Nihal Sarin dominates 4th President Cup Masters 2025 with a 2836 performance
Nihal Sarin defeated Abdimalik Abdisalimov (UZB) in the final round of 4th International President Cup 2025 Masters. He had already won the tournament, still he went for the maximum. It is clear that Nihal is prioritising Classical chess now and joining forces with GM Vishnu Prasanna has clearly made a big positive impact. He scored 7/9, finished two points ahead of the field, performed at 2836 and gained 14.5 Elo rating points. His live rating is now 2715.5, currently India no.5 and World no. 26. Mukhiddin Madaminov (UZB) and Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) scored 5/9 each. They were placed second and third respectively according to tie-breaks. Nihal has won this event for the second consecutive year. Photo: UzChess
Nihal's third triumph in Uzbekistan in a little over a year
Nihal Sarin has won three tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan since November 2024. First he won, the third edition of the same tournament in November last year. Then he won 18th Tashkent Open in March this year and now this. Uzbekistan is certainly a good place for Nihal and his great performances.
Nihal - Abdisalimov: 1-0
GM Nihal Sarin (2701) faced GM Abdimalik Abdisalimov (UZB, 2561) twice in Classical rated games. The first one ended in a draw and Nihal won the second earlier this year at Tashkent Agzamov Memorial. Nihal had already won the tournament, still he went for the maximum.
19...Qg6 invited 20.f4+- Qxd3 worsened things further for Black 21.Bd5+ Kh8 22.fxe5 Re8 23.Rf3 Qe2 24.Rc1 Qg6 25.Rcf1 Qb6 26.Qa4 h6 27.Qc2 a5 28.e6 and it's over as Black cannot avoid material loss to prevent checkmate.
Replay Round 9 games
Round 9 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 2701 | GM | Nihal, Sarin | 1 - 0 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | 2561 | 10 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 6 | 2653 | GM | Svane, Frederik | ½ - ½ | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | 2641 | 4 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 7 | 2608 | GM | Lagarde, Maxime | ½ - ½ | GM | Daneshvar, Bardiya | 2600 | 3 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 8 | 2610 | GM | Kuzubov, Yuriy | ½ - ½ | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | 2552 | 2 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 9 | 2654 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | ½ - ½ | GM | Sargsyan, Shant | 2665 | 1 | PGN |
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | GM | Nihal, Sarin | IND | 2701 | 7 | 0 | 28,75 | 6 | 1 | 3,5 | 1,45 | 10 | 14,5 | |
| 2 | 2 | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | UZB | 2552 | 5 | 0 | 22,75 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1,49 | 10 | 14,9 | |
| 3 | 4 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | UZB | 2641 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 2,5 | 0,27 | 10 | 2,7 | |
| 4 | 7 | GM | Lagarde, Maxime | FRA | 2608 | 4,5 | 0 | 19,75 | 2 | 1 | 2,5 | 0,22 | 10 | 2,2 | |
| 5 | 6 | GM | Svane, Frederik | GER | 2653 | 4,5 | 0 | 19,75 | 2 | 0 | 2,5 | -0,39 | 10 | -3,9 | |
| 6 | 1 | GM | Sargsyan, Shant | ARM | 2665 | 4,5 | 0 | 18,5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0,56 | 10 | -5,6 | |
| 7 | 9 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | FID | 2654 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -0,90 | 10 | -9 | |
| 8 | 3 | GM | Daneshvar, Bardiya | IRI | 2600 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0,16 | 10 | -1,6 | |
| 9 | 10 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | UZB | 2561 | 3,5 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -0,12 | 10 | -1,2 | |
| 10 | 8 | GM | Kuzubov, Yuriy | UKR | 2610 | 3 | 0 | 13,5 | 1 | 0 | 2,5 | -1,30 | 10 | -13 |
Links
Uzbekistan Chess Federation : Official site, Telegram and fb page
