Chess
Menorca Masters 2026: Nihal Sarin beats world champion Gukesh Dommaraju
Gukesh Dommaraju sits at the bottom of the standings after three rounds.
Nihal Sarin. (Photo credit: Tata Steel Chess India)
Nihal Sarin emerged victorious over the reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in an all-India Round 3 clash at the 2026 Menorca Chess Masters on Wednesday.
Playing with the black pieces, Gukesh employed the Slav defence. He erred straight out of the opening, misplacing his queen twice in the first 12 moves to hand Nihal the advantage.
Nihal, looking to get his campaign back on track after having lost the previous day, played all the right moves once he realised he had the advantage.
He went out an all-out attack, forcing a resignation out of Gukesh in 34 moves.
The win propelled Nihal to sole lead in the six-man competition with 2 points in three rounds.
Gukesh, meanwhile, sits dead last in the standings with just 1 point.
Pentala Harikishna, the other Indian in contention, has accumulated 1.5 points after 3 rounds.