Chess
Chess: Nihal Sarin qualifies for Esports World Cup Final
Nihal Sarin joins Arjun Erigaisi as the only two Indians in the Esports World Cup Final.
Indian chess player Nihal Sarin (FILE PHOTO: SerbiaChess)
India's Nihal Sarin qualified for the final of chess event at the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The 21-year-old from Thrissur was the only Indian to make it to the main event from the Last Chance Qualifiers. The others to qualify include Anish Giri, Levon Aronian, and Javokhir Sindarov.
The other Indian in action in the Last Chance Qualifiers – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – was knocked out from the tournament.
Nihal, known for his speed chess abilities, displayed what he is one of the most feared players in the world of online chess.
Having qualified to the winners bracket of Last Chance Qualifiers after topping his group on Friday, Nihal never let his advantage slip.
He started off with a win over Denis Lazavik in his first match before taking down Anish in his second battle.
The Indian then got the better of Andrey Esipenko to qualify for the winners bracket semi-finals and book his spot in the Esports World Cup Finals.
Nihal will be the second Indian in contention in the Esports World Cup Finals with Arjun Erigaisi having directly qualified for the event, thanks to his performance in the Champions Chess Tour.
The chess final at Esports World Cup will start on Sunday.
While Nihal will represent Indian club S8UL, Arjun will represent Gen.G Esports.
