Gukesh was insanely impressive, says GM Nihal Sarin

Set to play for PBG Alaskan Knights in the second season of the Global Chess League (GCL) in London from October 3 to 12, GM Nihal Sarin on Friday termed the league “the IPL of chess.”

“I would say this is like the IPL of chess. I think team sport in general is very interesting. I really like the format – that there is a difference between the white wins and the black wins. For a white win, you get three (game) points; and for a black win, four points.

“That basically means that the only way a match ends in a draw is like all six games ending in a draw. So, it accounts for much more results,” he said over a zoom call.

Saying that he was “motivated” by the performance of the Indian team in the open section in the ongoing chess Olympiad, he said he was in awe about GM D. Gukesh’s endgame versus China’s Wei Yi. “I was watching the final moments. It was really magical accuracy. Gukesh basically managed to grind out water from a stone.”

“There was very less chance to win, but somehow he managed to create something. And when he got a chance, he played absolutely like a machine with zero time on the clock. He managed to convert it with pinpoint precision. So, that was insanely impressive.”