‘Sometimes there are blind spots’: Nihal Sarin looks back at Chess Olympiad loss

Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin reflected on his pivotal Round 6 defeat against Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Yakubboev at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Nihal held a promising position before committing a critical queen blunder on move 38 that sealed the match defeat for India. Uzbekistan went on to win the tournament outright, while India claimed the silver medal.

Nihal revealed that neither he, World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh, nor captain Srinath Narayanan spotted the tactic beforehand, calling it an uncharacteristic blind spot. He emphasized team unity and moving past hypothetical scenarios as he prepares for the upcoming European Club Cup in Montenegro.