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.
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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.
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.
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.
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 | 0 - 1 | GM | 2729 | 3 | |||||
2 | 2 | 2723 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2636 | 4 | |||||
3 | 1 | 2732 | GM | 1 - 0 | GM | 2676 | 5 |
Final Ranking
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | GM | 2723 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 28,25 | |||
2 | 4 | GM | 2636 | 5,5 | 1 | 2 | 27,5 | |||
3 | 3 | GM | 2729 | 5,5 | 2 | 4 | 26,25 | |||
4 | 6 | GM | 2732 | 4,5 | 1 | 3 | 20,25 | |||
5 | 1 | GM | 2732 | 4,5 | 2 | 2 | 23,5 | |||
6 | 5 | GM | 2676 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 21,25 |
