Nihal Sarin wins Tashkent Open, pockets $20,000 prize money
Long considered a player who is more adept at faster time controls than classical chess, India’s Nihal Sarin won the classical Tashkent Open Agzamov Memorial 2025 with a draw with black pieces against Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov in the final round on Saturday. Thanks to the victory, Nihal will return from Uzbekistan’s capital with a cool $20,000 (approx Rs 17 lakh) in his pocket and 7.1 rating points in his credit. The 20-year-old from Thrissur is rated 2694 in the live ratings, which takes him within touching distance of the 2700-rating peak after his performance in Tashkent.
A member of India’s golden generation of teenage prodigies, in recent years, Nihal has been falling behind contemporaries like Gukesh, who became the youngest world champion in the history of the sport, and play...