Nihal Sarin wins Menorca Masters 2026, Gukesh finishes in 4th place

by Devansh Singh - 14/04/2026

Nihal Sarin scored 6/10 points to win the Menorca Masters 2026. In the final round, Nihal drew his game against Ruslan Ponomariov, who was a half point behind him. In this 10-round double round-robin event, Nihal secured 4 wins, 4 draws, and lost just 2 games. Notably, Nihal defeated World Champion D Gukesh in both games. Ruslan Ponomariov and Richard Rapport scored 5.5/10 points and secured 2nd and 3rd position according to tie-break scores. Nihal is playing some of the best chess of his life right now; he's in a career-high classical rating of 2723. Here in Menorca, he increased his rapid rating by 7 points. The total prize fund of the tournament was €22,000, with the top 3 Prizes of €7,000, €5,000, and €4,000. Photos: Saji Mathew

Nihal's second big triumph of 2026

Nihal Sarin started the year with a victory at Tata Steel Chess (Rapid), held in Kolkata, India. It was an event filled with strong players, with Viswanathan Anand finishing in 2nd and Arjun Erigaisi in 3rd. Here in Menorca Masters 2026 again, the field was very strong, and yet again, Nihal managed to win the event without any tie-break games.

Champion: Nihal Sarin (IND)

Runner-up: Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR)

2nd Runner-up: Richard Rapport (HUN)

Round 8

In the 8th round of the event, there were 2 decisive results: Nihal defeated D Gukesh for the second time in this tournament, and Pentala Harikrishna won his game against Ruslan Ponomariov. The game between Leinier Dominguez Perez and Richard Rapport ended in a draw.

D Gukesh vs Nihal Sarin (0-1)

After playing each other in round 3 of the Menorca Masters 2026 and Nihal Sarin scoring a huge win, Gukesh and Nihal were up against each other once again. This time, the World Champion had the white pieces, but Nihal played a beautiful position masterclass to outplay Gukesh.

D Gukesh vs Nihal Sarin (0-1)

Check out the Commentary by IM Sagar Shah | Video: ChessBase India

Pentala Harikrishna vs Ruslan Ponomariov (1-0)

Leinier Dominguez Perez vs Richard Rapport

Round 9

In the 9th round, World Champion D Gukesh won a beautiful game against Pentala Harikrishna, and it was his second victory against Harikrishna in this tournament. As expected from Richard Rapport, he played a game filled with tactics and won a nice attacking game against Nihal Sarin. It was Nihal's second loss of the tournament. The game between Ruslan Ponomariov and Leinier Dominguez Perez ended in a draw.

Pentala Harikrishna vs D Gukesh (0-1)

Watch this exciting game in full with IM Sagar Shah's commentary

Richard Rapport vs Nihal Sarin (1-0)

Ruslan Ponomariov vs Leinier Domínguez Pérez (0.5-0.5)

Final Round

In the Final round of the Menorca Masters 2026, it was a battle between Nihal Sarin, who was leading, and Ruslan Ponomariov, who was trailing by a half point. Both players decided not to take any chances and drew the game in Berlin. Richard Rapport defeated D Gukesh in a complex rook endgame and secured the 3rd place. In another decisive game, Leinier Dominguez Perez won against Pentala Harikrishna.

Nihal played with a performance rating of 2773!

Nihal posted this on his Instagram!

Replay Round 8 to Round 10 Games

Photo Gallery: Here

Lineup

Gukesh, Nihal, Harikrishna, Rapport, Dominguez, and Ponomariov are the participants of this tournament. The time control of the event is 30 minutes+10 second increment on each move, and it follows a double Round-robin format.

Venue: Sagitario Princesa Playa, Ciutadella de Menorca

It is a hotel surrounded by 30,000 m² of green areas, with complete sports facilities, and located a few meters from Son Xoriguer beach and the port of Cala'n Bosch. This village is located on the western coast of the island. Before the British rule in the 18th century, this town of medieval narrow streets and majestic buildings, Ciutadella, was the capital town of Menorca. Thanks to its wide historical legacy, Ciutadella is an acknowledged national cultural point of interest. Its 29,000 inhabitants make it the most populated town on the island, and one of the most attractive tourist areas. History is in the air on every corner of this town full of historical buildings, mansions, and stately houses.

Prizes

The Master Tournament is endowed with €22,000 in cash prizes, which will be distributed in order of ranking.

Champion: 7,000€ + Trophy

2nd place: 5,000€

3rd place: 4,000€

4th place: 3,000€

5th place: 2,000€

6th place: 1,000€

Round 10 Results

	Bo.	No.	Rtg			White	Result		Black		Rtg	No.
1	6	2732		GM	Gukesh, D	0 - 1	GM	Rapport, Richard		2729	3
2	2	2723		GM	Nihal, Sarin	½ - ½	GM	Ponomariov, Ruslan		2636	4
3	1	2732		GM	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	1 - 0	GM	Harikrishna, Pentala		2676	5

Details

Final Ranking

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	RtgI	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	2	GM	Nihal, Sarin	IND	2723	6	0	4	28,25
2	4	GM	Ponomariov, Ruslan	UKR	2636	5,5	1	2	27,5
3	3	GM	Rapport, Richard	HUN	2729	5,5	2	4	26,25
4	6	GM	Gukesh, D	IND	2732	4,5	1	3	20,25
5	1	GM	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	USA	2732	4,5	2	2	23,5
6	5	GM	Harikrishna, Pentala	IND	2676	4	0	3	21,25