Chess players

Nihal Sarin

Grandmaster, India. FIDE rating 2709, October 2026.

Nihal Sarin is a grandmaster from India, rated 2709 and ranked 30th in the world on the FIDE list of October 2026. He is playing board two for Novy Bor at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, from 17 to 23 October 2026.

FIDE title: Grandmaster
Federation: India
Born: 13 July 2004, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Classical rating: 2709 (October 2026)
Rapid rating: 2712
Blitz rating: 2721
Peak rating: 2723 (April 2026)
World rank: No. 30 (October 2026)
FIDE id: 25092340

Nihal won the under-10 world blitz title in 2013 and the under-10 World Youth Championship in 2014 with 9/11, and he became a grandmaster at 14; FIDE confirmed the title at its 2018 Congress in Batumi. In 2020 he won the under-18 world youth title, which was held online, Chess.com's Junior Speed Chess Championship and gold with India at the online Olympiad. He kept the junior speed title in 2021, beating Raunak Sadhwani in the final by seven points.

His biggest online result came at the 2022 Chess.com Global Championship. On the way to the final he beat Rauf Mamedov, Vladimir Kramnik, Ding Liren, Sam Sevian and Anish Giri, then lost the final to Wesley So and took US$100,000 as runner-up. Over the board that year he scored 7.5/10 on board two for India's second team at the Chennai Olympiad, a 2774 performance, and won bronze, while India's first team finished fourth. He also won the 2022 Tata Steel India Rapid.

His blitz rating on the October 2026 list, 2721, is above his classical 2709 and his rapid 2712. In June 2026 he won the Bullet Chess Championship, dethroning Alireza Firouzja, the three-time champion, with a run of 15 straight wins against him. In classical chess he passed 2700 for the first time in November 2025 and reached his peak, 2723, on the April 2026 list.

In April 2026 he won the Menorca Masters with 6/10, half a point ahead of Ruslan Ponomariov and Richard Rapport, and beat Gukesh Dommaraju in both of their games. He was sixth at the Chennai Grand Masters in July with 3.5/7. At the Global Chess League in Bengaluru he helped the FYERS American Gambits to third place, beating M Pranesh twice in the third-place play-off, and at the Samarkand Olympiad he scored 6/10 on board three as India took team silver. He is now on board two for Novy Bor, behind Nodirbek Yakubboev, at the European Club Cup in Budva, which ends on 23 October.

Next events

1.European Club Cup 2026: 17 to 23 October 2026 (in progress), Budva, Montenegro. Board two for Novy Bor.

Recent results

Nihal's recent results
Event	Dates	Result
46th Chess Olympiad, Samarkand	16 to 27 September 2026	6/10 on board three for India; India took team silver
Global Chess League 2026, Bengaluru (FYERS American Gambits)	5 to 13 September 2026	Third; won both his games against M Pranesh in the third-place play-off
Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026, Chennai	16 to 22 July 2026	Shared 4th to 6th with 3.5/7, 6th on tiebreak
Bullet Chess Championship 2026	June 2026	Won; beat the defending champion Alireza Firouzja
Menorca Masters 2026	7 to 12 April 2026	1st with 6/10

Career highlights

1.Won the under-10 world blitz title in 2013 and the under-10 World Youth Championship in 2014 with 9/11.
2.Became a grandmaster at 14; FIDE confirmed the title at its 2018 Congress in Batumi.
3.Won the under-18 world youth title, held online, in 2020.
4.Won Chess.com's Junior Speed Chess Championship in 2020 and 2021.
5.Reached the final of the 2022 Chess.com Global Championship and won US$100,000 as runner-up.
6.Passed 2700 in classical chess for the first time in November 2025.
7.Won the 2026 Bullet Chess Championship, beating Alireza Firouzja.

Nihal's season-by-season record in the league is on the Global Chess League profile.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nihal Sarin's next tournament?

He is playing the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, on board two for Novy Bor; the last round is on 23 October 2026. No later event of his had been announced in the sources checked on 20 October 2026.

What is Nihal Sarin's FIDE rating?

On the October 2026 FIDE list Nihal is rated 2709 in classical chess, 2712 in rapid and 2721 in blitz, and he is 30th in the world in classical. His highest classical rating is 2723, first reached on the April 2026 list.

How old is Nihal Sarin?

Nihal was born on 13 July 2004 in Thrissur, Kerala, so he is 22.

What is Nihal Sarin's biggest title?

Over the board, the 2026 Menorca Masters, which he won with 6/10 ahead of Ruslan Ponomariov and Richard Rapport. Online, the 2026 Bullet Chess Championship, where he beat the defending champion Alireza Firouzja. He also reached the final of the 2022 Chess.com Global Championship.

Did Nihal Sarin play the 2026 Chess Olympiad?

Yes. He played board three for India in Samarkand and scored 6/10 with a 2626 performance, and India won team silver behind Uzbekistan.

Sources

Facts checked on 20 October 2026. Ratings are from the FIDE list of October 2026.

More profiles: all chess player profiles.