Nihal Sarin Dedicates Tata Steel Chess India Rapid Triumph To His Late Grandfather
Young grandmaster Nihal Sarin overcame grief to clinch the Tata Steel Chess Rapid title tournament on January 9.
Published : January 10, 2026 at 1:15 PM IST
Hyderabad: An emotional Nihal Sarin secured a title run in the Tata Steel rapid Chess as he clinched the silverware a day after his grandfather’s demise on Friday, January 9. The 21-year-old showed composure to lift the Rapid title at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament on Friday and dedicated his win to his late grandfather. He won the competition with a draw against a strong player, a day after losing his grandfather, the person who introduced him to the sport of chess.
Sarin won the Open Rapid section in the first round by playing a draw against five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand. With the result, he occupied the top spot in the standings with a tally of 6.5 points. Notably, Sarin had entered the tournament as a replacement for World champion D Gukesh.
Nihal Sarin dedicates his win to his grandfather who taught him chess — Nihal only got the news yesterday that he'd passed away. pic.twitter.com/fpwz6ipltc
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 9, 2026
Anand finished the tournament with a total of six points, occupying the second position in the standings. Arjun Erigaisi, who recently claimed double bronze medals at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha, secured third place, earning five points.
After the win, Sarin credited his late grandfather A.A Ummar for being his guru in the sport. He further added that his grandfather used to follow his matches quite closely.
"Yesterday night, I got the news that my maternal grandfather, who taught me chess, had passed away," Sarin stated.
"He had been ill for a very long time and uh. Yeah, especially in the last, last 12 months, his condition was really deteriorating. Yeah, it was heartbreaking. He would love to see it. He was always a huge well-wisher, and even when 80+, he used to watch my games and follow chess all night. I would like to dedicate this victory to him," he added.
The moment Vishy Anand offers a draw and Nihal Sarin wins the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid! Vishy will take silver unless Arjun wins a position he's currently losing vs. Murzin: https://t.co/lTFUMKYVg9 pic.twitter.com/7ET3AI7NwK
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 9, 2026
Kateryna Lagno of Russia won the women’s competition with her dominance from the opening round to the end. The Russian grandmaster was unbeaten throughout the event and won the title with a round still to play. She was 1.5 points ahead of the second-placed Aleksandra Goryachkina at the end of the event.
The fight for the third position was a five-way tie, with Divya Deshmukh emerging at the top.
