Five moves of mayhem: How Nihal Sarin turned certain defeat into victory

Nihal Sarin's victory in a tense chess match at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand turned certain defeat into a triumph for the Indian team. This singular result helped secure India's position in the competition. The other games in the round, however, ended in draws, making Nihal's victory crucial. The Indian women's team also claimed a near-flawless victory over Finland, with Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Savitha Shri winning their respective games, while Vaishali secured a draw.

FIDE master Johanna Paasikangas was overwhelmed in the middle game by Divya before securing a win. Nihal found himself in a losing position when Arif Abdul Hafiz offered him a reprieve, which he eagerly accepted. The 2428-rated Hafiz was 290 Elo points behind Nihal, who was playing white. Despite exchanging blunders during consecutive moves, the evaluation bar fluctuated wildly, creating uncertainty among the competitors.

At one point, Nihal was down two pawns, and the match seemed destined for another Indian defeat following Arjun Erigaisi's loss in the previous round. Nevertheless, in just five moves—from the 21st to the 26th—Nihal transformed his situation from a lost cause to a triumphant outcome. Indian team captain Srinath Narananan expressed concern about the cracks emerging within the team, as India had already equalized the losses from the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, where they lost only one game in 44 matches over 11 rounds.