Gukesh was patiently following the game between his compatriot Nihal Sarin and Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Yakubboev in Round 6 of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.The other three boards had already ended in draws, Gukesh's own game against Shamsiddin Vokhidov among them, which meant the entire match, and India's chance to overtake the hosts at the top of the standings, rested on Nihal's result.For a while, it looked like it would go India's way. After 35 moves, Nihal had built a genuinely promising position.Then came the sequence that undid it, a blunder that handed away his queen. Gukesh, who had been a silent observer all this while, looked like he couldn't believe what he'd just seen. As he turned to walk away, he buried his face in his palm in disbelief, before turning back to the board for one last look.
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