‘Long time dream’: Nihal Sarin ‘excited’ but ‘not thinking’ about India’s Chess Olympiad title defense

Nihal Sarin plays for American Gambits (GCL Photo) BENGALURU: Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin is already thinking about the Chess Olympiad, but not quite yet. India is preparing to defend its Open title in Samarkand, Uzbekistan later this month and Nihal is excited to represent the country at the Olympics. For now, however, the 22-year-old has his sights set firmly on the Global Chess League (GCL), where he represents American Gambits in its fourth season.Asked if he was already thinking about the Olympics while playing his matches in Bengaluru, Nihal said, “Not really, no. In general, I’m just extremely excited to play in the Olympics. I’m very happy and I’ll try to give my best for the team. It’s been a long-time dream.”But with GCL currently in the limelight, Nihal is deliberately keeping things relaxed. “I’m just (focusing on the GCL) right now. This tournament is very relaxed. I’m just trying to relax on and off the board,” he said after Sunday’s American Gambits match against the Ganges Grandmasters.India’s title defense will carry considerable expectations. Four members of Budapest’s winning squad return, although there will understandably be significant changes to the order of the board. Arjun Erigaisi leads the five-man line-up at 2759, followed by Praggnanandhaa R at 2750. Nihal, rated 2718, will replace Pentala Harikrishna.World champion Gukesh Dommaraju is also absent, while Vidit Gujrathi completes the squad. Srinath Narayanan returns as captain.At the 2024 Budapest Olympics, Gukesh played on deck 1 and scored a phenomenal 9/10 with a performance rating of 3056 to win the individual gold as India finished four match points clear. Arjun also won individual gold in board three.However, defending the title will not be an easy task. Armenia remains the last team to successfully retain the Open title, winning in 2006 and 2008. The last five editions have produced four different champions, underscoring how difficult it has been to maintain dominance.

What happened in GCL on day 2

Defending APL champions Pipers made it two wins from two by beating Ganges Grandmasters 11-6, while Ganges bounced back later to beat American Gambits 9-7. Nihal won his match against Levon Aronian with the black pieces in a nerve-wracking battle, but it wasn’t enough for his team. Alaskan Knights defeated Mumba Masters 11-6 before Mumba Masters defeated Triveni Continental Kings 10-9 in the final match of the day.At the moment, US Gambits lead the standings with 6 match points and 31 game points ahead of Grandmasters Gangs 25.6. Alpine APL Pipers are third with 6/21 while Mumba Masters and Alaskan Knights have 3 match points each. Continental Kings, the two-time champions, remain at the bottom without a win.